With over 100 years of gritty and dramatic approaches to the era, the American Old West is one of the most explored in films, and Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles remains one of the more unique 50 years later. At the time, Brooks was a rising name in the world of film, having originally made a name for himself in the world of TV by co-creating Get Smart and musicals like Shinbone Alley. While he would go on to be better known for his various parodies, Blazing Saddles proved to be a far better focus on genre satire than anything else.
Blazing Saddles focuses on Cleavon Little’s Bart, a Black railroad worker who finds himself appointed as the sheriff of the small town of Rock Ridge as part of a corrupt politician’s ploy to claim ownership of the town before it becomes worth millions. As he adjusts to the closed minds of the isolated town, Bart becomes friends with Gene Wilder’s Jim, the local drunk who is actually a former legendary gunslinger known as the Waco Kid, and begins scheming with him to both win Rock Ridge’s respect and stop the politician’s plans.
Blazing Saddles’ Story Moves At An Expert Pace
Brooks Effectively Metes Out The Story While Delivering On The Comedy
The world of comedy can be just as focused on delivering a meaningful story as making audiences laugh, though there are plenty of movies that have focused too much on one or the other that they fail to deliver on either. With Blazing Saddles, Brooks and his writing team of Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, iconic comedian Richard Pryor and Alan Uger find an effective balance in their overall pacing of Bart and Jim’s story with their jokes.
Where Blazing Saddles‘ story begins to crumble a bit is the lack of any kind of evolution for its characters beyond Bart and Jim.
The movie’s opening nicely lays the foundation for Bart’s nature as a trickster and getting out of sticky situations with clever schemes, even as it all-too-directly establishes its late-1800s setting with satirical racist jokes. The introduction of Jim and the evolution of his character similarly progresses at a smooth pace as we learn why he has turned to alcoholism and see him come to terms with his past thanks to his friendship with Bart.
Where Blazing Saddles‘ story begins to crumble a bit is the lack of any kind of evolution for its characters beyond Bart and Jim. Harvey Korman’s Hedley Lamarr is a pretty routine villain, while Madeline Kahn’s Lili Von Shtupp shows inklings of change in turning against Lamarr after being hired to seduce Bart, though even this is still largely played for laughs due to her sexual encounter with Bart. Her appearance singing in a World War II parody play in the movie’s chaotic finale is even further proof of how little her connection with Bart ultimately matters.
The Movie’s Jokes Are Still Largely Hilarious (But Don’t All Age Well)
Brooks & Co.’s Attempts At Self-Aware Satire Works In Parts, But Not In Others
While it may have established Brooks’ later penchant for humorous approaches to iconic genres and stories, Blazing Saddles still remains one of the filmmaker’s riskiest movies to date with its handling of its period setting. The American West was not only a ruthless era, but also one of the least tolerant for anyone not white, with many still holding on to racist Civil War beliefs, and the general idea of Western Expansion putting them in conflict with various Native American tribes.
That being said, that’s not to say that Blazing Saddles‘ jokes don’t stand the test of time.
Brooks and his team certainly don’t shy away from this unfortunate truth throughout Blazing Saddles, with the n-word frequently uttered when referring to Bart, as well as derivative slurs towards seemingly gay men from the era and beyond, as the meta finale jumps into the present day. Brooks’ cameo as a Native American chief is equally disconcerting 50 years later; it’s a very small part that could’ve been given to an authentically cast actor rather than the co-writer/director donning redface for it.
That’s not to say Blazing Saddles‘ jokes don’t stand the test of time. Bart and Jimmy’s antics are often lighthearted, yet effectively blunt. Some of the aforementioned racial slurs are cut short due to environmental or situational interruptions, namely when Bart rides into town and the local old man fails to warn the townsfolk due to a church bell ringing. The overall slapstick is also nicely grounded rather than cartoonish, be it Lamarr hitting his head on a window multiple times while shouting at the hangman, or any of Wilder’s physical comedy.
The Ending Feels Too Unsatisfactory Because Of How Chaotic It Becomes
With its self-referential and satirical tone, Blazing Saddles often goes for meta jokes throughout its runtime, which does prove effective in parts. Bart’s mention of Jesse Owens as he prepares to run away is funny due to its anachronistic nature, Little’s frequent fourth-wall breaking nicely nods to us to not take anything too seriously in the movie, and the spoofs of everything from Cabaret to The Twilight Zone are intelligent references for those who pick up on them.
This kind of ending would even be replicated a year later with Monty Python and the Holy Grail
But while it is often refreshing, especially for ’70s-era filmmaking, Blazing Saddles‘ meta humor does become a bit too scattershot as it progresses, with its ending being the most egregious example of such. In the middle of the chaotic fight between Rock Ridge and Lamarr’s mercenaries, the setting suddenly shifts to show everything is happening on Warner Bros.’ backlot, subsequently leading to a clash between different faux productions, and jokes that the cast can get away with anything as they’re working for Brooks.
This kind of ending would even be replicated a year later with Monty Python and the Holy Grail‘s surprise ending as the Arthurian knights are arrested by modern police. Unlike the 1975 classic, though, Brooks and co. do attempt a more definitive ending for Blazing Saddles‘ cast of characters by eventually putting them back in the Western world we’ve watched up to this point. But even for a comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, it ultimately feels too out-of-place and takes away from the actual fitting conclusion Bart and Jimmy get.
Blazing Saddles returned to theaters for a 50th anniversary re-release on September 18.