{"id":28169,"date":"2012-11-06T11:48:50","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T18:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28169"},"modified":"2021-02-04T11:49:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:49:32","slug":"silent-movie-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28169","title":{"rendered":"Silent Movie (1976)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Mel Funn &#8212; once Hollywood&#8217;s greatest director, until drinking destroyed his career &#8212; is trying to make a comeback.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Poster-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Poster-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA has-been director (Mel Brooks) and his friends (Marty Feldman and Dom DeLuise) convince the ailing head (Sid Caesar) of a major movie company to take a chance on their latest project &#8212; a silent film featuring several big-name stars &#8212; as a last-ditch attempt to prevent a take-over by the greedy corporation Engulf &#038; Devour.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Burt Reynolds Films<\/li>\n<li>Has-Beens<\/li>\n<li>Mel Brooks Films<\/li>\n<li>Movie Directors<\/li>\n<li>Satires and Spoofs<\/li>\n<li>Silent Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFilm fanatics will likely get a kick out of Mel Brooks&#8217; affectionate homage to silent movies, given how cleverly he recreates so many of the era&#8217;s classic tropes while keeping his film&#8217;s storyline (and actors) squarely grounded in modern times. Indeed, a surprising number of Brooks&#8217; sight gags remain enjoyably humorous, with only a few representing Brooks&#8217; more traditionally low-brow humor (i.e., a running joke in which Brooks, DeLuise, and Feldman repeatedly find themselves huddled together in a compromising position, and jeered at by passers-by as &#8220;fags&#8221;). Examples of effective scenes include Brooks and Bernadette Peters (as vampish singer &#8220;Vilma Kaplan&#8221;) running through a field and stripping off their clothes in wild abandon, only to find themselves leaping over hurdles as unexpected rivals in a race (a sequence that reminds me of something Woody Allen would attempt):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Race.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Race.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Race.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Race-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Race-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Feldman playing around with Caesar&#8217;s life support machine at the hospital; and Brooks et al.&#8217;s visit to James Caan&#8217;s teetering trailer, where they find that even the sprinkling of pepper on a bun puts everything off balance. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Caan-Trailer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Caan-Trailer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Caan-Trailer.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Caan-Trailer-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Caan-Trailer-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Caan, all the &#8220;big name&#8221; stars elicited to participate in the film through cameo roles (Caan, Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Paul Newman, Anne Bancroft, and Marcel Marceau) seem to be having a great time, which adds to the overall festive mood. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Numerous enjoyable sight gags<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Suit.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Suit.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Suit.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Suit-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Suit-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Nurse.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Nurse.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Nurse.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Nurse-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Nurse-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li>Amusing cameos by game film stars<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Reynolds.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Reynolds.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Reynolds.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Reynolds-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Reynolds-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Bancroft.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Bancroft.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Bancroft.png 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Bancroft-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Silent-Movie-Bancroft-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an enjoyable homage to the silent film era. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0075222\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1976\/07\/01\/archives\/silent-movie-with-golden-subtitles.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/silent-movie-1976\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?ID=8556\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=1806&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/74651\/silent_movie.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Mel Funn &#8212; once Hollywood&#8217;s greatest director, until drinking destroyed his career &#8212; is trying to make a comeback.&#8221; Synopsis: A has-been director (Mel Brooks) and his friends (Marty Feldman and Dom DeLuise) convince the ailing head (Sid Caesar) of a major movie company to take a chance on their latest project &#8212; a silent film featuring several big-name stars &#8212; as a last-ditch attempt to prevent a take-over by the greedy corporation Engulf &#038; Devour. Genres, Themes, Actors, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28169\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28169"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68612,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28169\/revisions\/68612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}