Silent Movie isn't from the same people who brought us Scary Movie all those other films. It's actually a Mel Brooks film, one I wasn't aware of until it popped up in my Amazon recommendations.
Brooks plays Mel Funn, a once successful director trying to salvage his career, and Big Pictures Studio, with his script for a silent film, the first in 40 years. Pitted against him is Engulf and Devour, a large Conglomerate out to purchase the studio, who therefore have a vested interest in its financial collapse.
The movie actually is silent, save for the musical score and a single spoken word of dialogue (there are the periodic cards with dialogue written on them). It relies heavily on slapstick humor, which means if you aren't a fan of that, you probably won't care much for this picture. Even if you are, with a film this dependent on it, there are going to be some misses. I thought the suits of armor/Liza Minnelli gag went on too long myself.
At the same time some of the gags are funny, and the cast does an excellent job of setting certain elements up in advance. You know a steamroller will be involved in a bit, you just aren't certain how until it actually happens.
There isn't any focus on the making of the film. The first half is strictly Funn and his associates trying to recruit various Big Stars. The second half is devoted to Engulf and Devour's various attempts to stop the picture from being made, first by going after Funn, then the film itself. It's not even 90 minutes, so it doesn't take long to watch if you're interested.
2 comments:
I've always rather liked this movie, and yet it is hardly ever shown on television...unlike Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles, which is a bit of a shame, really.
There are certainly worse ways to spend an evening.
sallyp: I'd never heard of it either, and I wonder why. Maybe because it's a silent film, that limits the range of comedy, so it's not as widely enjoyed.
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