"Mel Brooks: Unwrapped" (2019 release from the UK; 70 min.) is documentary about the free-wheeling genius of comedy that is Mel Books (real name: Melvin Kaminsky). As the movie opens, we are in Mel's office, and he reluctantly agrees to director Alan Yentob's request for an interview. We are next in "London 1991" where Brooks storms the BBC reception, wanting to see "the head of BBC 2", i.e. Alan Yentob. We then go even further back in time to "Hollywood, California 1981", where Brooks gets worked up (in a comical way) about some repairs being done in the hallway outside of his office. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.
Couple of comments: this is the latest collaboration between Brooks and Yentob and the essence is always the same: let Brooks be his free-wheeling self, stay out of the way, and watch some golden nuggets of comedy come about. Sure, Brooks also talks about some of his works, starting here with Young Frankenstein and the 2017 musical of the same name, the The Producers, then High Anxiety ("I thought it would be funny if I sang a song exactly as Frank Sinatra would've", comments Brooks), and last but not least Blazing Saddles ("It is all about racial prejudice", comments Brooks). But it's in the bits of comedy (seemingly improvised) that make this worth watching. Check out in particular the Cary Grant story, which had me laughing out loud and is just bloody brilliant.
I can't say there are a lot of new revelations or new perspectives, but I can say with certainty that this new documentary is enjoyable and entertaining, and before you know it the all-too-brief 70 min. have come and gone. This documentary premiered on BBC earlier this year, and recently started airing on HBO. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks, I'd readily suggest you check this out on Amazon Instant Video or other streaming services, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest collaboration between Brooks and Yentob and the essence is always the same: let Brooks be his free-wheeling self, stay out of the way, and watch some golden nuggets of comedy come about. Sure, Brooks also talks about some of his works, starting here with Young Frankenstein and the 2017 musical of the same name, the The Producers, then High Anxiety ("I thought it would be funny if I sang a song exactly as Frank Sinatra would've", comments Brooks), and last but not least Blazing Saddles ("It is all about racial prejudice", comments Brooks). But it's in the bits of comedy (seemingly improvised) that make this worth watching. Check out in particular the Cary Grant story, which had me laughing out loud and is just bloody brilliant.
I can't say there are a lot of new revelations or new perspectives, but I can say with certainty that this new documentary is enjoyable and entertaining, and before you know it the all-too-brief 70 min. have come and gone. This documentary premiered on BBC earlier this year, and recently started airing on HBO. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks, I'd readily suggest you check this out on Amazon Instant Video or other streaming services, and draw your own conclusion.
