Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Blazing Saddles Blu-ray Movie Review

Bart Rides Again

Reviewed by Michael Reuben May 12, 2014

For its fortieth anniversary, Warner has given a makeover to Mel Brooks's trail-blazing, equal-opportunity-offending, flatulence-friendly Blazing Saddles. The original Blu-ray release in 2006 was no slouch, but this new version improves on it. For all its hip, self-referential humor, Blazing Saddles was shot with the technical craftsmanship of an old-time studio production, mimicking the style of the grand VistaVision and Cinemascope spectacles that Brooks and his co-writers were parodying. The 2006 release demonstrated that the source material was in good shape; so why not try a second pass with the benefit of eight years of advances in technology and experience? Blazing Saddles is that rarity among catalog titles, a perennial seller. The film's distinctive mixture of high and low comedy continues to win over new generations of viewers, and its shock value may be even greater today than on initial release.

My colleague Casey Broadwater wrote a fine overview of Blazing Saddles in his review of the 2006 Blu-ray, on which I will not try to improve:

If you've never seen Blazing Saddles (are there any of you out there?), the year is 1874, or 1974 in 1874, as Mel Brooks describes it, and an expanding railroad operation has run into quicksand. State Procurer Hedy, I mean, Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) hatches a scheme to divert the railway through the podunk town of Rock Ridge, an inbred burg where everybody's last name is Johnson. Intending to scare off the townsfolk so he can buy up their land on the cheap, he convinces cross-eyed, doofus Governor William J. LePetomane (Mel Brooks) to hire the country's first black sheriff to police the town. Black Bart (a suave Cleavon Little) rides into Rock Ridge on a horse with Gucci saddlebags and, despite a heavy dose of race hate from its citizens, sets up shop in the town's sheriff office. Nearly comatose in the drunk tank is Jim (Gene Wilder), the one-time "Waco Kid," a former gunslinger who lost his steady hand in a bout with the bottle. When Hedley assembles a rag tag crew of "rustlers, cutthroats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperadoes, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, half-wits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswagglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass kickers, shit kickers and Methodists" to scare off the moronic townspeople, Bart and Jim devise a plan to save Rock Ridge. The film's climactic battle bursts quite literally through the fourth wall, and the two amigos obliterate one final cliché as they ride off into the sunset.

None of this is important, and the skeletal plot only serves as a frame on which to hang the film's shaggy coat of comedy. Re-watching Blazing Saddles, I laughed more and harder than during just about all of the studio comedies I've seen in the past few years. While the farting scene wasn't nearly as funny as when I was twelve, keep in mind that Blazing Saddles was the first major movie to feature outright flatulence. It's easy to take that for granted in an age when gross-out humor is the norm. The performances—across the board—are zany, madcap takes on characters we've all seen before. Harvey Korman's Hedley is so devilish and conspiratorial you can practically envision him twirling a greasy mustache as a damsel lies tied before him to the tracks. Madeline Kahn (in an Oscar-nominated performance) slumps across the screen as Lili Von Schtup, the tired, Teutonic Titwillow, a sly parody of a de-sexed and disinterested Marlene Deitrich. And embodying every cowboy cliché imaginable, Slim Pickens and Burton Gilliam wrap their mouths around some seriously hate-filled dialogue with hammy, in-the- know showmanship.

Blazing Saddles holds back very little, and some of the film's racially insensitive language may cause modern viewers to cringe. We're simply not used to hearing derogatory titles thrown about so carelessly, even in jest. The rightfully dreaded "N" word makes no less than 17 appearances in the film, and I can think of no contemporary productions that could get away with this, with the telling exception of The Dave Chappelle Show. As most of you remember, Dave Chappelle abruptly abandoned his massively successful sketch program after coming to the realization that some people were laughing at his racially charged skits for all the wrong reasons. Subversive comedy walks a fine line, and Blazing Saddles is no different. We're clearly meant to view the film's townsfolk as intolerant bigots and buffoons, but there will always be a minority of viewers who simply can't or won't understand how the film attempts to undercut racism.

In some ways, Blazing Saddles seems like a precursor to the many multi-racial buddy movies we've seen in the years since—from Dawn of the Dead and Lethal Weapon, to Rush Hour and Harold and Kumar. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder are my favorite pairing, though, mostly because their partnership seems grounded in genuine affection and understanding. Both actors deliver timeless, inimitable performances in what, to this day, is a timeless and inimitable film. There may be many comedies, but there's only one Blazing Saddles.

Blazing Saddles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner's PR materials do not specify whether the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray was derived from a new scan or is a remaster of the existing scan. After watching both discs in motion on my 73" display, then looking at selected scenes from both on a computer monitor, I am fairly confident that both discs have been sourced from the same image capture—but that doesn't mean the new one isn't an improvement. On the contrary, the 40th Anniversary edition, which has been remastered with the AVC codec, sports a noticeably sharper and more detailed image than its VC-1/encoded predecessor.

The difference between the two discs is not immediately obvious when comparing still frames, but it is impossible to miss when watching the image in motion (and I expect that, the larger the screen, the bigger the impact). Improvements can be seen even in closeups, but this version really shines in long shots, where the additional sharpness adds to the sense of depth in the great outdoors, the city of Rock Ridge and the film's wild finale, when the action spills out into Burbank Studios to invade adjoining soundstages and the Warner cafeteria. Scenes like these contain big crowds, like the chorus in top hats and tails being directed in a Busby Berkeley number by Dom Deluise, and each figure remains distinct and separate against a background that feels almost three-dimensional. Shadow detail in dark scenes like the infamous campfire bean feast and the theater where Harvey Korman's Hedley Lamarr takes refuge feature improved contrast and better shadow detail. The colors, already vibrant on the 2006 edition, are even more so here, so that Lili Von Schtupp's stage act and Buck's flashy outfits light up the screen all the more effectively.

In addition to the improvements in detail and color, Warner has encoded the new edition of Blazing Saddles at a somewhat higher average bitrate of 24.99 Mbps (vs. the previous version's 23.93). This may not seem like a huge difference, but it does put the compression rate at the high end of Warner's usual range and, together with the increased efficiency of the AVC codec, ensures an absence of compression-related issues.

Blazing Saddles Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As noted in Casey Broadwater's review of the 2006 disc, Blazing Saddles was initially released in mono. It was later remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1. for the 30th Anniversary DVD in 2004, and the same track was offered, also in DD 5.1, on the initial Blu-ray. What sounds to my ear like the same mix is presented on the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1. The track sounds quite good, but lossless treatment cannot make up for the limitations noted by Casey in his earlier review. The dynamic range is still somewhat limited, with limited bass extension (which becomes obvious whenever there's an explosion) and a thin high end. Voice are still sometimes overwhelmed by the effects as the mix as been "opened up", but only for a moment or two. In an odd reversal from the norm, the lossless DTS track seems to have been mastered at a lower volume level than the earlier disc's DD track, but a minor adjustment of your home theater's listening level should correct the discrepancy.

The original mono mix still remains MIA.

Blazing Saddles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

With the exception of the brief tribute entitled "Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn", which was an excerpt from a much longer Lifetime TV special, the extras from the 2006 edition have been carried over. These "legacy" extras are listed below for ease of reference, but please see Casey Broadwater's review for further discussion. Here are the new extras:

• Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks' Wild, Wild West (1080p; 1.78:1; 29:41): In this 2014 interview, Brooks reflects on the impact of Blazing Saddles on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. He talks about his love of Westerns as a boy, recalls the wild experience of working with Richard Pryor and recounts his receipt of the Kennedy Center Honor in 2009. At age 87, Brooks remains his energetic, irrepressible self. Clips are also included from an interview by an aging (and, by all appearances, ailing) Gene Wilder at the 92nd Street Y in New York City and a 1989 interview with Madeline Kahn.



• Lobby Cards: An envelope inserted into the slipcase and labeled "telegram" holds ten postcard-sized lobby cards with B&W or artfully faded color stills from the film, each accompanied by a signature line (e.g., "A wed wose. How womantic."). For anyone who enjoys collectibles, it's a fun item.



• Legacy extras.
• Commentary
• Back in the Saddle (documentary)
• Black Bart (TV pilot)
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

Blazing Saddles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you already own the 2006 Blu-ray of Blazing Saddles, either singly or as part of The Mel Brooks Collection, I wouldn't rush out to acquire this one. The early disc stands up to scrutiny, even by current standards, and neither of the new extras is so compelling that it demands your instant attention. However, if you don't have Blazing Saddles among your Blu-rays, you should—and this is clearly the best version to get. Or give the old one to a friend or relation and treat yourself. In either case, highly recommended.