Silent Movie

Silent Movie is a singular movie in Mel Brooks’ filmography. All of his other genre satire movies play within the confines of a non-comedic genre, like the western or the Universal horror movie. Brooks’ dedication to representing and respecting these genres, especially in the 70’s, is unparalleled; Young Frankenstein is shot just like a classic horror movie, and the love and attention to detail shows how much Brooks loves those movies. But Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and movies that would come later like High Anxiety and Spaceballs, were all about injecting comedy and satire into another genre. The humor had to (reasonably) fit within the constraints of the genre he was satirizing. Silent Movie is satirizing a genre that is already a comedy. It is a loving homage and modernization to the screwball slapstick silent movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This results in a movie that stands out in his filmography. There are no boundaries here, no need to make comedy fit into a non-comedic scenario. Brooks is free to do what he wants here. It’s an interesting idea, and for the most part, it works really well. Way better than I expected. One criticism I should say off the bat is that this isn’t a laugh out loud movie like Saddles or Spaceballs. You will have a smile permanently affixed to your face, you will laugh a few times for sure, but this isn’t a side-splitter. But that’s okay, really. Silent Movie is more about updating the formula, putting modern spins on some of the slapstick silent movie tropes, and just having a chance to be total nutters. Everyone here is throwing everything they got into the performances, from the leads (Brooks, Dom Deluise, and Marty Feldman) to the supporting cast and guest stars. Even notorious red-ass actors like James Caan and Burt Reynolds are game, throwing themselves into some zany comedy scenes, and poke fun at their own reputations. Anne Bancroft is perhaps the best, doing a hilarious dance routine with a ton of physical comedy (and skull trauma). And Paul Newman’s motorized wheelchair race is the stuff of legend. And that’s what makes the movie better than the sum of its parts: the energy and enthusiasm of everyone. There’s no jokes here you haven’t seen before, but everyone doing them is committed to them and to the concept of a silent movie. Instead of having to be insightful, Brooks gets to let loose, and that comes through in every frame. Sure, there’s a few jokes that haven’t aged well, and yeah, this isn’t going to be as immediately accessible as Brooks’ more famous classics, and yeah, some people aren’t utilized enough (Deluise mostly gets fat jokes despite being not really heavy here, and Madeline Khan’s role is far too minimal for a woman of her talents). But it’s about the whole package. How it all comes together. Watching masters of comedy do possibly the most difficult form of comedic cinema at a time when that kind of movie wasn’t fashionable. It is a movie that, honestly, only Brooks could’ve pulled off. And it should be celebrated more than it is.