First 40 minutes must be among the funniest ever filmed.

Rating: 9/10 (28 October 1998)

The first 40 minutes or so of "The Producers" must rank as among the funniest sequences ever filmed. The film does lose a bit of steam as it comes to its conclusion, but it would probably have been impossible to sustain the same level as the plot plays its way out. Zero Mostel's performance is sheer genius, only matched by Gene Wilder's quiet comic masterpiece. The quirky bit players (look for the concierge guarding her building) just add to the crazy atmosphere.