Blazing Saddles gets "proper social context" introduction on HBO Max over racist language and attitudes
Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, one of the most famous satirical movies in history, was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2006.
Now available to watch in the US streaming service HBO Max, the company has added a newly-filmed introduction that plays before the 1974 movie to explain the intentions behind it and offer some "proper social context".
According to The Hollywood Reporter, TCM host and famous cinema and media studies professor Jacqueline Stewart states before the movie: "The storyline implies the issue of race is front and centre in Blazing Saddles. And racist language and attitudes pervade the film. But those attitudes are espoused by characters who are portrayed here as explicitly small-minded, ignorant bigots.
"The real, and much more enlightened perspective, is provided by the main characters played by Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder."
A HBO Max representative who told the publication that "the intro was added to ensure that the film was put into the proper social context".
Related: New on Netflix this week: All the new movies available to watch right now
There have been plenty of debates over whether the film would or even should be made today, a debate that is only going to increase now that a remake has been announced... as an animated film about cats.
Well, the creators are touting it as more of a film 'inspired' by Blazing Saddles. We'll have to wait and see how true that turns out to be.
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