Blazing Saddles Essay

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Where Wild and West Meet Blazing Saddles, by Mel Brooks, is a very funny film making fun of a serious issue in the time surrounding the making of this movie. It is focused in the old American west in the late 1800’s during a national boom of industrialization. The state attorney general, Hedley Lamar, who is played by Harvey Korman is building a railroad and has to change the route making it run through Rock Ridge. Not wanting to pay a lot of money for the land he, sends in a gang of trouble makers which make the townspeople force Governor William J. LePetomane, played by Mel Brooks, to select a new sheriff. Governor LePetomane, not being such a bright fellow, is convinced by Lamar to choose a black man about to be hung by the name of Bart played by Cleavon Little. Lamar’s purpose for this was to make the residents of Rock Ridge leave so he could buy the land cheaper. This all back fires in the Lamar’s face because Bart, eventually becomes accepted by all of Rock Ridge. He has become so loved by the townspeople, and he unites them in an uprising to stop the evil plans of the corrupt and evil Lamar. As the movie comes to a close, Bart shoots General Lamar outside of the Grumman’s Chinese Theater, and as a final message he tells people of all color and nations to get along and live in harmony. The main message of this movie is to make fun of the western genre of films. Mel Brooks is worldly known for his creation of many different film genres and films, and Blazing Saddles hold up to that claim in some people’s opinion one of the funniest films made by brooks. The trailer for this movie would appeal to viewers about 13 and older. By previewing the movie it looks like a western comedy. It also looks as if the hero is very friendly and a good leader. From watching the trailer, a viewer could make the assumption that this movie is like most typical western movies

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