Outline:
The director states, ‘Racial bias is the main force that propels the film.’
Key points
- Mel Brooks states that Richard Pryor “encouraged”Blazing Saddles‘ use of the C-word.
- The director mentions that “racial bias is the main force that truly powers the movie.”
- Ben Stiller and Dave Chappelle also share their views regarding the film’s controversial material.
Mel Brooks is reflecting on Richard Pryor’s impact on Blazing Saddles.
The Young Frankenstein The director, who collaborated on the famous Western parody with the renowned comedian, discussed how the boundary-defying film ended up featuring so many instances of the N-word.
“I was motivated by Richard,” Brooks says in the documentary.Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man(released Jan. 22). “He stated, ‘You must speak the truth.'”
Brooks states that Pryor shared with him the various ways the term is applied. “He mentioned, ‘It’s used; occasionally it’s used affectionately among brothers, and at other times it’s a harsh, terrible insult, which really hurts,” he remembers Pryor saying.
The SpaceballsThe director heeded Pryor’s advice, but didn’t want viewers to think thathewas the reason the film included so many N-words.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m going to let the world know — I’m going to tell them the truth — I’m going to tell them it’s your fault that there are so many N-words in this movie,'” Brooks says in the documentary.
Brooks mentioned that the film, which includes many racist characters who use derogatory terms to describe Cleavon Little’s Sheriff Bart, has an enduring impact because of its satire on racism.
If you desire a comedy to endure, you must have a mechanism propelling it, and inBlazing Saddles“racial prejudice is the true driving force of the film,” he says.
The film also includes input fromBen Stiller, who is still amazed thatBlazing Saddleswas capable of being created with such highly controversial material, and states that his own movie,Tropic Thunder, pales in comparison to the boldness of Brooks’ film.
Now you look at it, and you think, ‘Oh my God, this movie,'” Stiller says. “You know, people like to say, ‘Oh, you couldn’t makeTropic Thundertoday, like, you really couldn’t come up withBlazing SaddlesToday, or ever, I think? But what’s really going on is that he’s doing this satire, but he’s fully committed, aiming to reveal the hypocrisy and how messed up our world is regarding how people treat each other.
Dave Chappellealso featured in the documentary, and offers his own viewpoint onBlazing SaddlesMan, you can accomplish almost anything if it’s humorous,” he says. “So no, most people couldn’t make that movie ever, now or even back then. But Mel Brooks could.
Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Manairs on HBO Max on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Read the original story onEntertainment Weekly