A Hollywood veteran of over half a century, Mel Brooks is regarded as among one of the greatest comedians of all time. One of his greatest movies, Blazing Saddles, has been lauded by audiences and critics alike as a biting satire of both the American West and the racism depicted by Hollywood movies in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
There are a few major issues with getting a remake with this classic. One is that remakes hardly compare to the original; another is the directional change in Hollywood comedy since the release of Blazing Saddles.
The original even had trouble getting greenlit in the ‘70s since the studio thought it was too much of a risk. Brooks’ style of humor is very dry, and whatever he mocks could be misinterpreted because he doesn’t say that it supposed to be a joke. He expects his audience to either get it or not. Brooks’ style — compounded with how he and co-writer Richard Pryor refused to remove any of the most offensive parts of the movie to reinforce their meaning behind the satire — might be seen by a viewer today as offensive or downright racist. And while they do come off as racist, they are a critique by Brooks of how Hollywood tokenized people in Western films.
Brooks’ style of incredibly dry, blunt humor can be considered a forgotten art in Hollywood today. Since Blazing Saddles was released, comedy movies have changed how they tell a joke. Above-average comedies today like Tag and Blockers write jokes in such a way that the audience always expects a punchline which can spoil the humor. Blazing Saddles, on the other hand, gives no warning or obvious set up and often catches the viewer off-guard. Not expecting a punchline can make something funnier, and that’s what Brooks did in the ‘70s that many directors can’t pull off now.
Along with the shift in comedic style of Hollywood over the last 40 years, a problem with a Mel Brooks reboot is just that: There is no one to replace Brooks.
Casts come and go, and many suitable actors can replace the greats of Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, but few — if any — directors today could pull off this movie like Brooks could. Some could argue an experienced director of modern comedy like Edgar Wright could take the helm, but Wright isn’t well-practiced in satire, sticking to traditional comedies like Shaun of the Dead or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
With these speed bumps in the road, a remake of Blazing Saddles seems very unlikely. And while a remake may be impossible, perhaps a film inspired by it could become the next great piece of Hollywood satire.
Jack Gleckler is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jack by tweeting him at @thejackgleckler.
