1967 comedy, dir. Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder:
IMDb /
allmovie. How to make a
fortune on Broadway? Oversell the shares, keep the money and put on a
show that flops. Unless it doesn't…
I have a soft spot for Zero Mostel; I think I must have seen A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, made the year before
this, when I was young. But now whenever I see one of hie performances
it comes over as clowning and crass. I probably shouldn't watch
Forum again.
And a whole lot of the Jewish humour here makes me feel awkward:
these are Jewish people telling jokes about themselves, but for me as
a non-Jew to join in the laughter feels like indulging in stereotype.
Perhaps I am over-sensitive, but that's my gut feeling.
If you can let go of this reserve and go with it there are some fine
moments, particularly for me the gradual corruption of Bloom until
he's ready to fit into Bialystok's world; almost enough fine moments
to overcome the way all women are victims of our heroes or sex objects
for their enjoyment, or the comic stereotypes of homosexuality and
cross-dressing. The ethos is one of "normal" heterosexual men, after
all, and anything outside that sphere is a threat—to be fought, if
you're a big tough man, or to be parodied and laughed at, if you're
the class clown.
And then the holdover Nazi playwright is more of the same, tee he here
is a weirdo to be laughed at. Is it a warning about what happens when
people forget what Nazism was actually about and just use it as
historical colour? Maybeso; I like to imagine that Corporal Brooks of
the 1104th Engineer Combat Battalion might have had something like
this in mind when he was clearing booby-trapped buildings on the
Allied advance into Germany. But the only people who suffer here are
our principals. and even they don't seem to have learned anything by
the end.
I'm not going to say that this is a bad film, but I am almost wholly
unequipped to appreciate it. Maybe you will do better.
I talk about this film further on
Ribbon of Memes.
- Posted by J Michael Cule at
11:58am on
22 September 2025
Well, I find the magnificent moments more than enough.
I think what Corporal Brooks (ne Kaminsky) was thinking of was the mad kitch opening of SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER. Whenever I see the modern goosesteppers I start to sing 'Springtime for Hitler and Germaneee....'
Only quietly because I'm a coward.
And of course they have learned nothing at the end. They are fools just we all are fools and fools never learn but return to their folly endlessly. The only thing we can do is laugh at them and ourselves.
- Posted by RogerBW at
12:36pm on
22 September 2025
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man—
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began —
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire—
- Posted by DrBob at
12:57pm on
22 September 2025
I have never actually managed to get to the Springtime For Hitler part of this movie, because I find the beginning unfunny and cringeworthy, thus give up watching. Various friends telling me it is the Funniest Movie Evah does not encourage me to try again. (They also told me that about 1941 and various other movies which I regard as 'meh' at best).
- Posted by Owen Smith at
02:24am on
23 September 2025
I don't find Mel Brooks films funny at all. They hit you over the head trying to be funny, which I always assumes appeals only to Americans but I've discovered recently plenty of Brits find Brooks funny. It all falls flat for me.
- Posted by ashley pollard at
08:44am on
24 September 2025
As Michael said, the magnificent moments more than enough to override the out of date comedy. Though, having a broad sense of humour probably helps.
As for the magnificent choreography of SFH that parodies the musicals of Busby Berkeley, YouTube is your friend (not really a friend).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovCf9VRLnDY
One can also compare it with the 2005 remake too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zY1orxW8Aw
If you don't have a good handle on Jewish and Yiddish traditions you are going to have problems getting into Brooks films.