On 28th June 2026 Mel Brooks turned 100 years old and it’s as good a time as any to look at his back catalogue of films that he wrote, directed and appeared in. Having started out as writer for US TV programme ‘Your Show of Shows’ with Sid Caesar, who was something of a mentor to the fledgling writer who bloomed under his tutelage. We take a look at those eleven Mel Brooks films rated from worst to best.
11. Life Stinks (1991)
Back in 1983 director John Landis had made ‘Trading Places’ that saw rising star Eddie Murphy and former Saturday Night Live stalwart and comedy film star Dan Ayklroyd swop their status of poor & homeless with rich & entitled. Brook’s ‘Life Stinks’ was similar in theme in that it saw wealthy business man (Brooks) bet an equally rich rival that he can live as a homeless man on the streets of LA finding it far tougher than expected. Uneven in tone and lacking Brooks broad comedy and as well intentioned as it was, audiences didn’t take to it and it bombed earning a meagre $4m off a $13m. Comedy films had changed in the 1980’s at the hands of Jim Abrahams and David & Jerry Zucker with their irreverent and multi layered comedy films that combined verbal gags and visual humour often in the same scenes and at times the same shot.
10. Dracula Dead and Loving It (1995)
Though he had parodied genres earlier in his career by the mid 90’s Brooks was targeting specific films and her it was the vampire films Dracula that had been revitalized by Francis Ford Coppola’s opulent version with Gary Oldman in the title role. Brooksm already aware that his comedy crownm had been stolen by Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker and took Leslie Neilsen, who the trio had turned from a dramatic actor into a quite brilliant deadpan comic actor and cast him as Dracula with Brooks as Van Helsing. By the mid 1990’s Nielsen had been capitalizing on his these new found comedy chops playing it deadpan in three Naked Gun films and would go on to wring it dry with further films with the same persona and audiences, though they loved Neilsen, were getting tired of the same schtick and the film made just $10m
9. Robin Hood : Men in Tights (1993)
The early 1990’s had seen a resurgence in Robin Hood films led by the huge success of the 1991 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner now a fully fledged star and Oscar winner too having helmed Dances with Wolves. The legend was ripe for parody with films about the outlaw hero going back decades. Turned around within two years of Costner’s film that was still fresh in audiences minds Cary Elwes played the outlaw and was joined by Dave Chapelle, Tracey Ullman, Dom DeLuise and Brooks as Rabbi Tuckman, a bit of a ham fisted spin on Friar Tuck. There were some decent gags amongst many stale ones and it did decent enough business earning $35m
8. Twelve Chairs (1970)
This was Brooks movie equivalent of the ‘difficult second album’ having had huge success with his debut film as a director he chose a Russian based farce set in 1920’s USSR that involved a fallen aristocrat, a con artist and a priest hunting for jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs lost during the revolution. As well as directing Brooks also starred alongside Ron Moody, Frank Langella and Dom DeLuise. It’s far from a bad film but audiences were divided with some finding funny whislt many were bored and of all his films it’s probably the one few remember or have even seem
7. History of the World Part 1 (1981)
Like many of his films form the 1970’s this took his episodic approach to the logical conclusion taking moments in history as stand alone strands that took in Moses, Nero, the French revolution and prehistoric man. It was a scattergun approach to make a film whose individual scenes would not sustain a full feature film and the films title was all part of the joke with no intention of a Part 2 ever being made. It did moderate business earning $31m but as he went into the 1980’s comedy was changing and there were new comedians and film makers nipping at his heels that would soon overtake him.
6. High Anxiety (1977)
Concluding a run of well regarded films that he made in the 1970’s it’s also one that is unfairly overlooked. It was a pastiche and parody of Hitchcock films with often inspired takes on his most famous set pieces which of course included the shower scene from Psycho. The film saw Brooks as a psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) who goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep. Inspired by Vertigo it also took in The Birds and many others and for fans of the master of suspense High Anxiety is something of a must see. It certainly was for Hitchcock himself who reportedly loved it and it is well worth searching out.
5. Silent Movie (1976)
For a film maker who wrote verbal jokes it was quite a gamble to make a silent movie and the studio felt the same too which was reflected in the film with Brooks as a film director and his strange friends struggling to produce the first major silent feature film in forty years His master stroke here was alongside a load of decent sight gags he ‘s also roped in a load of big name cameos that incuded Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, his own wife Anne Bancroft and Paul Newman
The film is also a popular pub quiz question. Who was the only person to speak in the film? The answer : French mime Marcel Marceau who when asked if he wants to be in the film replies , ‘Non!’ The nature of the film having no other dialogue saw it rely primarily on slapstick most of which is enjoyably daft. Audiences agreed with the film earning a respectable $36m for a 1970’s comedy and it meant that he was able to quickly get his next film High Anxiety quickly greenlit to be made the following year
4. Spaceballs (1987)
Arguably his most loved film by younger fans of his work albeit a belated parody of the blockbuster Star Wars, one of the biggest earning films ever 10 years previously. He was courteous enough to ask George Lucas permission to parody before he set about work on a film about a star pilot and his trusty half man, half dog sidekick come to the rescue of a petulant princess to save her from the clutches of the evil Dark Helmet. The jokes were obvious and there’s even a character called Pizza the Hut but there’s also some neat visual jokes that included John Hurt reprising his Alien chestburster scene and another where Dark Helmet watched himself in real time on a monitor only to turn round and break the fourth wall realising that its because there’s a film crew filming him. Brooks was also smart enough to hire the new film comedians that had emerged with a post Ghostbusters Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet and John Candy as the Chewbacca inspired sidekick. The film was Brooks last decent box office success earning a slightly above average $38m for him and it’s the only one of his films to get a sequel.
3. The Producers (1967)
This was Brooks debut as a director and was something of a gamble for the studio to let a hitherto unknown quantity in that capacity to helm a film with such a budget. The film followed a theatre producer (Zero Mostel) who devises a plan to make money by producing a flop helped by his accountant (Gene Wilder). It was something of a gamble casting Wilder who until then had appeared in dramatic and often heavy weight films that had included Death of a Salesman as well as Bonnie and Clyde. The Producers would change his career and be the start of a fertile working relationship with Brooks. Its stand out moment is the infamous, ‘Springtime for Hitler’ somg and dance number that parodies Busby Berkley musicals to deliriously tasteless effect as seen in the audience reaction in the film as they watch open mouthed as it unfolds on stage. It was a critical success and it’s the film that won Brooks his one and only Oscar for his screenplay (another pub quiz question). It’s also the film that arguably started many of those West End theatre adaptations of famous films where it was an even bigger success.
2. Blazing Saddles (1974)
There’s certainly a strong case to be made that this is actually Mel Brooks best film. A parody of westerns it also took a dig at the stupidity of racism. Five writers contributed to the script including Richard Pryor who had been lined up to take the lead role but bowed out letting stage actor Cleavon Little have the role and was partnered on screen by Gene Wilder. It took a scattergun approach to the western with witty one liners, outrageous visual jokes and often surreal moment that culminates with a fist fighting cowboys crashing through the studios backlot where other films were being shot. The studio were famously unsure about what Brooks screened for them and it wasn’t until it was screened for studio staff who laughed throughout that the studio were persuaded. It was by far Brooks most successful film earning a huge $119m and earning three Oscar nominations for its editing, original song and supporting actress (Madeleine Kahn). It still stands up today though it’s probably best remembered for its notorious farting cowboys round the campfire scene.
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
This would be Mel Brooks second collaboration with Gene Wilder after Blazing Saddles which had been released earlier that year. It was Wilder who had come up with the idea of a parody of James Whale’s iconic 1931 film but Brooks intention of how he envisioned the film would test the studio’s patience. When films in colour had long been the norm Brooks would insist that the film be shot in black and white a sure fire repellent to attracting audiences of the day – it wouldn’t be the last time he would test the studio’s patience when he went onto make Silent Movie after this. But Brooks was insistent as it was intrinsic to the films look and the style in of the era of the original film. The studio relented and co-writing the script with Wilder the film was rammed with sublimely ludicrous moments that included Peter Boyles as the monster in a song and dance routine, Wilder’s manic performance and the pop eyed genius of English comedian Marty Feldman. There’s also an unexpected and uncredited cameo role from Gene Hackman of all people. Known for his tough guy roles in The French Connection and his own no nonsense attitude to film making he appeared here as a blind man who takes the monster into his home and showed an unexpected natural comic timing. The studio need not have worried with the film earning $86m and two Oscar nominations for the screenplay and sound.
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