Blazing Saddles: 4K UHD Review
Celebrating its’ 50th anniversary this year is Mel Brooks’ satirical comedy-western, Blazing Saddles, and Warner Bros. is releasing the classic on 4K UHD for the first time. I have heard many people say that this film hasn’t aged well. However, aside from a couple jokes here and there, I think Brooks’ film is quite genius when dealing with social commentary and his “in-your-face” message about racism. Those who find the film offensive I feel are missing the whole point. Even the late-great Richard Pryor was involved in the writing process.
The film opens in the old west. Railroad worker Bart (Cleavon Little) has been sentenced for a hanging after knocking out his boss with a shovel. However, the crooked attorney general, Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) has a better use for Bart. Hedley wants to have his new railroad go through the town of Red Rock and he needs to drive the residents from their home. Hedley’s plan is to convince the dim-witted governor (Mel Brooks) to appoint a black sheriff. This would potentially offend the townspeople and create chaos.
While the townspeople are hostile to Sheriff Bart at first, that starts to change when he defeats the feared Mongo (Alex Karras), who was sent in to scare the people. Bart also be-friends Jim the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder), who stands by his side whenever it’s needed. Unfortunately, not only does Hedley’s plans continue to backfire, but Bart is able to outsmart him at every turn. It also helps that the Waco Kid is the fastest gunslinger in the world. Even when Hedley hires German seductress Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn) to seduce Bart, he is-able-to turn the tables on her as well.
Admittedly, I loved Blazing Saddles much more as a kid than I do now. However, I definitely appreciate Brooks’ approach to delivering his message much more as an adult. The new 2160p presentation with HDR10 has been taken from a new scan of the camera negative and it’s clearly the best the film has ever looked on home media. While the 40th anniversary Blu-ray had a strong presentation, the new transfer is a noticeable upgrade. Much of Blazing Saddles takes place during the day, so we get many shots of the sprawling western landscape, and it looks incredible. Facial features and skin tones come off naturally, especially in close-ups. We also get a new Dolby Atmos track. Frankie Laine’s opening title song was blazing in all its glory and the new audio track also takes advantage of the numerous shoot-outs in the film. We also get a new 21-minute doc called Inappropriate Inspiration: The Blazing Saddles Effect, along with some legacy features. If you are a fan of Blazing Saddles, this release is definitely for you.
Bonus Features:
- (New) Inappropriate Inspiration: The Blazing Saddles Effect\
- Scene-Specific Commentary by Mel Brooks
- Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks’ Wile, Wild West
- Back in the Saddle
- Additional Scenes
By: Marc Ferman