Mel Brooks: Make a Noise

Originally broadcast as part of PBS's American Masters series, Robert Trachtenberg's documentary celebrates Mel Brooks' six decades in entertainment, tracing his rise from Borscht Belt joker to Sid Caesar's gag writer to his own stardom opposite Carl Reiner in the popular 2000 Year Old Man comedy record series. Brooks' entry into filmmaking with The Producers (1968) came by default—the original story was rejected as both a novel and a stage play—while his back-to-back hits Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein (both released in 1974) briefly made him Hollywood's most successful filmmaker. Brooks also secured a niche as the producer of offbeat movies, including The Elephant Man (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), and 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), the latter starring his second wife, Anne Bancroft. In 2001, following various flops, Brooks re-emerged with the Broadway musical version of The Producers, which won a record 12 Tony Awards. While a bevy of collaborators (including Cloris Leachman, Joan Rivers, and Nathan Lane) offer lavish praise of Brooks' accomplishments, the documentary doesn't dwell too long on Brooks' personal and professional setbacks—including an unsuccessful first marriage, the decline in quality of his later motion pictures, and the failure to turn Young Frankenstein into a hit Broadway musical. Brooks, in contrast to his brash and often crude screen persona, emerges here as an erudite raconteur, offering amusing and intriguing insights into the entertainment world. Indeed, this profile presents a side of Brooks rarely seen before: the modest and intellectual charmer. DVD extras include deleted scenes. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)