Hilarious- If You Know Your History.

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2013)

Mel Brooks wrote and directed this uproarious farce as failed Broadway producer Max Bialystock(Zero Mostel) enlists meek accountant Leo Bloom(Gene Wilder) in his scheme to produce a surefire flop, that way, he can collect his investors' money and not have to pay it back. The play they find is a jaw-dropping, tasteless musical called "Springtime For Hitler" written by a fugitive Nazi soldier(played by Kenneth Mars). They even enlist the aid of a bizarre director, and cast a most unlikely lead as Hitler(Dick Shawn as LSD, a nutty hippie!) Trouble is, the team made this play a little TOO awful, and much to their amazement and horror, it's now funny! Though has some dated elements, and silly final sequence, this comedy is among the funniest ever made. Not only is the play unintentionally funny, it's the reaction of the audience that sells it, with their shocked faces. Viewer needs an appreciation of history to fully get the joke though, which is itself no joke.
Whole cast is brilliant, and film is still daring, and perhaps should be brought up to date in a proper remake/sequel?