The Producers
—1. Overview
—2. Reviews and Blogs
—3. Cast and Crew
—4. Photo Pages
—5. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—6. Posters (Matthew Broderick)
—7. Production Notes (pdf)
—8. Spiritual Connections
—9. Presentation Downloads
If you’ve never seen any previous version of The Producers, stop reading here and go at once to see this new film by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Susan Stroman. You’ll enjoy it immensely.
If you’ve seen either the 2001 Broadway musical or the 1968 film on which this is based, you may want to continue reading.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me make something clear at the outset: I think the original 1968 version of The Producers is one of the three funniest films ever made. Mel Brooks won an Oscar for the best original screenplay; despite many other hits that would follow for him, this remains his best film. Even after dozens of viewings, I still laugh uproariously during the presentation of the play “Springtime for Hitler,� in which the attempts of failed Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and neurotic accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) to find riches by raising millions to produce a flop go hysterically astray. In choosing the wrong play, the wrong director and the wrong actors they end up with a hit Broadway comedy.
In addition, I have never seen the Broadway musical version of the producers with songs by Brooks and starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as well as most of the cast in this 2005 film. So that background will color how I view this new film, which I commend for seeking to take a different approach than the 1968 hit. In doing so, there are some places where it even improves upon the first film.
The most notable difference is the excellent songs and dances. Each wonderfully complements the story and does an excellent job of helping us understand what motivates the characters. While Lane and Broderick are marvelous in the song-and-dance numbers that made them Tony Award winners in the Broadway musical, on film their acting seems too undifferentiated from the original performances by Mostel and Wilder.
For me, many performances are too close to the original film. But two actors who were not in the Broadway musical – Will Ferrell as Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind and Uma Thurman as the secretary Ulla – are wonderful improvements over the original roles, in fairness because their parts are vastly expanded. Ferrell’s character is much expanded over the more-limited character Kenneth Mars played to perfection in the original. Ferrell is at his best leading the producers through “Der Guten Tag Hop Clop,� accompanied by his homing pigeons. And it would be a shame not to see him audition for the part of Hitler in the play. Thurman makes Ulla more than simply a vapid sex object Lee Meredith showed us, or was allowed to show us, in 1968. The 6-foot actress towers over her much-shorter leading men in a way that probably would not have been done a generation ago.
The strength of the new film lies in several choreographed dance numbers, including “I Wanna Be a Producer,� in which Broderick, blending in with a few dozen accountants in green eye shades, dreams of glory with showgirls in costumes laden with 20 pounds of pearls. And Lane’s appearance with dozens of little old ladies dancing in formation with walkers in “Along Came Bialy� is memorable.
Both comedies ultimately are about the relationship between Bialystock and Bloom, how the failed producer befriends Bloom and helps him discover his hopes and dreams. This film strengthens that message by having Bloom, after fleeing to Rio with Ulla, return to defend Bialystock in court at risk of his own imprisonment.
Yet, there are some places where The Producers (2005) makes what I regard to be some critical errors. The play, “Springtime for Hitler,� which was the highlight of the original, falls seriously flat. The audience is supposed to be outraged by the play and then gradually believe it’s a farce. In this version, the turning point in the play is not convincing. The song “Heil Myself,� performed by director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach) who fills in for the lead role when Franz Liebkind literally breaks a leg before curtain, is a low point in the film and would not convince a shocked and outraged audience to remain after starting to walk out of the play.
Also, in the original film, the producers are arrested for blowing up the theater and their scam remains undiscovered. That’s why they again try to raise more money for the new musical, “Prisoners of Love,� they are producing while in prison. In this version, the books are discovered by police so the scam is public. Yet, once again, they try to over-sell their new show.
My bottom line: See the original 1968 film, which I still prefer. I acknowledge there are some who may prefer this new, musical version, particularly those who haven’t seen the original or who enjoy Broadway musicals. But the original will remain a classic, while this is merely an evening’s pleasant diversion.
— Overview
— Reviews and Blogs
—2. Reviews and Blogs
—3. Cast and Crew
—4. Photo Pages
—5. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—6. Posters (Matthew Broderick)
—7. Production Notes (pdf)
—8. Spiritual Connections
—9. Presentation Downloads
If you’ve never seen any previous version of The Producers, stop reading here and go at once to see this new film by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Susan Stroman. You’ll enjoy it immensely.If you’ve seen either the 2001 Broadway musical or the 1968 film on which this is based, you may want to continue reading.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me make something clear at the outset: I think the original 1968 version of The Producers is one of the three funniest films ever made. Mel Brooks won an Oscar for the best original screenplay; despite many other hits that would follow for him, this remains his best film. Even after dozens of viewings, I still laugh uproariously during the presentation of the play “Springtime for Hitler,� in which the attempts of failed Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and neurotic accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) to find riches by raising millions to produce a flop go hysterically astray. In choosing the wrong play, the wrong director and the wrong actors they end up with a hit Broadway comedy.
In addition, I have never seen the Broadway musical version of the producers with songs by Brooks and starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as well as most of the cast in this 2005 film. So that background will color how I view this new film, which I commend for seeking to take a different approach than the 1968 hit. In doing so, there are some places where it even improves upon the first film.
The most notable difference is the excellent songs and dances. Each wonderfully complements the story and does an excellent job of helping us understand what motivates the characters. While Lane and Broderick are marvelous in the song-and-dance numbers that made them Tony Award winners in the Broadway musical, on film their acting seems too undifferentiated from the original performances by Mostel and Wilder.
For me, many performances are too close to the original film. But two actors who were not in the Broadway musical – Will Ferrell as Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind and Uma Thurman as the secretary Ulla – are wonderful improvements over the original roles, in fairness because their parts are vastly expanded. Ferrell’s character is much expanded over the more-limited character Kenneth Mars played to perfection in the original. Ferrell is at his best leading the producers through “Der Guten Tag Hop Clop,� accompanied by his homing pigeons. And it would be a shame not to see him audition for the part of Hitler in the play. Thurman makes Ulla more than simply a vapid sex object Lee Meredith showed us, or was allowed to show us, in 1968. The 6-foot actress towers over her much-shorter leading men in a way that probably would not have been done a generation ago.
The strength of the new film lies in several choreographed dance numbers, including “I Wanna Be a Producer,� in which Broderick, blending in with a few dozen accountants in green eye shades, dreams of glory with showgirls in costumes laden with 20 pounds of pearls. And Lane’s appearance with dozens of little old ladies dancing in formation with walkers in “Along Came Bialy� is memorable.
Both comedies ultimately are about the relationship between Bialystock and Bloom, how the failed producer befriends Bloom and helps him discover his hopes and dreams. This film strengthens that message by having Bloom, after fleeing to Rio with Ulla, return to defend Bialystock in court at risk of his own imprisonment.
Yet, there are some places where The Producers (2005) makes what I regard to be some critical errors. The play, “Springtime for Hitler,� which was the highlight of the original, falls seriously flat. The audience is supposed to be outraged by the play and then gradually believe it’s a farce. In this version, the turning point in the play is not convincing. The song “Heil Myself,� performed by director Roger DeBris (Gary Beach) who fills in for the lead role when Franz Liebkind literally breaks a leg before curtain, is a low point in the film and would not convince a shocked and outraged audience to remain after starting to walk out of the play.
Also, in the original film, the producers are arrested for blowing up the theater and their scam remains undiscovered. That’s why they again try to raise more money for the new musical, “Prisoners of Love,� they are producing while in prison. In this version, the books are discovered by police so the scam is public. Yet, once again, they try to over-sell their new show.
My bottom line: See the original 1968 film, which I still prefer. I acknowledge there are some who may prefer this new, musical version, particularly those who haven’t seen the original or who enjoy Broadway musicals. But the original will remain a classic, while this is merely an evening’s pleasant diversion.
— Overview
— Reviews and Blogs
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