Product Description

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick return to their award-winning roles in the hilariously funny film of the record-breaking Broadway smash-hit. Scheming producer Max Bialystock (Lane) and his mousy accountant, Leo Bloom (Broderick), discover that under the right circumstances they could make more money by producing a Broadway flop than they can with a hit. But what will they do when their sure-to-offend musical becomes a surprise sensation? Co-starring sexy Uma Thurman and comedy genius Will Ferrell, The Producers is a fun-filled, side-splitting comedy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8684 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2006-05-16
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.com
The trend is to convert movies into stage musicals, but The Producers goes a step further: making a feature film of the smash-hit stage musical that was adapted from the 1968 film. The chief drawing card, of course, is Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprising their roles from the stage. Lane plays Max Bialystock, a legendary Broadway producer who hasn't had a hit show in a long time. Enter nebbish accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick), who tells Bialystock he could actually make more money with a flop than a hit. So the two set out to produce the worst Broadway musical of all time, one guaranteed to close on opening night, with the collaboration of an outrageous cast of characters: Will Ferrell as sieg heil-ing author Franz Liebkind, Uma Thurman as Swedish bombshell Ulla, Gary Beach as director Roger De Bris, and Roger Bart as his assistant, Carmen Ghia, among others.

As directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman (who did the same honors on Broadway) and co-written by Mel Brooks, The Producers is laugh-out-loud funny. It's also a relentlessly over-the-top, shamelessly bawdy, stereotype-ridden comedy that may turn off its audience just as much as its centerpiece, Springtime for Hitler, was intended to. But Broadway fans who are used to larger-than-life figures who play to the back row while showering the first row with spit, are likely to forgive and just enjoy the famous granny-walker dance, a supporting cast dotted with Broadway performers (playing a taxi driver is Brad Oscar, who originated the role of Liebkind on Broadway then later played Bialystock), or the mere spectacle of seeing Lane and Broderick memorializing the performances that millions never got a ticket to see. (For maximum laughs, stick around through the closing credits.) --David Horiuchi

On the DVD
The highlight of the DVD is Nathan Lane's complete performance of "The King of Broadway," one of eight scenes offered here that were cut from the film. Most of the others are extensions and reprises of musical numbers, but there's not a lemon in the bunch. Also on the DVD are 15 minutes of outtakes that aren't quite as funny as one would imagine, and a 16-minute examination of the "I Wanna Be a Producer" number, including how the scene was reworked for the movie and the costumes of the "beautiful girls wearing nothing but pearls." Director-choreographer Susan Stroman's commentary track sounds scripted, but offers good information like explaining Mel Brooks's inside jokes and pointing out the Broadway actors who played bit parts. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Where Did They Go Right?
I remember seeing the original film of The Producers in a virtually deserted theatre and loving it. I still think it is one of Mel Brooks' best films. So I was a bit apprehensive when I heard it was being turned into a Broadway musical and then that musical was being made into a film. But, on the whole, I have to admit to enjoying it much more than I thought I would.

Much of the credit must go to Susan Stroman's stagey and somewhat campy direction, which suits the material perfectly. Even more credit belongs to the incredible Nathan Lane for managing to equal Zero Mostel's original Max Bialystock and even, once or twice, surpassing it. He is, quite rightly, the heart and soul, of the film. The rest of the cast is not bad either. Uma Thurman is a pleasant surprise, the double act of Gary Beach and Roger Bart are pure politically-incorrect joy, and even Will Farrell is good. Which leaves Matthew Broderick. He certainly comes to life when singing and dancing, much more so than I would have expected. But his characterisation of Leo Bloom seems just a bit too bland. I know Leo is supposed to a personality-deficient accountant, but I really miss Gene Wilder's manic edge. With Broderick, there's not even a hint in the eyes that he really needs that blue blanket.

It was fun spotting all the lines of dialogue from the original and seeing how the story and characters were altered (I could understand LSD not fitting into the new concept but the playing of Hitler first by Hans, then by DeBris seemed a tad awkward). But, this being a musical version, the show is going to rise or fall on its musical numbers. In general, the staging was clever and often laugh out loud funny. The songs, it must be said, are not the most memorable ever heard on Broadway. But the energy and enthusiasm with which they are performed more than make up for that. Strange then that some of them are edited. The opening number ends so abruptly - I'm grateful that the DVD has the entire number as an extra. I can see no real reason why it was cut short (unless someone felt it was too Jewish). Surely, running times are not the crucial factor they used to be. But many delights survive including a chorus line of grannies with walking frames, beautiful girls dressed only in pearls, and Uma Thurman doing a quite good Cyd Charisse impersonation with her seemingly endless legs. In fact, the only real musical disappointment for me was the notorious Springtime For Hitler number which seemed to lack the punch, fizz and open-mouth shock quality of the original. Maybe it's the passage of time or just knowing that it was coming. But Nathan Lane's Betrayed number was soooo good that I had to rewind for an instant encore.

All in all, it's nice to see that someone can still do a good old-fashioned musical.

Broderick and Lane Bring Their Broadway Hit To The Big Screen
I was thrilled when I found out Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane would reprise their Broadway performances for the big screen. When you live 1,000 miles from New York, you often rely on the movies to bring you these little gems. And a gem this is. The most fun-filled, laugh out loud funny musical comedy of the year delights mainly due to the outstanding performances of Lane and Broderick.

The story is as old as 1968 when Mel Brooks gifted us with the original movie. The accountant who inadvertently gives the Broadway producer the tip of a lifetime----produce the worst play of all time and pocket the backing-is a singing, dancing romp that leaves you feeling you have seen the best of Broadway at the movies. No one but Nathan Lane could ever bring all the sleaze of Max Bialystock to life with such hilarity; no one but Matthew Broderick could make the nerdy Leo Bloom so enchanting: and no one but Uma Thurman could convince us such a stunningly seductive woman could fall for either.

Will Ferrell shines as the playwright enamored with Hitler and thrilled to bring his "Springtime for Hitler" to the stage in one of the movie's best production numbers, the other being the sex-starved old ladies dancing desperately with their walkers.

Bawdy writing by Mel Brooks and the inimitable mugging of Lane and Broderick make this a must-see for fans of musicals.

Bump 'n' Grind
Loud, Crass, Dopey, Sleazy, Tuney, Beautifully produced and Acted and Supremely Not PC, Susan Stroman's "The Producers" comes at you like gang busters on speed.
The Singer/Actors here are/will always be identified with these parts as they have been on the Stage for the last several years: Nathan Lane as Max Bialystok, Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom and now Uma Thurman as blond bombshell, Ulla.
The story is pretty simple: Max, Broadway producer down on his luck comes upon the idea via his accountant Leo, to produce a show that will without any doubt fail; thereby, through larceny and/or accounting tricks, make both Max and Leo a lot of money. Make sense? Not much but who cares: it's in the telling that "The Producers" is so much fun.
Both Lane and Broderick chew the scenery within and inch of its life and most of the musical numbers are fantastically staged outdoors to great advantage: the investor ladies with walkers scene is a hoot as well as Leo's number with his fellow accountants as is the opening scene from the show that Max and Leo produce: "Springtime for Hitler."
"The Producers" will not teach you anything except maybe not to listen to your accountant nor will you leave the theater with any profound thoughts...but you will leave happy and positive...and those are not bad things, not bad things at all.