Blazing Saddles has been restored for this anniversary and compared to the previous edition of the film on DVD, this new release is a small miracle. Though a few sequences have some minor film grain and small scratches are still noticeable, this new 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is the best this film could possibly look. The colors have been brought out to almost obscene levels and digging deep for compression problems will prove useless. Even the nighttime sequences hold together with solid black levels and barely any grain. (****)
The new 5.1 surround mix was certainly something fans of the film were looking forward to when this disc was announced. Sadly, the campfire sequence that had so much potential never utilizes the format as it should. Neither does the rest of the film. There is some minor usage of the positional audio in the front speakers, but only the soundtrack makes its way into the rears occasionally. Regardless of the action sequences, the new mix brings with it crystal clear dialogue and your bound to hear something new that you have never heard before no matter how many times you have seen it. (***)
To celebrate the occasion, Warner has supplied us with a fine special edition with some nice extras. Mel Brooks gives us a commentary track, but this is the same one that was included on the original release. He'll spout off some facts that even die-hard followers may not know, but it only lasts for about a hour. Next are some deleted and alternate scenes which feature some of the edited TV sequences which are used to pad the running time since so much of the film is cut when shown on network TV. In total, the scenes run for about ten minutes.
Next up is a decent documentary entitled "Back in the Saddle," which interviews some of the surviving cast members. The focus is mostly on Brooks and the writers, but Gene Wilder and Harvey Korman get some time as well. The documentary is padded with nearly all of the deleted scenes mentioned above and some of the comments are redundant after you listen to the commentary, but it's great to see some of the stars of this classic today. Madeline Kahn gets a short segment from the show "Intimate Portrait" that runs four minutes and it talks a bit about her classic performance.
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