Mel Brooks Collection Review

If you are looking for reviews of the individual discs in the Mel Brooks Collection, you can either click on the tag above, or scroll down to a see a complete list. DoBlu reviews each movie in a box set individually, giving the films their proper due in full reviews, not capsules.

This page is a small deconstruction of the box set as whole since it can’t be covered in the individual reviews. Each high-res images should give you an idea of what to expect if you are on the fence about picking this up (clicking on images brings up a larger version). Besides the decision to store the discs on cardboard paper, and there will be more on that in a moment, this is a fine looking presentation. Although thinner, is is the same size length and width wise as the recent Warner Bros. Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind collector’s sets. It will not fit on a standard Blu-ray shelf short of laying it flat.

There are no special features discs included. Previous stand-alone releases offer the same extras, video, and audio as their counterparts inside this set. Undoubtedly, Fox will eventually release single editions of all these movies. Until then, the rest remain exclusive.

When you first unwrap the box, you are greeted by the glossy box, thick enough to withstand a few bumps in case of disaster:

From there, you will find two booklets inside, both made out of sturdy hardcover material. One contains the nine Blu-ray discs included, the other is a 117-page retrospective on Brooks’ career, skimming over both versions of  The Producers since they are not included:

Inside the white booklet are those discs. Housed on thick yet still flimsy cardboard stock, they seem secure, at least for now. Over time, as that cardboard is stretched to pull them out (at the risk of scratching), who knows how easily they will stay in place. Considering how often Blazing Saddles is viewed around here, that may be found out sooner rather than later:

Opposite of the discs is a page delivering basic promotional information, generally what you find on the back of a stand-alone Blu-ray case. It is also sort of redundant given the other book inside the set, but looks nice on the glossy stock:

Here is another shot of how those discs sit, to give you a better idea of how cheap this comes across:

The other book offers information that is likely familiar to fans of the actor/director/writer, but fits right in as a bonus in this collection. The pictures are high quality, mostly stills from the films but a few behind-the-scenes shots slip in.

Each movie is given about equal coverage, although stills from High Anxiety seem to win out in the numbers race. It’s a shame Fox doesn’t own all of Brooks’ films so this could truly be definitive, but with shots like this from Blazing Saddles, it is all worth it:

Here are the promised links to reviews of each movie in this set:

High Anxiety

Silent Movie

Blazing Saddles

Young Frankenstein

To Be or Not to Be

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Spaceballs

Twelve Chairs

History of the World: Part I

Update: For a video review of the boxed contents, check out the video below: