Blazing Saddles

[PainInTheAssInternet]

The attitude of "The Sky is Falling" due to the perceived new attitude of moral censure is getting old. I read about a similar attitude being expressed by Airplane!'s director regarding the Jive Talk scene. Well, this attitude is not new and even if it was, Quentin Tarantino still manages to get the word "******" into every one of his movies and he's one of the most successful directors around today. It's just another version of "back in my day."

 

[COMaestro]

Snip

I half agree.

The scope issue is not really a factor. Most of Shakespeare's plays when put to a film or TV setup would easily span a larger size than anything in Blazing Saddles. Besides, the theater is not where the setting is important, it's the actors.

And this is the part where I agree with you. Part of the excellence in the Mel Brooks spoofs is that he has a innate knack for choosing the right actors for the roles and it would be borderline impossible to replace them.

So would it be possible? Certainly. Would it be anywhere near as good as the films, I doubt it on acting capabilities alone.

It's important to remember that the translation from stage to movie(or TV, or video game) is actually far easier than the reverse. Most translations from movie to stage rarely live up. Translation to stage works best when it's from a novel or short story. But the best stage material is always written for the theatre stage.

It can be done though. Spamalot, adapted from Monty Python and the Holy Grail was fantasic, the sense of scale was there, the humor shone through and none of the performers were the original actors from the movie. I see no reason why Blazing Saddles could not be made into a stage production as well, though as was said, it definitely requires the right actors.

 

[maninahat]

Damn, thinking about Blazing Saddles makes me realize how utter shit "comdey" films are today (well, the american ones), I'd take Robin Hood: Men in Tights over most of them.

It could work pretty well in a play, but it should be a musical since it seems to me it would fit best that way.

The sad thing is you can't even make a movie like Blazing Saddles nowadays. The Social Justice Puritans would be frothing at the mouth if that film came out today.

Mel Brooks is convinced the movie could not be made in 2015. [http://www.newsmax.com/US/mel-brooks-political-correctness-movie-blazing-saddles/2014/05/14/id/571412/]

Case in point.

They did make Blazing Saddles again. It's called Django Unchained. That film is probably even less politically correct.

We must not have watched the same movies because outside of them both being westerns featuring a black guy there aren't many similarities there.

What, not the constant depiction of often hilariously idiotic, white racism as well?

 

[psijac]

Damn, thinking about Blazing Saddles makes me realize how utter shit "comdey" films are today (well, the american ones), I'd take Robin Hood: Men in Tights over most of them.

It could work pretty well in a play, but it should be a musical since it seems to me it would fit best that way.

The sad thing is you can't even make a movie like Blazing Saddles nowadays. The Social Justice Puritans would be frothing at the mouth if that film came out today.

Mel Brooks is convinced the movie could not be made in 2015. [http://www.newsmax.com/US/mel-brooks-political-correctness-movie-blazing-saddles/2014/05/14/id/571412/]

Case in point.

They did make Blazing Saddles again. It's called Django Unchained. That film is probably even less politically correct.

We must not have watched the same movies because outside of them both being westerns featuring a black guy there aren't many similarities there.

What, not the constant depiction of often hilariously idiotic, white racism as well?

Side Note: The Klan didn't appear until after the Civil War, during the reconsstruction Era

 

[Zeras]

Just a head's up that The Producers was made into a stage-play; I saw it while in London ten years ago.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

No it wouldnt work. It would be labeled racist and condemned for the many uses of the word "******" by white people. It would be shut down before it even opened. There was a art thing in London by black actors/actresses where they wore slave era clothes and sat in cages. Basiclly people walking through would see them in cages and feel bad and awkward and that was the point. But it was closed as being racist which it wasnt. People are to quick to be offended before even learning about what it is.

 

[Kyrian007]

What in the world is with the Gators recently. I went in to this thread thinking "hmmm, I like Blazing Saddles." I read the op and thought "how hard would a translation to stage be?" And then I scroll down and DERAIL "SJWSJWSJWSJWSJWSJWJSJWSJWJSJWSJ hatehatehatehatehatehate" holy nutballs! Fucks sake is there ANYTHING they won't try to derail if there's just the slightest tangent available for them to decry their hatepc 'n SJW's bullshit agenda?

Weird thing is, I have no idea what they're going on about. For as insidious as the MASSIVE CONSPIRACY COLLUSION is... I've apparently never run afoul of an "SJW," the "pc police," or any of the other crap they go on an on and on and on and on about. Perhaps I'll start a thread along the lines of "suggest a topic that you think the fucking gators won't try and co-opt for their own stupid bullshit." They keep saying it's about ethics in journalism, then they go on to ***** about the SJW's and pc police? Are you accusing someone of unethical behavior or are you mad about being called out as a misogynist or racist or whatever you say they're claiming? Oh well, I guess no one is saying it can't be both. But when a thread and op is so obviously NOT intended to offer itself up as a gamergate battleground... perhaps we can keep the discussion a little more on topic. I know plenty of different people, people who are high on "staying pc" and people of all different races. Never once have I heard them ***** about Blazing Saddles. I'm sure there's pockets of folks who would gripe about racism in Blazing Saddles, but it won't be a large enough group to drown out the gales of laughter from folks who "get it" and think it's a seriously funny movie. I guess I've said my piece, gators... get over yourselves and your persecution complexes. Moving on.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. Someone thought Spider Man would make a good stage musical. If the stage logistics for Spider Man can be dealt with, Blazing Saddles is easily possible. Then again, that's not really a great example considering how badly the Spider Man musical failed. Like so many other stage adaptations... it really all comes down to execution. There's plenty of playwrights that could make it happen, and even more that would screw it up badly. Same for directors, actors, and pretty much everyone else involved. My only hope is that if it is attempted, I hope that it's under the control of someone who would rather nix it entirely rather than release a sub par adaptation if things aren't going well.