311. The Producers; movie review

THE PRODUCERS
CERT PG
85 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild sex references, violence, language, discriminatory terms

The first time I saw The Producers I probably hadn't heard of the phrase 'politically correct'.
Decades later, there are a fair few gags which made me wince rather than laugh.
And then I realised that almost all 1960s comedies would have thrown up jokes about women's boobs and/or 'foreigners'.
I haven't seen The Producers on stage so I don't know whether it has been tweaked over the years. If it hasn't, I wonder how audiences react to its jokes now.
Other than that brief observation there is little I can add to what has already been said and written about The Producers which was such so highly acclaimed it became a Broadway musical.
So, instead of a review I shall offer five insights.

1, Dustin Hoffman was the original choice to play Springtime For Hitler's writer.
2. Hoffman was only released to audition for The Graduate on the basis that the Producers' director Mel Brooks didn't think he would get the part
3. The title Springtime for Hitler was first coined by Brooks as a joke during a press conference for All American in 1962
4. The basis for Max Bialystock was a real-life producer called Benjamin Kutcher who financed his plays by sleeping with elderly women.
5. Zero Mostel's wife managed to persuade him to take the part of Bialystock after his lawyer refused to show him the script.

But does it pass the test of time? Well, I didn't laugh because of my familiarity with Brooks' picture and the knockabout chemistry of Mostel and Gene Wilder.
Would I have done, if I had seen it fresh? Impossible to say because it is very much a movie of its time. 
Did I enjoy it? Of course, Mostel and Wilder's timing is super and it is such a wonderfully original concept.

Reasons to watch: Still considered a classic
Reasons to avoid: It's political incorrectness may jar

Laughs: None for me because I have seen it so often
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - Mel Brooks: ""Sidney Glazier was the only producer who would do this. I went to see him, and he was eating a tuna fish sandwich, and he said, 'Read it to me.' So I began to read it to him ... When I got to the part about Springtime For Hitler he exploded. He was choking with laughter; he came sputtering up from behind his desk and he said, 'BY GOD, WE'LL MAKE THIS MOVIE!'"

The big question - Has political correctness killed humour?

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