Various Artists, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Mel Brooks - The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)

As Mel Brooks's The Producers returns to the big screen where it began, this soundtrack completes a trilogy of sorts that also includes the original 1968 movie soundtrack and the 2001 original cast recording. Broadway director Susan Stroman is still at the helm, and budgets being larger in Hollywood than on the Great White Way, Douglas Besterman polishes his own orchestrations to a luscious sheen. The Broadway principals also make the trip, including leads Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom; both could probably play these parts in their sleep by now, but they still go at it with ferocious energy. Castwise, the two big changes are Uma Thurman as Swedish bombshell Ulla and Will Ferrell as Nazi writer Franz Liebkind. Thurman does well enough on "When You Got It, Flaunt It," but she flounders a bit on her contribution to "That Face," Brooks's excellent tribute to 1950s MGM musicals. Ferrell displays natural musical chops, as evidenced by his "Der Guten Tag Clog-Hop," which pops up again as the horrifyingly cheesy "The Hop-Clop Goes On." (All these years playing inept music teacher Marty Culp on Saturday Night Live must have helped.) Other changes from the show include the addition of a new song, "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" (performed by Lane and Broderick); the Bialystock track "The King of Broadway," which appears at the very beginning of the show, was cut from the film but pops up as a bonus track. In the end, no matter which version you prefer, The Producers endures as a comic supernova. --Elisabeth Vincentelli Amazon.com

Glad I bought this great CD

The music is addictive, all of it top notch. The whole cast is so incredibly talented! March 16, 2007

Producers Soundtrack

If you loved the movie version of the Producers, you will love the soundtrack. The music of Mel Brooks as sung by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Will Ferrell, Uma Thurman is outstanding. This is a wonderful soundtrack, I can listen to it over and over again! March 8, 2007

The Producers Movie Soundtrack

This was impossible to find the the UK (where I live) so I was delighted to find it at Amazon.com. It was a present for my teenage son. We had seen the movie and the theatre production in London and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it. It was the funniest show we have seen in years and I thought it would be great to have a permanent momento of our trip by buying the soundtrack.

It is hilarious, even if you haven't seen the movie or the musical BUY IT it is hilarious, non-stop comedy all the way through.

We give it 10/10. Enjoy January 11, 2007

New Addiction right here.

Okay, so I got The Producers on DVD for my birthday and I was like...amazed. Then, I went out and bought the soundtrack so that I could listen to "Haben Sei Gehurt Das Deutsche Band?" over and over again. This whole CD is fantastic. The lyrics are hilarious, and some of them are actually sincere, like "Til Him" and "That Face". Matthew Broderick's voice is as great as ever and Nathan Lane's energy emenates from this disc. Highlights for this CD are "We Can Do It", "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop", "Keep it Gay", "Along Came Bialy", "That Face", "Haben Sei Gehurt Das Deutsche Band?", all the "Hitler" songs, and...well...all of them, really. Just...buy it and listen to it...and be happy. The end. June 6, 2006

Funny Musical Soundtrack

If you thought movie musicals had died, you were probably mostly right. However, every once in a while someone tries another one. Some succeed, most fail. However, the quality of the music from these movies is often quite different from the movie itself. Such is the case with this soundtrack. Mel Brooks, the man who brought you the classics "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," and "High Anxiety," gives us the music from the movie "The Producers."

The music is classic Hollywood, with a style that dates back to the 50s and 60s. I was also fascinated that Hollywood actors could pull off these songs with such class and style. There are a few hiccups along the way, such as Uma Thurman's weak vocals on "That Face," but so much of this music is original and fresh with its classic inspiration.

Many of the songs deliberately provoke smiles. "Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band?" sung by Will Ferrell makes you smile, though much of it is in German. Ignore other comments about "Springtime for Hitler." The song is funny and John Barrowman, Uma Thurman and the ensemble pull off a song that owes much inspiration to movie musicals of the 30s. Yes, the war has been over for more than half a century, but if we can still poke fun at Custer, the Pilgrims and the Inquisition, why not poke more fun at Hitler? Admittedly, he is an easy target, but so was Custer. How about "Heil Myself," with the line "...there is no greater dictator in the land..."? This stuff is a riot. Note for Naziphobes: This music pokes fun at Nazis rather than elevating them, so watch this movie with tongue-in-cheek.

Musically there are some awesome moments. "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio" is musically inspired, even if the lyrics are cheesy.

There are a few moments where Nathan Lane pulls off a song that should have been impossible. "Betrayed" is a riot, and yet Lane manages to sing so dramatically that you believe that he is actually hurt, until he sings lyrics that make you crack up.

Perhaps the best thing about this album is its bombast. The production is explosive and hyper-dramatic, with sound alternately quiet and blasting, the instruments jumping into your face. I am always enthused about a producer who likes to make you jump into the music, particularly if the music is worth jumping into.

I rarely purchase or listen to soundtracks because they are too filled the kind of music that is interesting if you have had three or four drinks, but otherwise it is barely elevator music. This CD has music that may be short of great, but it is enjoyable and frequently funny. If you liked the movie, I suspect you'll love the CD. If you like musicals, most especially funny musicals, then I suspect you will love this CD.

Good luck!

This review is based on a copy of the CD provided to me for review.
March 10, 2006

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