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A film like Blazing Saddles could never be made today
- Thread starter Dalek
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timetokill
Banned
There are very few things I've laughed at as hard as I laughed at Mongo punching that horse. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard.
I just read the wikipedia page for this show, and it sounds amazing.
"Mongo only pawn... in game of life."
i think the racial humor in tropic thunder generally worked and people didn't have a problem with it. the jokes about the mentally disabled, while ostensibly aimed at hollywood, more often came across as the movie making fun of the handicapped and were not only kind of offensive but also not funny as a result.
again, the comparison to blazing saddles doesn't really work because that movie overall nailed its humor and aimed it at the right targets. if the complaint is that you can't make a movie with lazy and hurtful racist jokes that are basically just making fun of minorities then i don't have much sympathy for your viewpoints. people would have complained about that shit back in the 70s too.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
The frequency of the n word is the only thing in blazing saddles that wouldn't be allowed in a comedy today
Souldestroyer Reborn
Banned
I had never seen this before until a couple of my older workmates started talking about it one day.
After querying them about it they ended up buying it on DVD for me to watch, I gotta say it was absolutely hilarious.
At our work now it's not uncommon to here someone shout:
"What I da hell was that sheeet!?"
For reference in 24
After querying them about it they ended up buying it on DVD for me to watch, I gotta say it was absolutely hilarious.
At our work now it's not uncommon to here someone shout:
"What I da hell was that sheeet!?"
For reference in 24
MHWilliams
Member
Movie was made. It also made money. Your argument is at best, some people didn't like some things about the movie.
Oh, no. The horror.
You want a movie you can't make today?
Weekend at Bernie's.
Extra Sauce
Member
I am familiar, yes. But there's a difference between what a stand-up special (or anything on cable, really) can get away with it and what a mainstream movie can get away with.
Again though, there might be actual examples but I don't know them.
The entire Simple Jack thing and especially the famous "full retard" joke are generally found to be really funny.
Extra Sauce
Member
You're probably right about westerns being a hard sell these days but I don't think it's fair to judge the genre's viability based on a bad movie.
If the standard for the OP's claim of "this movie would never be made today" is "people complained", I guess Blazing Saddles never got made back then too.
Back then, Brooks could get away with a ton of instances of the n-word because he had the luck of having final cut rights over the movie.
But nowadays, movies that say the n-word waay waaaay waaaaaaaay more have been released so I doubt anyone would bat an eye at BS. So in reality, it'd be easier to make it.
Economy would really be the main problem, though. Westerns and Brooks movies ain't that bankable nowadays. If that was the argument, I could see it. Trying to blame PC culture for something that has not really happened is crazy.
This is the truth.
SpoonyBard
Banned
Blazing Saddles could be made today, if Mel Brooks made it. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be doing movies any longer.
IsntChrisL
Member
Man, now I really want to watch this movie again.
But I will agree with the sentiment that there are groups with lit torches in hand just waiting to tear something else down that they find offensive. I think comedy is getting neutered by the social media generation. That's not to say nobody would dare make something that tackles tough subjects in similar ways. It's just not as likely.
But I will agree with the sentiment that there are groups with lit torches in hand just waiting to tear something else down that they find offensive. I think comedy is getting neutered by the social media generation. That's not to say nobody would dare make something that tackles tough subjects in similar ways. It's just not as likely.
WordAssassin
Member
Holy shit, I laughed out loud. Mel Brooks is a fuckin riot.
I love watching Blazing Saddles with my dad cause he was actually alive when it came out and has all kinds of stories about its release. Like what a trip it was that he saw it in the same theater they all wind up in at the end of the movie, and how controversial the goddamn campfire farting scene was and how hard it made him laugh :')
Django got made and people did not pick up torches to burn it down. It is not a comedy, but it largely takes the same themes. I find hard to believe that it being an action movie somehow saved it from these groups with torches in hand you are so afraid of, that would have burned it if it had been a comedy?
It is delusional to think it could not be made today or that it would be rejected because you pretend blazing saddles is somehow politically incorrect today.
Holy fuck that must have been incredible.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
I mean, if you really think it's that indefensible.
IsntChrisL
Member
The fact that Django is not trying to make you laugh is hugely important. Don't kid yourself. Django associates racism with pain, not laughter. And even despite that fact, there were plenty of people pissed about Django.
It also seems like you didn't bother to finish reading the post your quoted because I didn't rule it out as a possibility either. It's just not as likely to happen.
Tropic Thunder proves that racism can also be associated with laughter and be well received. There's humor in Django as well; comedy it is not its main genre, but it is undeniable it is there too.
I ignored that part of your post because the standard of "not as likely to happen" is vague enough to be meaningless. If somehow Blazing Saddles 2 got made, your assessment of "not as likely to happen" would still be true, so why would I pay attention to that?
Movies that tackle the same issues and even worse themes did get made, period.
MHWilliams
Member
Pretty much.
Folks, people got offended before the internet. The internet just makes it easier for those who create stuff to hear about it.
So who exactly are we theorizing here that would be preventing Blazing Saddles from being made?
Black people for the n-word use, despite the movie unequivocally showing the black character as the hero and all the racists being shown as evil and/or dumb and shines a light on the absurdity of racism?
White people for showing that racism existed in the 1870's wild west (gasp!)?
Racists for showing racists in a bad light?
Tumblr because Hollywood gives a fuck about what Tumblr thinks?
Who's the boogyman killing modern day Blazing Saddles here?
Black people for the n-word use, despite the movie unequivocally showing the black character as the hero and all the racists being shown as evil and/or dumb and shines a light on the absurdity of racism?
White people for showing that racism existed in the 1870's wild west (gasp!)?
Racists for showing racists in a bad light?
Tumblr because Hollywood gives a fuck about what Tumblr thinks?
Who's the boogyman killing modern day Blazing Saddles here?
entremet
Member
True Lies got a lot of flack back in the day as well.
I clearly remember Arab American groups organizing protests.
This was before anyone could have platform like Facebook or Twiiter, though.
You can get away with a lot if the content is actually funny. The Adam Sandler movie that's currently in production where the native American cast walked off set... without even seeing it, I can imagine that it's much more offensive than Blazzing Saddles because it's almost guaranteed to be low-hanging-fruit lazy attempts at humor without self awareness. Extending this point of personification, Blazing Saddles is very self-aware (it's talking about the absurdity of racism) and incredibly funny. That's the difference, not PCness per se.
That aside, yeah in 2015, you can't get away with using certain words, but that's about it. I don't think that's a bad thing, certainly not enough for all this backlash, especially because there are about 5 words that aren't acceptable in all of the english language.
That aside, yeah in 2015, you can't get away with using certain words, but that's about it. I don't think that's a bad thing, certainly not enough for all this backlash, especially because there are about 5 words that aren't acceptable in all of the english language.
Manmademan
Member
Black Dynamite is what you're looking for, comedy wise.
MASSIVE plot spoiler:
the movie is all over the place plot wise- there's a big change in tone once the cast heads to "Kung Fu Island" but the big plot reveal is that the US government is using Malt Liquor spiked with drugs to shrink black men's penises, because they're too "uppity" and need to be put in their place. The final showdown is in the white house with Pat and Richard Nixon using nunchuks. the movie is insane.
It's clearly on the same tier. If someone could release this to critical acclaim, there's no reason someone couldn't make blazing saddles again.
googleplex
Member
In a world where Boondocks exist? Of course BlazingSSaddles could be made today. This is just another thread laminating the fact that people are less tolerant to blatant racism and homophobia.
There are a lot a old films that couldn't be made as they were today. Animal House and Revenge of the nerds are 2 others.
The latest hit from the producers of "Criticism is basically censorship "
Manmademan
Member
even with the latter two, they're not even that offensive. you could easily make them- they wouldn't be the cultural touchstones they WERE, but they could get made.
Consider that someone actually spent money to put Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Colon Movie Film For Theatres in the multiplex. There's almost nothing that's flat out impossible today to get a theatrical release that isn't literally something on the tier of "birth of a nation".
markofhavoc
Member
I'll quote the movie with friends and people will get mad at me that overhear it. Mainly the rape, murder, rape joke
googleplex
Member
Animal House and Revenge of the nerds aren't that offensive in of of themselves. But animal House has a scene where one of the characters is trying to decide whether or not to have sex with a drunken passed out underage girl. And Revenge of the Nerds has an whole bit about installing spy cameras in a sorority to peep on women naked in the shower.
That shit wouldn't fly today and rightfully so.
Manmademan
Member
yeah, and...? neither one is in the "it will never make it into film!" category.
American Beauty has Kevin Spacey literally 3 seconds from banging his daughter's underage friend on his couch. Decides not to when he finds out she's a virgin. His (underage) daughter is also topless in the film, showing off for the kid next door.
5 oscars.
Everytime someone says "X could NEVER be made today" I feel the urge to just tell them to watch more movies.
SpoonyBard
Banned
Yeah, only there are people here who think a 1999 movie is ancient.
Manmademan
Member
I wouldn't call it recent, but there's not really much difference in what is and isn't "socially acceptable" between 1999 and 2015, outside of MAYBE certain things related to 9/11 and terrorism.
You probably couldn't get off on blowing up the twin towers on film as a joke for instance, but I can't think of much else that's off limits.
edit: on that note, Eddy Murphy's "Raw" has him going OFF on "Faggots looking at his ass" for a good 10 minutes and the crowd is loving it. That part of the routine hasn't aged well.
Messofanego
Banned
Of course it could get made today. Dark, possibly offensive comedies are still made.
Four Lions by Chris Morris came out a few years ago, a comedy about suicide bombers.
It's Always Sunny and South Park is still on the air. I'm sure more touchy movies have been made.
Four Lions by Chris Morris came out a few years ago, a comedy about suicide bombers.
It's Always Sunny and South Park is still on the air. I'm sure more touchy movies have been made.
IsntChrisL
Member
Please, stop using Django as an example. It's a bad one. It's worlds apart from Blazing Saddles. The two are clearly going to be interpreted differently by audiences.
Tropic Thunder is actually a decent example in your favor. I'd like to see more movies that weren't scared to tackle these kinds of subjects in that vein.
And the reason you should pay attention to the caveat that "it's not as likely to happen" is because you chose to quote my post and respond to it. And in the process you made it sound like I believed it could not be made today, when I clearly said it was possible. It's okay to say something probably wouldn't happen, but could. Because I'm not saying it "would never happen today." I never say something will never happen (with the exception of sentences like that).
You're pretending that everyone has a fuzzy view of the past (to a certain extent, that's true), all while you ignore the present. The fact is that things are quite a bit different than they used to be. For better and worse. There's more swearing and nudity on TV now, but less bluntness as well. When people bring up All in the Family, Blazing Saddles, The Jeffersons, etc. it's usually because those shows and films were doing things in a much more brazen way than what the rest of Hollywood was producing. And that's not to say that we don't have our own equivalents today to some degree. There's Louie, Sunny, and South Park to name a few. I'm quite happy to have these shows to balance out the shows that go out of their way to never offend anyone.
I just want to see comedy flourish and less self-censorship. Social media and tumblr have had a palpably negative affect on what comedians can say now, I think. It sucks, but I believe that eventually there will be a push back in the other direction for the better.
So to be clear, when I say it's less likely to happen, I mean people are less likely to try something like it in fear of the instant backlash of the modern world. There are still people willing to try anyway though.
SpoonyBard
Banned
I tried watching that once, but it was just disgusting. Now that kind of stuff is something we don't luckily see any longer. Comedians are more likely to make fun of their own ethnical group these days, so they don't come up as bigots.
Genuinely curious to know what these shows are
Do you think Michael Richards was undeservedly chased out of comedy?
That day shall be today.
MHWilliams
Member
I just finished watching Bill Burr and Chris D'elia on Netflix. Both were frontpage in the past few weeks.
Comedians have to think about if they want to do a joke, which they hate, but an overall negative effect? Nah, son. Not seeing it at all.
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