Silent Movie (1976)
Runtime: 88 mins
Synopsis: SILENT MOVIE is director Mel Brooks's comic tribute to the golden days of the silent screen. A movie within a movie, SILENT MOVIE stars Brooks as Mel Funn, a filmmaker who has seen better days--for one thing, he's just come out of a bout with the bottle. When his best friends (Marty Feldman and Dom... SILENT MOVIE is director Mel Brooks's comic tribute to the golden days of the silent screen. A movie within a movie, SILENT MOVIE stars Brooks as Mel Funn, a filmmaker who has seen better days--for one thing, he's just come out of a bout with the bottle. When his best friends (Marty Feldman and Dom DeLuise) rescue him from despair and convince him to make another attempt at moviemaking, Mel comes up with an idea--a silent picture. Alas, this is the 1970s, and in order to get backing from wacky, frazzled studio chief Sid Caesar, the three pals have to get lots of celebrities to agree to be in their silent picture. SILENT MOVIE is, in fact, silent, and all the celebrities play themselves (or parodies of themselves). Funny, warm, and packed with sight gags galore, the film evokes the days of Chaplin, Keaton, and Pickford and Fairbanks while remaining oddly, and wondrously, contemporary. There is hardly a funnier scene than when Burt Reynolds--vainly admiring himself in the mirror while showering--is talked-up about the movie by DeLuise, Brooks, and Feldman, all in the shower together. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, James Caan, Paul Newman
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 5, 2006
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- (unspecified) - English
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
While Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein stride across the land with seven-league boots, Silent Movie glides on tip-toe like Bugs Bunny in ballet slippers.
Mel Brooks has never known when a joke is worthy of a five-minute bit and when it's something you can flesh out into a full length feature.
Largely a success due to some very funny sight gags, but even at a brief 87 minutes, Brooks seems to be stretching things to feature-film length in the last half-hour.
Brooks' tribute to silent cinema has its drawbacks, but his obvious affection for pre-talkies saves the day.


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