'Saddles' DVD 'Blazing'

In 2002, the American Film Institute listed "Blazing Saddles" as the sixth funniest film of all time, out of 100 selections. Thirty years after its release, the western parody is back in a new special edition DVD, and like a fine wine it's improved with age.\n "Saddles" tells the story of the small western town of Rockridge and the sheriff (Cleavon Little) who saves it from its demise. By having a simple, and sometimes stupid storyline, director Mel Brooks uses "Saddles" as a way to poke fun at the campy western TV shows and movies of the 1950s, racism and even potty humor (see the memorable beans sequence).\n Although this is not my favorite Brooks film (nothing beats Frau Blücher's screeching horses from "Young Frankenstein"), "Saddles" is a very funny movie. The 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD lacks the intriguing special features one would expect from a movie like this, but does do a nice job with the digital transfer and remastered soundtrack.\n The disc features a somewhat interesting commentary track from Brooks, some deleted scenes and a short featurette about how the film was made. The bottom line is this: "Blazing Saddles" still packs all the laughs and is a great movie for those tired of the same dull comedies.