Term Paper on "Blazing Saddles and the Toy"

Term Paper 4 pages (1198 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Blazing Saddles and the Toy

One of the most intriguing things about humans is that they have the ability to laugh in the face of danger. Even when they are in critical situations, people know that using humor is likely to make things easier for them and that optimism is one of the best methods to avoid feeling lost. Mel Brooks' motion picture Blazing Saddles and Richard Donner's film the Toy both present desperate individuals as they manage to find impressive solutions to seemingly impossible situations. The central characters in the two movies are individuals whom society tends to discriminate and who are unlikely to have success when considering their general condition.

Bart, the protagonist in Blazing Saddles, is a person who is apparently considered to be little more than a tool as influential individuals use him with the purpose of achieving their goals. Viewers are probable to express distress as a result of seeing how the film apparently promotes discriminatory attitudes and portrays African-American individuals as being unable to be respectable members of the social order. However, as the storyline progresses it gradually becomes obvious that Bart is an atypical African-American character and that he is not willing to yield as easily as most were inclined to think.

The antagonist in Blazing Saddles, State Attorney General Hedley Lamarr, is characteristic to the time period that the film is meant to depict. He feels that there would be nothing abnormal with employing racial attitudes and has no interest in Bart's well-being. Moreover, his attitudes emphasize feelings during the late nineteenth century. He chooses Bart as a sheriff because he anticipates that the town's people are going to be infuriated with having an African-American lawman and that they are going to lose all hope when considering their ability to protect themselves from criminals. Moreover, Lamarr believes that the individuals in Rock Ridge are even likely to lynch Bart as a consequence of feeling that it would be absurd to accept a black person as their sheriff.

Bart's companion, Jim, is equally unprepared to deal with taking on attitudes characteristic to lawmen. The fact that he is a former gunslinger (and thus a criminal in the eyes of many) and that he seems to be constantly drunk contributes to making it feel that he has none of the abilities typical for a hero. Jim actually manages to bring humor to the overall script as he enables viewers to look at an unlikely team of heroes take on experienced thugs in spite of the fact that they have very little chances to succeed. Bart, Jim, and the townsfolk come up with amusing and ingenious ideas when faced with adversity and manage to keep their calm throughout their struggle.

Even with the fact that some would catalogue events in Blazing Saddles as tragic, the film actually manages to portray both the storyline and the characters in a positive light. These people are reluctant to accept defeat despite that all odds are against them. By putting across goofy attitudes and by generally making it possible for viewers to watch the film without feeling outraged concerning the racist ideas it appears to put across, the motion picture actually reinforces the concept that individuals should not discriminate on account of one's background, as the respective person's actions and thinking are the only elements that should influence others in judging him or her.

Racial humor is certainly scandalous, taking into account that the film sometimes pushes jokes to the limit. By making it possible for viewers to be presented with an account involving a series of stereotypical… READ MORE

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