Silent Movie

''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Caesar, with cameos by Anne Bancroft, Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Marcel Marceau, and Paul Newman as themselves. The film is produced in the manner of a 20th-century silent film with intertitles instead of spoken dialogue (hence the name); the soundtrack consists almost entirely of accompanying music and sound effects. It is an affectionate parody of slapstick comedies, including those of Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett, and Buster Keaton. The film satirizes the film industry, presenting the story of a film producer trying to obtain studio support to make a silent film in the then-present 1970s.

Plot

Mel Funn (Mel Brooks), a once-great Hollywood film director, is now recovering from a drinking problem and down on his luck. He and his sidekicks Dom Bell ( Dom DeLuise) and Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman) pitch to Big Pictures Studios' Chief (Sid Caesar) the idea to make the first silent movie in forty years. The Chief rejects the idea at first, but Funn convinces him that if he can get Hollywood's biggest stars to be in the film, it could save the studio from a takeover by New York conglomerate Engulf & Devour ( Harold Gould and Ron Carey).

Funn, Bell, and Eggs proceed to recruit various stars for the film. They surprise Burt Reynolds in his shower and then revisit his mansion in disguise. They recruit James Caan filming on location, following slapstick fumbling in an unstable dressing room trailer. They find Liza Minnelli at the studio commissary, where she eagerly agrees to be in the film. They recruit Anne Bancroft by disguising themselves as nightclub Flamenco dancers. While visiting the ailing Chief in the hospital, Funn phones mime artist Marcel Marceau, who responds in French with his only spoken word in the film: a resounding "''Non!''" They see Paul Newman on the hospital grounds and sign him to the film after a wild electric wheelchair chase.

In the course of their search for stars, the trio have a number of brief misadventures, including a mix-up between a seeing-eye dog and an untrained look-alike, several (mostly unsuccessful) efforts by Eggs to seduce various women, and a soft-drink dispensing machine that launches cans like grenades.

Engulf and Devour learn of the project, and try to sabotage it by sending voluptuous nightclub sensation Vilma Kaplan (Bernadette Peters) to seduce Funn. He falls for her, but returns to drinking when he learns she was part of a scheme. He buys a huge bottle of liquor and drinks himself into a stupor, surrounded by fellow "winos". But Kaplan has genuinely fallen for Funn and refused Engulf & Devour's money; she helps Bell and Eggs find him and restore him to sobriety.

The film is completed, but the only copy is stolen by Engulf & Devour just before its theatrical premiere. Kaplan stalls the audience with her nightclub act while Funn, Eggs, and Bell successfully steal the film back. They are cornered by Engulf and Devour's thuggish executives, but use the exploding soft-drink machine they encountered earlier to attack and subdue them. Lacking a separate spool to rewind the film, Eggs winds the film around his own body and upon returning to the theater he has to be rushed to the projection booth to show it.

The film is a huge success with the audience, which erupts with over-the-top applause. The studio is saved, and Funn, Bell, Eggs, Kaplan, and Chief celebrate, as an on-screen caption identifies the film as a "true story".

Cast

* Mel Brooks as Mel Funn
* Marty Feldman as Marty Eggs
* Dom DeLuise as Dom Bell
* Bernadette Peters as Vilma Kaplan
* Sid Caesar as Studio Chief
* Burt Reynolds as Himself
* James Caan as Himself
* Liza Minnelli as Herself
* Anne Bancroft as Herself
* Marcel Marceau as Himself
* Paul Newman as Himself
* Harold Gould as Engulf
* Ron Carey as Devour
* Carol Arthur as Pregnant Lady
* Liam Dunn