Somewhat of a follow-up to the Seinfeld comedy and PC thread.
I saw the movie when it first came out in 1974 and the audiences howled, me included. I remember sitting behind an older Jewish couple who (fortunately) translated the Yiddish speaking Indian Chief for our group of suburban WASPs. When I first watched it with my three children on television, they were all shocked. Mel Brooks insulted almost everyone. Richard Pryor was one of the writers. When shown on broadcast television much of the language is bleeped out.
So the question stands, could it be made (and released) today?
I think humor changes with the times, and what was funny 40 years ago (I feel old) might not get a chuckle now, and what is out today might well not have flown at the time. There are still plenty of silly movies out there that test the boundaries of taste. Borat and Adam Sandler come to mind.
If it were made today it would probably be more of a straight-faced comedy, since that seems to be the current style. It would have more of a serious undertone, lose the look/feel of the original film, and be more PC.
I don’t think a remake would be nearly as funny as the original film.
From the scene I’ve seen on YouTube, I don’t see why a move like that couldn’t be made today. A remake? I don’t think it would be as good, but a similar movie - yes.
I’m not sure why there’s such commotion over the comedy of today. It’s not like there aren’t offensive, anti-PC comedies being made…The taste is different.
Good question. I may have to watch the movie again before I can answer it. I guess the real question is, could similar racist, scatological, (what else?) jokes be used in a movie today. Oh yeah, the OJ scene! I have one clue that the answer might be “yes”. Did you see the scandalous stories about the filming of the not yet released Adam Sandler movie, “The Ridiculous Six”? Native Americans were recruited to be in the movie, but they protested because the jokes were so racist…
My favorite joke, “Pee pee in the Tee Pee” So, I am going to say “yes”, in fact this piece of crap will probably make Blazing Saddles look good!
But back then people were more relaxed about laughing about our differences than they are today when 60% of the population gets “offended” by the smallest slight.
Comedy has always been about revealing truths and there are some things that are truthful but can’t said out loud anymore so people just think it instead of saying and only voice it around trusted friends and then laugh just as hard as they want too.
Mmm, upon thinking of the “funny factor” of some “comedy” movies, I change my mind. I wouldn’t see the movie if it was made today and wouldn’t care if it was remade or not, given I don’t care for comedy of that nature – Adam Sandler’s movie…meh. There’s something to be said about those who find shooting guns at n’s prancing through a watermelon patch “drop dead hilarious”. I think it’s crap comedy and I don’t howl at jokes like that.
Maybe if the opening credits listed all the appropriate trigger warnings and the movie theaters provided safe places so the audience could retreat from anything that they might find offensive.
However, I recently saw a blog that said that Hogan’s Heroes was one of the “worst shows ever” because it “trivialized Nazism and WWII”. Yet there were Holocaust survivors in the cast, but hey, a millenial knows better…
I remember seeing an old episode of “Candid Camera,” and being amazed that the prank involved hitting an unsuspecting person with a broom. Today, that prankster would be charged with assault and battery.
LOL, Bay. Occasionally, we binge watch Youtube videos of Just For Laughs, a Canadian prank show. OMG. Some of the stuff they do is assault and battery. The Canadians are probably not as litigious as us.
