US comedian Mel Brooks' films
The American comedian with Jewish roots broke with a taboo in the 1960s with his parody on Adolf Hitler. That made him world famous and parodies became his trademark.
'The Producers'
Mel Brooks, made his film debut with "The Producers," which became an instant hit in 1968. The parody on Hitler and the Nazis, embellished with ribald jokes, music, dancing and bitter punchlines, broke all taboos just 23 years after the end of World War II. To what extent the Nazi era may be parodied continues to be an ongoing point of discussion, particularly in Germany.
'Blazing Saddles'
His third film, "Blazing Saddles," firmly established Mel Brooks as a master of parody in 1974. The film marked Brooks' starting point for poking fun at all kinds of film genres. In "Blazing Saddles," he parodies the most American film category of all: the Western.
'Young Frankenstein'
Brooks produced yet another hugely successful film that same year, the horror film parody "Young Frankenstein," shot at the locations used in the famous "Frankenstein" movie of 1931. Like the original, it was also produced in black and white. Mel Brooks, at the peak of his career, got the whole world to chuckle at his version of film's most famous monster.
'Silent Movie'
In the 1970s, Brooks was so well known in Germany that his name was incorporated into the title of one of his hits. The German version of "Silent Movie" was entitled "Mel Brooks' letzte Verrücktheit: Silent Movie" (Mel Brooks' ultimate craziness). Following his earlier success with a black-and-white film, he had now produced a soundless film which was a loving homage to the silent film genre.
'High Anxiety'
In 1977, Mel Brooks even dared to poke fun at cinema icon Alfred Hitchcock, the master of psycho thrillers. Alluding to various Hitchcock works, in particular "Vertigo," Brooks created an intensely funny film with "High Anxiety."
'History of the World, Part I'
In the early 1980s, Mel Brooks tackled the genre of monumental film with "History of the World, Part I," offering a wild tour through the history of mankind starting with the Stone Age, and ending before the outbreak of World War II. Here, the main victims of Brooks' parodies were the Bible and historical films.
'Spaceballs'
It was high time Mel Brooks took sci-fi to task as well. Following the global success of the first "Star Wars" films, it was almost to be expected that the master of parody wouldn't spare these box-office hits. More than anything else, "Spaceballs" was intended as a parody on the space epics of George Lucas, while also alluding to other popular science-fiction films like "2001" and "Aliens."
'Life Stinks'
Mel Brooks' films were, however, not always rewarded with success. His1991, parody on melodramatic romantic comedies, "Life Stinks," flopped at the box office. It seems that the "originals" - such as "Pretty Woman" for example - didn't really lend themselves to being made fun of.
'Robin Hood - Men in Tights'
Parodies on films set in the Middle Ages proved to be more successful. In "Robin Hood - Men in Tights" (1993), Brooks poked fun at the famous friend of all those suffering from poverty and persecution: Sherwood Forest's own Robin Hood. Just two years earlier, the umptienth (serious) film adaptation of that story, starring Kevin Costner, had been a worldwide success.
'Dracula: Dead and Loving It'
In 1995, Mel Brooks turned back to the horror film genre, this time to the world's most famous vampire. However, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" lacked some of Brooks' earlier humor. It became his last film as a director, though he was go on to write and produce a remake of "The Producers" in 2005.