by David C. Terr

#30 <<    #31    >> #32

Title: The Producers (2005)

Director: Susan Storman

Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart

Release Date: Dec. 25, 2005

Running Time: 134 min

Genres: Comedy, Musical

Commentary
The Producers is a classic musical written by Mel Brooks and Thoman Meehan and adapted for film. The movie has a long history. It started out as a 1968 movie (#68 on my list) starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. The original contained only the following three songs:

• "Love Power" (LSD)
• "Springtime for Hitler" (Company)
• "Prisoners of Love" (Company)

In 2001, the movie was turned into a Broadway musical with 19 new songs, including the following:

• "I Wanna Be a Producer" (Leo)
• "Der Guten Tag Hop Clop" (Franz, Max, and Leo)
• "Keep It Gay" (Roger)

Finally in 2005, the musical was turned into a movie, and what a wonderful movie it is! I've always loved musicals, and this is the best I've seen in years. The story, which is basically the same as the original, is a riot, and the music is great, most of it being very funny.

Plot Summary
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) is a washed-out Broadway producer in the 1950s. He hires Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) as his accountant. Leo discovers an accounting error on Max's part and shortly thereafter figures out an ingenious corrupt scheme for making $2,000,000 on a flop. The scheme would involve the following:

• finding the worst play ever written
• hiring the worst director and worst actors
• raising the money from dozens of unsuspecting rich old women seduced by Max and selling them a total of several times the rights to the play, which Max and Leo wouldn't need to worry about paying them for because it's a sure-fire flop

After a bit of coaxing, Leo agrees to assist Max in his hairbrained scheme.

Differences with the Original
The plot is basically the same as that of the original version from 1968, except for some key differences, mainly the ending. The following occur in the original version but not in the musical remake:

• A hippie auditions to perform the song "Love Power" for a '60s play. Upon hearing his dreadful performance, Max proudly announces, "That's our Hitler!" and hires him for the role.
• After the play turns out to be a success, Max, Leo, and Franz conspire to blow up the theater in order to stop the play.
• Max, Leo, and Franz end up going to prison together and producing "Prisoners of Love" there.

Movie Clips

Here's a movie trailer.

Here's Leo Bloom at his accounting firm singing "I Want to Be a Producer".

Here's the scene in which the producers meet Franz Liepken on the roof and perform "Der Guten Tag Hop Clop", Hitler's favorite song.

Here's the scene in which the producers meet the director and his associates, who sing "Keep It Gay".

Here's the hilarious performance of "Springtime for Hitler".