Spaceballs – Special Edition (MGM/DVD-Video)
Picture: B Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: B
Before I start, we had an odd thing happen at a
recent 35mm screening of Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs
(1987) and got questions afterwards by fans.
This print was in good shape, but the odd thing was that it somehow and
for some reason featured sketch work instead of final footage making some who
attended the two screenings wonder if this was a special edition print or
something on this 2005 DVD version. It
was not and the print sent was obviously a mistake copy. How this happened, no one knows and we never
got anyone at MGM to explain, but know this interesting footage is only in the
vaults and not on the following set which we are covering belatedly on purpose
so fans know this print with unseen material was at least floating around at
one point.
This movie was a regular staple of my childhood
viewing regime, and it probably stands as the movie currently most associated
with Mel Brooks, just behind Robin Hood - Men In Tights. Sadly, the catalogue of his films standing
before these is vastly superior, just less recognized to the younger eyes of my
generation. They don‘t see much reason
to delve further in to find out that equal and better comedies lay before these.
Getting them to watch some of his great
movies like The Twelve Chairs or the later Blazing Saddles could
be like pulling teeth if they’re currently under their mid-20s.
It’s a problem that extends to all forms of
entertainment. The 80s was home to a lot
of movies planted firmly in the realms of fantasy, following on the heels of Star
Wars and the like. While there is a
lot of benefit in entertainment that encourages imagination to flourish, in
some cases it seemed like these flights of fancy were almost intent to suppress
the harshness found throughout entertainment in the 70s - when the comedies
were truly crude, but intelligent, and sex as a marketing ploy ran rampant
through the media. Perhaps the change to
lighter fare was more of a backlash rather than a willing suppression, as some
of the most prominent purveyors of escapism throughout the 1980s were embodied
in Jim Henson and Terry Gilliam - two men who individually brought their
mindset to the screen with consistently amazing and intelligent results.
Obviously there’s a huge difference between a sex
comedy and youth-oriented pictures, but as a fairly topical filmmaker, Mel
Brooks made a gradual shift in the approach of his movies, and often aimed at
the center of where the market was at the time - and during the 80s attention
was most definitely lavished upon a different corner of the market. Rather than pandering to the teens and
twenty-somethings, parents and their offspring were courted because of the
budding home video market. Most of the
films I grew up with at the time weren’t huge successes at the box office by
any means, but I remember them because of the all-important VHS tape and fairly
regular television matinees.
Since this happened to be among those films, it
grew on me as a child - and I don’t think I’ll ever loosen the admiration I
held for it then. It’s certainly still a
great comedy, and despite not being perfectly crafted, as well as a little late
(the Star Wars saga had wrapped up
five years prior), it has nonetheless been integrated into 80s culture over
time... sort of ironic, considering that the film often pokes fun at the very
same culture it was to be associated with.
This collector’s edition of Spaceballs is
presented in 1.85:1 anamorphically enhanced widescreen. The picture quality is very crisp, and looks
far cleaner than any copy of the film than I’ve seen before. I was fortunate enough to catch a fairly
recent screening of this film on the big screen, and I admit to liking the
transfer here more than the new print that was struck for the short revival to
promote this DVD. The sound also shines
here, and there are both DTS and Dolby 5.1 audio tracks. Both derive from the 4.1 Dolby magnetic
multi-channel mix from the 70mm blow-ups of the film. However, it does appear to be missing the
original 35mm Dolby Stereo track from its original release. This has become a problem, as studios see no
reason to include the older and “outdated” versions of the audio once they’ve
souped them up for people who demand remixes for their surround sound systems. All complaints aside, the new audio does sound
very good and the Blu-ray is guaranteed to have DTS HD Master Audio, so we’ll
see how improved that is over this.
Lastly, the extras provided here are excellent,
featuring several interviews and documentaries with much of the cast and crew. A commentary track with Brooks is also
included, and that is a joy to listen in on. There’s also the obligatory theatrical trailer
and photo galleries, as well as outtakes, trivia, and a salute to John Candy. This is a nice package, and one that was long
overdue for the DVD medium.
As mentioned, there are better Mel Brooks movies
out there - but at least my generation arrived in time to latch on to what seem
to have become the last benchmarks of his directing career. Later generations will be likely to snuff
watching even his rip on Robin Hood mythos - a shame, as he has consistently
made some of the most universal and appealing farces ever to grace the screen. One can still hope that this doesn’t happen,
and with the release of this title from MGM, as well as that of The Mel Brooks Collection from Fox,
there may be a renewed interest in his screen works for new audiences. Hopefully this interest carries over and we’ll
be double treated with more of his movies in the new HD formats.
Check out these reviews of Brooks other films on
the site:
Blazing
Saddles (HD-DVD)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3776/Blazing+Saddles+(HD-DVD)
Mel
Brooks Collection (DVD-Video)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3608/Mel+Brooks+Box+Set+Collection
- David
Milchick
