Mel Brooks Box Set Collection [$99.98]

Decades before he invaded the Great White Way with his musical version of the comedic masterpiece, The Producers, Mel Brooks was known for pushing the boundaries of taste and tact in service of his scandalous, scatological comedies. While the aforementioned classic is missing from this set and a pair of less than successful films—Robin Hood: Men in Tights and The Twelve Chairs—are included, this is still a comprehensive look at the crazed comic genius who first flummoxed a less than prepared, slightly prudish populace. Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, specifically, stand as benchmarks of expertly realized (and socially relevant) spoofs, while Silent Movie and History of the World, Part 1 proved that Brooks’ Borscht Belt bedlam could work in almost any cinematic genre.