It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Review #1413: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Cast: 
Spencer Tracy (Captain T.G. Culpeper), Edie Adams (Monica Crump), Milton Berle (J. Russell Finch), Sid Caesar (Melville Crump), Buddy Hackett ("Benjy" Benjamin), Ethel Merman (Mrs. Marcus), Dorothy Provine (Emmeline Marcus-Finch), Mickey Rooney (Ding Bell), Dick Shawn (Sylvester Marcus), Phil Silvers (Otto Meyer), Terry-Thomas (Lt. Col. J. Algernon Hawthorne), Jonathan Winters (Lennie Pike), Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (a cab driver), Jim Backus (airplane owner Tyler Fitzgerald), William Demarest (Aloysius, Chief of the Santa Rosita Police Department), Jimmy Durante ("Smiler" Grogan), Peter Falk (a cab driver), and Paul Ford (Col. Wilberforce) Produced and Directed by Stanley Kramer (#139 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, #228 - Inherit the Wind, and #1402 - On the Beach)

Review: 
"Why do actors think they're so goddamn important? They're not. Acting is not an important job in the scheme of things. Plumbing is."

I have seen a few films that have had big ambitions before, but this one certainly takes the cake any day. There aren't as many films as bold to utilize such a cavalcade of comedians and actors as this one, and it only seems fitting that such bold action would be taken by a director with a keen eye for tough subjects. This was the seventh of fifteen films directed by Stanley Kramer, who wanted to make "the comedy to end all comedies", which stands in contrast to the films done before and after this one. It was part of a string of noted hits for Kramer that took place in the 1950s and 1960s, although his popularity would later wane as a reflection of the times, and he would muse about the changing times for filmmaking, describing technique as cover for a "multitude of sins". It was written by William and Tania Rose, with the former being known for scripts such as The Ladykillers (1955) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). This was filmed in widescreen through Ultra-Panavision 70, a widescreen process that could be filmed with one camera (as opposed to Cinerama and its three) that could be projected on a Cinerama screen. For such a large film, it is amazing to note the fact that it doesn't even exist in the way it was originally screened. The original cut was 210 minutes, but it eventually was cut to 192 for the premiere. It then was cut to 161 for theatrical release, reportedly to fit in more screenings. However, restorations were done in recent years to try and get close to the intended vision by Kramer, with a 1991 cut running 183 minutes that had footage found in a warehouse set to be destroyed. A restoration was done with the approval of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that was released by Criterion Collection in 2014 that tried to reconstruct and restore the footage (which is derived from 70mm) that runs at 197 minutes, which also includes an overture and intermission (if one is into that sort of thing). It's interesting to see how the footage looks in contrast to the normal footage, whether as little bits by parts already in the film or as audio-only parts or parts that have Asian subtitles superimposed onto the print. 

In a normal film, one could make a comedy jell with one duo and a group of supporting characters, but this is one with multiple pairings and supporting characters, complete with their own versatile backgrounds. One could start with the comedienne/TV star/clothing designer Adams, or perhaps talk about the long-time comedian in show business of clubs, film, radio and television for eight decades in Berle, or TV pioneer stars in Caesar and Silvers. In a film of excess, why stop at those mentions? One can't forget about comedian character actors like Winters, Thomas, and Shawn or an esteemed singer of musical comedy stage in Merman to go along established actors of the Hollywood Golden Age like Rooney and Tracy (who at this point in his life and career could only film for four hours a day due to failing health, with this being his penultimate film before his death in 1967). One has to stop at that point, since you can't go on and on to note the importance of cameo appearances that range from Jack Benny to Buster Keaton to the Three Stooges to Don Knotts. Really one could summarizes the performances by separating them into tiers, with Winters and Thomas making up the first one, the second goes to Berle, Caesar, and Silvers, the third goes to Hackett, Rooney, and Merman, and the fourth being Shawn, Adams, and Provine. This certainly seems to be a film where people enjoyed themselves, where one doesn't have to wonder if the best moments are by the smallest parts or wonder if someone is chewing the scenery too much (they all do). There are gags that pile on other gags that can and will be drawn out to the longest point imaginable. Tracy doesn't even encounter the others until about two hours in (one does not exactly think about things like time and pacing with something like this, really). He does a fine job in serving for some small gags and plot details with care expected of his natural versatility. Perhaps the only fitting way to note the gags and which ones work best is to do a list, so here are five highlighted ones:

1. The Three Stooges (comprised of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Joe DeRita), dressed up as firemen with axes that don't say one word but drive a laugh regardless from the fact that they are there.
2. A masterful destruction of a gas station by Winters, with Marvin Kaplan and Arnold Stang being present as people to be pushed around all of the equipment that ends with one great big collapse.
3. The ladder sequence for the climax, which had help in animation from famed effects man Willis H. O'Brien (who died before the release of the film), a captivating end to a madcap buildup.
4. Airplane antics with Hackett and Rooney, whether that involves crashing into a sign or buzzing by windows.
5. Jimmy Durante, in his last film role, setting the stage of events with a face considered by Kramer to be fitting in being funny and tragic at the same time - which proves correct in the long run.

Perhaps this film's closest relative is Around the World in 80 Days (1956), which stuffed itself to the gills with cameo appearances when the word wasn't even a cliché yet that also had roadshow release. This is a maniacal effort for its era in a time that razzles, dazzles and bedazzles from scene to scene to make a tremendously long and winding road film befitting anyone who enjoys a good time with a laugh, right down to the last banana peel. There aren't many films like this one, that much is for sure. It wasn't the be all end all comedy to outdo them all (nor the one to end the idea of doing a big search for money with a big cast), but it certainly stands today as a comedy big enough for all people to enjoy in some fashion.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.