Blazing Saddles appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Despite some modest issues, the image held up largely well.
The movie exhibited pretty solid sharpness, as only minor softness cropped up during the film, largely in wide shots. Instead, it looked pretty crisp and detailed most of the time.
I noticed no issues related to jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes failed to appear. Grain seemed light, and print flaws seemed minor for a film of this era. A few specks and marks appeared, but these remained mild and infrequent.
I thought the colors of Saddles looked good. The film featured a bright palette, and the hues consistently came across as vivid and dynamic.
Black levels were acceptably deep and rich, while shadows seemed clean and appropriately opaque. Ultimately, Blazing Saddles offered positive visuals, even if a few concerns cropped up along the way.
Blazing Saddles featured a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack remixed from the original monaural source. The soundfield stayed limited in a way that reflected its origins.
The best parts of the mix came from the stereo imaging for the music, which seemed nicely delineated. Otherwise, the track displayed limited ambitions.
Some directional dialogue appeared, and a few effects also cropped up from the sides. However, the center channel dominated. Surround usage tended toward light reinforcement of the various elements but failed to add much to the presentation.
Audio quality was somewhat erratic. Speech displayed a little edginess but showed no problems related to intelligibility. For the most part, speech seemed reasonably natural, despite some roughness at times.
Effects lacked much heft, but they retained acceptable fidelity and clarity, and they demonstrated no issues related to distortion. Music sounded strong, as the songs and score were bright and rich.
They featured surprisingly positive bass response and seemed pretty dynamic considering their age. Given the movie’s age and monaural source, I thought the mix worked reasonably well.
This 2024 Blu-ray literally replicates the original from 2006. The film got an update in 2014 via a 40th Anniversary BD as well.
That one came with both an updated transfer as well as lossless audio, factors that made it superior to the 2006 BD – and obviously better than this 2024 reissue. It also included a featurette absent from the original disc.
Why did Warner choose to reissue the inferior 2006 version and not the 2014 update? I have no idea, but I would recommend the latter to fans if they can find it. Now out of print, it might not be easy to locate.
As we head to extras, we start with an audio commentary from director Mel Brooks. Actually, this provides more of an audio essay from Brooks, as he chats with no direct reference to the onscreen action. It lasts for about 55 minutes and ends during “I’m Tired”.
Brooks starts with the origins of the project, how he became involved in it, its writing and development, casting, various anecdotes and production comments, studio tampering and the film’s reception. Brooks discusses his state when Saddles came along well and lets us know his issues with the project, and his notes about finding a cast are very good.
Things become especially interesting when we learn all the folks Brooks attempted to land for the Waco Kid role and how Wilder finagled the part for himself. We also hear cool information like the fact that Hedy Lamarr sued the production for the use of her name. Brooks’ chat might not be a full-fledged audio commentary, but it’s a brisk and informative piece that offers lots of fun notes.
After this comes a retrospective documentary entitled Back In the Saddle. It lasts 28 minutes, 21 seconds and includes notes from Brooks, writer Andrew Bergman, producer Michael Hertzberg, and actors Harvey Korman, Gene Wilder, and Burton Gilliam.
We learn about early development and the flick’s writing, its themes and racial elements, casting, the atmosphere on the set and shooting the film, cut sequences, the campfire scene, and the movie’s legacy. A lot of the information already appears in Brooks’ commentary, but some new elements pop up here. so I’d say it’s about half repeated material and half fresh.
It’s good to hear from folks other than Brooks, though, and this seems like a decent examination of the movie. The best parts come from outtakes edited into the TV version; the nonsensically altered campfire scene seems especially interesting.
An excerpt from a program called Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn appears next. This three-minute, 40-second segment shows archival pieces, movie clips and comments from Brooks and actors Dom DeLuise and Lily Tomlin.
Brooks repeats the story about Kahn’s audition that we hear during the commentary. Otherwise, we just get general praise for Kahn in this useless program.
The disc’s most unusual extra, we find the pilot episode for a proposed TV spin-off called Black Bart. It casts Lou Gossett in the title role and brings back none of the original cast members. It lasts 24 minutes, 26 seconds, and genuinely stinks.
However, it makes for an interesting historical curiosity, and I must admit it looks great. The quality of the picture seems shockingly strong, as it presents a stronger image than the main feature!
In addition to the film’s trailer, we get eight Additional Scenes that fill nine minutes, 40 seconds. Much of this material already appears in the documentary, but it’s nice to get it on its own. The segments are fun to see, though they don’t add a lot of comic treasure.
Too inconsistent to really earn its status as a comedy classic, Blazing Saddles fires well at times. Many of its gags fall flat, but enough succeeds to make it generally amusing and lively. The Blu-ray presents good picture and fairly decent audio while the extras add a few nice components to the set. Blazing Saddles earns my recommendation, though this doesn’t offer the best rendition of the film on the market.
To rate this film, visit the 30th Anniversary Edition review of BLAZING SADDLES
