Kitsch Magazine: Fall 2015

art by Michelle Savran
srsly, he’s pretty funny
THE CATHARTIC ABSUR
In today’s media, where there are so many outlets
for comedy and so many funny people, I still always find
myself returning to Mel Brooks. His brand of silliness is
critically acclaimed (he is in the elite EGOT club), and I often
regard him as a safe choice for a favorite comedian. Brooks’
lowbrow vulgarity drives movies such as History of the World
Part 1 (1981) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). While
these are hysterical movies, he is most remembered for the
films Blazing Saddles (1974) and The Producers (1967), which
have stood the comedic test of time and include some of
the most famous scenes in comedy history. Who knew that
cowboys farting over and over again could be so funny?
This clearly philistine humor coincides with Brooks’ efforts
to push material boundaries. The Producers and Blazing
Saddles were met with criticism regarding insensitivities
toward race and religion, but the fact that the same two
films eventually became celebrated by critics illustrates how
movies can successfully tackle controversy if the material
is enough of a spoof and still tells an honest human story.
The controversy surrounding The Producers stems
from issues of anti-Semitism and the film’s portrayal of
Nazis. Max Bialystok and Leo Bloom, two Broadway theatre
producers, enter into a get-rich-quick scheme when they
realize they can make more money with a flop show than with
a hit. They attempt to produce the worst show ever written
by the worst director who ever lived, and decide on a little
production called “Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Eva
and Adolf at Berchtesgaden.” It is penned by Franz Liebkind,
an ex-Nazi, and directed by Roger De Bris, a flamboyantly
gay man. Naturally, controversy ensued with this plot.
Released just 23 years after the end of World War II,
the film was criticized for its insensitive ethnic humor. Renata
Adler of The New York Times wrote in 1968 that many parts of
the film are “shoddy and gross and cruel.” The film was thought
to be crude, with many scenes in bad taste. While the uproar
from critics was not unfounded, the film works because of
its ridiculous, over-the-top nature. A few Nazi jokes sprinkled
throughout a plot may cause concern, but a full-on Nazi
musical production containing Nazi showgirls dancing around
in the shape of a swastika? I beg you to try not to laugh. The
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