“Blazing Saddles”- A. Van Jordan

This poem is a review given by Van Jordan of the central message of the Mel Brooks movie “Blazing Saddles”. The movie was made in the 1970’s and focuses on black Bart, the first black sheriff in the West. He is made sheriff so that a railroad company and corrupt governor can bulldoze the town he is sent to “protect.” Although the movie is a comedy its uncomfortable racial scenes are a statement on the race relations of the time.

Van Jordan himself is African-American so the irony inherent in Mel Brooks works carries even greater relevance. I choose the poem because of how much I loved the movie and the way that Van Jordan saw it was new to me. The poem speaks about different instances in which Bart makes fun of racism through the seemingly ridiculous idea of a black sheriff. Everyone in the movie calls him a nigger and is constantly belittling him but he ends up being their savoir.

I personally believe that there is a lot of truth in humor. At times it can seem silly but it has the ability to be profound. The utter absurdity described by Van Jordan in the movie makes the viewer think about how ridiculous the ignorance that existed and exists is. Sheriff Bart is a manifestation of racism in America. He defies what is expected of him and makes everyone seem very foolish along the way. Because what was slavery and racism if not the product of a sick and twisted culture alive for many centuries? Even today the killing and arrest of blacks is much higher that whites. Satire is very important because it’s the most detailed form of analysis. If Mel Brooks was still making movies I’m sure he would satirize the police killings of Martin, Brown and Garner.

Satire cuts through the fluff straight to the point and that scares some people. There are people out there who really hated “Blazing Saddles” when it first came out. Bart is to be seduced by a German temptress but he ends up grabbing her with his “endowments”. Van Jordan sees this as one of the movies funniest moments because it has the perfect degree of silliness and truth. Of course it is a stereotype that blacks are sexually gifted but his triumph over the temptress is one of a many in the movie. It is mainly Bart triumphing again and again over stereotypes and boundaries that are placed physically and psychologically in front of him.

Van Jordan loves “Blazing Saddles” because it makes fun of the right things. The Old West was a crazy time full of wild happenings. Why not throw in a Yiddish Indian and black sheriff? They both make fun of what is wrong with being racist. Van Jordan’s prose details Brooks using humor to show not only why ignorance is wrong but also what fools it can make of seemingly normal people. It is possible that Brooks did not intend to make the movie so deep. A lot of the gags are just funny because they are funny. But the instance Van Jordan mentions of the Count Basie Orchestra playing in the desert is too great to be just a gag. Van Jordan says that imagining the brass band playing is just as absurd as a world where minorities have no rights. Van Jordan loves that the minorities win in this movie. The forces of ignorance are either defeated or taught the true way of brotherhood. In the end Van Jordan is satisfied with a gut piercing laugh and a nice satire of ignorance.