Gene Wilder, the star of the movie which is discussed here, comes across very relaxed and interesting to hear. I found he did a fine job in a discussion on another DVD: "Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory." I point this out because he's the only actor who is interviewed, talking about this 30-plus-year-old film. Even though I was very disappointed we didn't hear from director Mel Brooks, or actors Teri Garr and some of the others involved with this movie, Wilder still kept me interested in watching. I have added incentive to watch this because I think it is Brooks' best movie. I just love this film. Sadly, a number of the actors, such as Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman and Madeline Kahn have all passed away but it might have been fun to hear from Garr or Cloris Leachman.
At any rate, since the cinematography in this movie is so incredible I was interested in hearing what cameraman Gerald Hirschfeld had to say about it. This was the first black-and- white movie in a number of years and nobody in Hollywood wanted to work in that medium, so it was struggle for Brooks to convince others he wanted it as such.
Wilder also had a huge impact on this movie because he wrote much of the screenplay and had the starring role. Brooks then took over as director and also worked with Wilder on the script so those two, along with Hirschfeld, probably contributed to most of the movie. It was particularly interesting to hear about the disputes Wilder and Brooks had about certain scenes and how they worked them out.
To be honest, the average viewer probably would be bored with this "bonus feature" but loving the film as I do, I was glad to learn anything I could about the inner workings of it.
I think everyone, however, enjoys "outtakes" and some of those scenes in which Wilder cracked up almost had me in tears. Feldman really made him laugh, to the point where Gene had to use 5-10 takes before he could finish the scene with a straight face! In fact, Hirschfeld and others comment here about all the hilarity on the set, how everyone just laughed and laughed their way through this film.
At any rate, since the cinematography in this movie is so incredible I was interested in hearing what cameraman Gerald Hirschfeld had to say about it. This was the first black-and- white movie in a number of years and nobody in Hollywood wanted to work in that medium, so it was struggle for Brooks to convince others he wanted it as such.
Wilder also had a huge impact on this movie because he wrote much of the screenplay and had the starring role. Brooks then took over as director and also worked with Wilder on the script so those two, along with Hirschfeld, probably contributed to most of the movie. It was particularly interesting to hear about the disputes Wilder and Brooks had about certain scenes and how they worked them out.
To be honest, the average viewer probably would be bored with this "bonus feature" but loving the film as I do, I was glad to learn anything I could about the inner workings of it.
I think everyone, however, enjoys "outtakes" and some of those scenes in which Wilder cracked up almost had me in tears. Feldman really made him laugh, to the point where Gene had to use 5-10 takes before he could finish the scene with a straight face! In fact, Hirschfeld and others comment here about all the hilarity on the set, how everyone just laughed and laughed their way through this film.
