[Sans-Culotte]

Actually, I think that Blazing Saddles has not aged well and was never all that good to begin with. True enough, there are some funny bits, but much of it is juvenile and forced (e.g., the fart gag around the campfire goes on way too long.) Its appeal was driven mostly by the fact that few movie makers (up to that time) had undertaken a genre satire, in which the cliches and situations of a class of movies are parodied and lampooned. Brooks was much more successful at that in his brilliant Young Frankenstein, another imperfect, but much better effort.

I have never cared for Blazing Saddles. I saw it when it opened. I like a few of the gags, and I loved Madeline Kahn; but I just didn't find the movie all that funny. The fart-fest is the film's most celebrated gag, and it is simply not funny to me. It's guys farting. So, what? I think Brooks is a funny man. I've seen him on talks shows and stuff and he's funny. But I don't think his funniness necessarily means he is a good filmmaker.

I agree that Young Frankenstein was Brooks' best and funniest film. Humor is subjective. I just don't get Blazing Saddles, I guess.

[morphing libertarian]

Humor is subjective and to each his own.

I remember seeing The Gods Must Be Crazy in a packed theatre and we all laughed throughout. However, I couldn’t wait to get my wife to go and we went to a matinee with hardly anyone in the theatre. We didn’t laugh much and she kept looking at me as if to ask “What was the big deal?’

Of course I may be the only person who has ever seen Brazil twice.