A fantastic jab at all that is good and holy... ;)

Rating: 7/10 (21 August 2000)

I love this movie. It is not the greatest comedy in the world, but it IS something that must be seen to be beleived. Overall, the first 3/4 of the movie is absolutely fantastic, and the final 1/4 approaches the sublime. However, the movie does miss a few spots here and there and there are quite a few jokes that were probably a lot funnier in '68 than they are now (this film does not translate as well as Blazing Saddles, but is still a damn funny movie).
Ultimately, none of that stuff really matters, as the only truly important part could justify the rest of the film being a blank screen... the performance of Springtime for Hitler is, quite simply, one of the most beautifully absurd things that the world has ever been witness to. This one single scene was so vulgar and hilarious and offensive that many were paralyzed over how to react to it when it was released (much like the audience in the film itself). You may find yourself having to rewind it several times in order to catch all of the wonderfully obscene lyrics (not South Park obscene, just obscene), but you will find it worth your while.
Unfortunately, Brooks seems to back down from his initial premise and softens the blow of the play a bit with some cheap shots at the 60s counter-culture (not that there is really anything but cheap shots to take at hippies, but he does it anyway). The film achieves truly sublime humor for a few minutes and then falls back into a pretty standard (if inspired and somewhat brilliant) comedy.
This film is definitely worth seeing, perhaps several times.