Nice catch. The whole article is informative, sarcastic, and well worth reading in full. Here’s a snippet:
CNN Strains to Deflect From Woke Scolds Offended by ‘Blazing Saddles’ on Its 50th Anniversary
Brad Slager | Redstate.com | February 11, 2024
Writing at CNN, Noah Berlatsky looked over the general support for the movie over the generations and displayed that he is bothered by some of those who have shown affection for the film. As a result, he painfully tries to contort things so he can deliver his fractured message: “Those conservatives just don’t get it!”
… “Mel Brooks’ classic “Blazing Saddles” has become the standard example of a film that supposedly could not be made today because of rampant left-wing political correctness.“
It is notable that Berlatsky says this as if it is some kind of revelation. It was known from the day the movie was released that Mel Brooks was piercing the specter of racism. Even when first seeing this movie as a kid on cable television, I could see both the overt and the deft ways the comedy legend was taking the piss out of the prejudiced thinking.
Next, Noah lapses into the arena of unintentional comedy.
Exploring the idea that the film could not be remade appropriately (or inappropriately, as it were), he resorts to weak gaslighting. “If it were remade, it almost certainly wouldn’t be the left who would object.” Now for the comedy: He goes on to cite all of the leftist ideals that would provoke objections. To start, he delivers a disqualifying quote from the creator himself.
“We have become stupidly politically correct which is the death of comedy,” said Brooks years ago in reference to the sensitivity blockades to the film being remade or being granted a sequel. Berlatsky knows full well that political correctness and what it has morphed into in contemporary years – woke culture – is strictly and entirely a product of leftists.
But if we were to remake it today, which actors working now would you cast in it?
Maybe Vince Vaughn as
HeddyHedley Lamar.Dave Chapell as Sheriff Bart (of course)
Larry the Cable Guy as Taggart
Walton Goggins as Lyle
Oppo as Gabby Johnson
You side-windin’, bushwackin’ rurh-rurher Bidenjumper!
Usher singing “De Camptown Ladies?”
I’m seeing it more like:
Karine Jean -Pierre as Black Bart
Alec Baldwin as Jim
Eliot Page as Lili Von Shtupp – a double-cross role!
Ellen Degeneres as Hedley Lamarr
Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski as Governor William J. Le Petomane and the Indian Chief
That’s how it’s done in Hollywood these days…
Almost forgot – Lia Thomas as Mongo
Scary. The female Ghostbusters would be more appealing than that line-up.
The movie ‘Mandingo’ would never be made today either unless you want to arrested by the FBI.
Today, one certainly would not want to call a stupid idea stupid, nor call the stupid person that came up with the stupid idea stupid …. because that would be humorous and must be avoided at all cost … which in itself is incredibly stupid …. and funny.
How meta.
A curly haired white guy named Noah thinks that conservatives are racist because they stupidly laugh at racists while democrats are not racist because they smartly laugh at racists.
Unless the racist is wearing makeup to pretend to be a different race. That would offend the smart democrats who cannot tolerate someone identifying as the wrong race. If we’re going to mock a race we have to be certain it’s the race that deserves it. or something.
Coincidentally I went in search of the comment section of the article for some howls of anger. Couldn’t find it. Weird.
What I find even more stupid is that the movie was written primarily by Richard Pyror. Well known racist white supremicist he.
Offended, blah. In the movie theater, white or black didn’t matter, everybody was laughing. And everybody was rooting for the sheriff.
It’s as bad as when TV stations show the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, and air warnings every half hour about outdated, evil humor.
The sheriff is a democrat….I think he said the sheriff is a rat..
No..THE SHERIFF IS A DEMOCRAT!