"Keep It Gay, Keep It Gay, Keep It Gay..."

For my research paper, I’m considering looking into the stereotypes that are portrayed in “The Producers,” the 2005 version that came out on DVD. This production was originally a play and the first film featuring it came out in 1968 and was written by Mel Brooks. Here I’ve found both approving and disapproving reviews in the form of blogs, though I tend to agree much more with the ones that found the film to be comical, rather than dull. On this blog: http://clashofthetitans.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/the-producers-1968/ , the author describes the original 1968 film to be funny and entertaining, whereas the author of this review: http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Producers-2005-1279.html claims to have loved the original film and felt the newer version was simply a disaster. This thread: http://sulatkaisipan.wordpress.com/2006/07/27/trivia-for-the-producers/ also commented on the humorous nature of the film saying that “if you enjoy musicals and are aching for a feel-good movie then this comedy will make your day.” None of these however, address the real point at hand. They merely summarize the films rather than analyze them, which I plan to do myself. From what I can remember of the 2005 version of the film, every single character is a stereotype of some kind, and each is exaggerated immensely. Max Bialystock, for example, is a slimy Broadway producer with no morals or consideration for anyone else, at least in the beginning. Leo Bloom is a socially-inept accountant that is nervous all the time. Franz Liebkind is the only German on the set, so he obviously loves Hitler. These are only a few examples of the stereotypes presented in the film; I’ll also be discussing the topic of homosexuality’s portrayal in the film in my paper. I believe I’ll end up looking at the differences between the original version of the film and the newer version, contrasting them, and figuring out why they differ in certain ways based on the audience of the time.