Second, we know far more than was known in 1942 of the full extent of the nazi evil, especially. Brooks spontaneous humor, social commentaries and zany sketches leave the audience rolling in the aisles and will leave you wanting more of mel. Anna maria louisa italiano september 17, 1931 june 6, 2005, known professionally as anne bancroft, was an american actress, director, screenwriter and singer associated with the method acting school, having studied under lee strasberg. He does know how to entertain a crowd and is quite funny and likable here. Im just a young fan of all of his films and made this video with him in mind. To be or not to be 1983 trailer mel brooks anne bancroft. This television special has mel brooks in front of a british audience as he tries to promote his new movie to be or not to be. This live appearance by mel brooks includes songs, skits and jokes. Mel brooks delivers an enjoyable hour of comic diversion with his lovely actresswife anne bancroft, writer comedian ronny graham, and british shakespearean actor jonathan pryce. Mel brooks made some funny and very good movies in his day.
James lawrence brooks born may 9, 1940 is an american director, producer and screenwriter, who helped create a string of acclaimed productions in television and the movies, including the mary tyler moore show, the simpsons, broadcast news, and terms of endearment. An audience with mel brooks 1983 tv special release info. Fox has pulled together eight mel brooks films including one from the warner brothers library for this, the mel brooks collection. An audience with mel brooks 1983 plot summary imdb. Films include young frankenstein, spaceballs, and blazing saddles. Lets close out mel brooks month with a tribute to the mans best works. To be or not to be, with mel brooks the new york times. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as master entertainer at grossingers resort before going to television. Id say silent movie is my best film by far, mel brooks was saying, and, lets face it, the others were pretty good. Brooks costarred with bancroft in to be or not to be 1983, a remake of the ernst. He tells stories and jokes and even sings some songs. Factory, hero to the fan of the niche and cult, would raise the ante and release the incredible mel brooks. Mel brooks a 1984 episode of the uk arena series, featuring standup, songs and cameos by helen mirren and anne bancroft.
Mel brooks and cloris leachman reveal their favorite scenes at the academys 40th anniversary screening of young frankenstein on september 10, 2014 at. Mel brooks, original name melvin kaminsky, born june 28, 1926, brooklyn, new york, u. The dvd set is a perfect companion to the mel brooks film box set that fox produced, and it is a must own set for fans of comedy, hollywood history, and exceptional human beings. Find films and movies featuring mel brooks on allmovie allmovie. Mel brooks celebrity profile check out the latest mel brooks photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. Brooks takes some staged questions from the audience, which includes him answering about his entrance into show business, his wife and even one about his mothers reaction to blazing saddles.
When the audience roared with laugher, he knew what he wanted to become. He is known as a creator of broad film farces and comedic parodies. An audience with mel brooks 1983 an audience with mel. An audience with mel brooks 1984 the movie database. Mel brooks the complete guide this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book.
Victor frankenstein, and peter boyle as the monster. An audience with mel brooks 1983 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Brooks stars as the leader of a theatre troupe in warsaw at the time of the nazi invasion. Brooks 1983 version was directed by alan johnson and starred brooks, anne. It also echoes brooks 1967 film the producers, with the lines dont be stupid, be a smarty. Andy garcia on sean connery in the untouchables duration. Helen mirren and jonathan pryce participate in a variety special with mel brooks in london, challenging him to play hamlet. More banal schoolboy humour from brooks and a clutch of other writers as a railway company is thwarted in its plans by a motley crew of western folk. To be or not to be also known as the hitler rap is a song recorded by mel brooks in 1983 for island records. An audience with mel brooks 1983 out of 4 this television special has mel brooks in front of a british audience as he tries to promote his new movie to be or not to be. A farcical comedy, to be or not to be is a fun and outlandish spoof of world war ii. Maltin writes that it is a scene for scene copy, but i am not reminded of any shots i saw in 1942. This is the funniest, the hardest to accomplish, the best. Mel brooks is an american actor, writer, producer, director, comedian, and composer, who started his career as a comic and a writer for the early tv variety show your show of shows.
Normally im not a big fan of movies with mel brooks in them, although i am a fan of his writing. Mel brooks was the executive producer of the elephant man and deliberately kept his name off the film, for fear people would expect it to be a comedy. The dvd set is a perfect companion to the mel brooks film box set that fox. And when so viewed, this 1983 film cant hold a candle to the 1942 original. To be or not to be is a 1983 american war comedy film directed by alan johnson, produced by mel brooks, and starring. But if you want to belly laugh, you wont waste your. The supporting cast includes teri garr, cloris leachman, marty feldman, madeline kahn, kenneth mars, richard haydn, and gene hackman. Set amidst the backdrop of the nazi occupation of poland, a small theater company attempts to stop the nazi. Mel brooks and his wife anne bancroft costar in this funny remake of a 1942 comedy. Find films and movies featuring mel brooks on allmovie.
An audience with mel brooks 1984 02041984 gb 55m user score. Mel brooks was born melvin kaminsky on june 28, 1926 in brooklyn, new york. This set is a comprehensive look at the life and career of mel brooks often in his own words. An audience with mel brooks 1984 directed by alasdair. Brooks starred in this 1983 comicdrama remake of a 1942 film about polish stage actors during the nazi invasion of warsaw. An audience with mel brooks 1983 release info imdb. In 1961, he gained recognition for cocreating and cohosting the. Mel brooks, director, producer, writer and actor, is in an elite group as one of the few entertainers to earn all four major entertainment prizes the tony, emmy, grammy, and oscar. Juni 1926 als melvin kaminsky in brooklyn, new york ist ein. The screenplay was written by ronny graham and thomas meehan, based on the original story by melchior lengyel, ernst lubitsch and edwin justus mayer. Brooks was an accomplished mimic, pianist, and drummer by the time he graduated from high school and enlisted in the u. But for those who have seen the earlier film, the two films beg comparison.
I do not own any of the following material nor do i claim to. Jewish comic actor mel brooks talks about hitler as a comical character, the. June 28, 1926 is an american director, writer, actor, comedian, producer and composer. In the evening, wed go to a party and id pick a character for him. Brookss comedic approach as they shockingly defied audience expectations. Mel brooks sits in front of a live audience an english crowd that contains a few notable english actors, directors and others in the film and theater industry and hams it up.
There we were, knocking ourselves out to be funny, and behind the camera, not a snicker. But to be or not to be works as well as a story as any brooks film since young frankenstein, and darned if there isnt a little sentiment involved as the impresario and his wife, after years of marriage, surprise each other by actually falling in love. The critic is a 1963 short animation by directorproducer ernest pintoff and creatornarrator mel brooks, that won an academy award for. Mel brookss remake of ernst lubitschs 1942 classic, to be or not to be. Although having anna give the cue line to be or not to be to the men in the audience she wishes to meet in her dressing room, is a very funny premise of the film, it actually would be highly impractical for anna to think she would have time to meet backstage. The fact that he cant make this movie now is a witness to how far we have fallen away from the truth in comedy. He curates the festival of the living dead, a season of. Century foxrexshutterstock in the end, movies were more of a detour. You yourself played hitler in 1983 in your remake of the film to be or not to be. However, in the latter case when it failed, he attended the premiere and. Mel brooks and others entertain on the stage leading up to the release of to be or not to be. Mel brooks is an american director, writer, actor, comedian, producer and composer.
Mel brooks, american film and television director, producer, writer, and actor. Overview of audience with mel brooks, an, 1983, directed by mel brooks, with jonathan pryce, anne bancroft, mel brooks, at turner classic movies. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Brooks far right with the cast of his 1974 film young frankenstein. Cleavon little, gene wilder, harvey korman, slim pickens, madeline kahn, mel brooks, dom deluise. It was derived from the burlesque show within the film but did not appear within it. The song appeared on the soundtrack album for the movie of the same name. All 11 mel brooks movies ranked from worst to best taste. Why they couldnt get their hands on a few important titles from mgm to make this truly complete, is a question worth asking. Young frankenstein is a 1974 american comedy horror film directed by mel brooks and starring gene wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous dr.
Film profile for mel brooks, director and actor, born 28 june 1926. To be or not to be 1983 at the onset of ww2, a polish actors family and the polish resistance help the troupe of a theatre escape poland and. To be or not to be mel brooks takes a side step from his usual burlesque to remake the classic that starred jack benny and carole lombard in her last gig. An irresistible collection of unhinged comedy a true tribute to the legend, unbound by studio rights or structure. All 11 mel brooks movies ranked from worst to best. New york times subscribers enjoy full access to timesmachineview over 150. The critic is an american 1963 short animated film by directorproducer ernest pintoff and creatornarrator mel brooks, that won an oscar for short subjects cartoons in 1964 external links. He leaves for that time no ethnic slur unsaid in his pursuit of comedy for all. To be or not to be the hitler rap 1983 an audience with mel brooks 1983 to be or not to be 1983. He served in wwii, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the catskills. The five mel brooks movies you need to rent this weekend. Max brooks on the zombie film genre film the guardian. The revelation for film audiences is that miss bancroft is such a wildly gifted comedienne.