As a follow-up to his Oscar-winning drama, Judgment
at Nuremberg, director Stanley Kramer did a complete 180 degree artistic spin
to create what is arguably the greatest three-hour slapstick comedy ever
created. Looking at it now, a half century later, it’s still a good movie and
you can appreciate the effort it must have taken for Kramer to reign in the
enormous amount of comedic talent in his cast, both the lead characters and the
numerous cameo appearances. But time hasn’t been kind to all the routines in
the movie, and some of them are more enjoyable for the nostalgic feeling they
give you from seeing the film as a kid than one may get from seeing them the
first time. Watching Jonathan Winters destroy a gas station is still hilarious,
but seeing Milton Berle be screamed at by Ethel Merman is more annoying than
amusing. The special 197-minute extended version of the film included in the
package takes things way too far, especially the way the flow of the film is
interrupted where footage is missing.
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