Reading II semester

Read the text.

  In 1968 Mel Brooks directed his first film from a script that he had written himself. The film was The Producers and it has become famous as one of the funniest films ever made. There are two main actors in the film and they are both perfect in their parts. Zero Mostel played Max Bialystock, a poor Broadway play producer. For eight years, between 1951 and 1959, Mostel wasn’t able to work in films or on stage in the USA because of his political opinions, but he was a famous theatre actor and he had also appeared in a few films. He didn’t want to be in The Producers at first, but his wife persuaded him that it was a good part when she read the script. The other lead actor was Gene Wilder, who had become famous in 1967 in the Oscar-winning film Bonnie and Clyde. He had had only a small part in that film but had received good reviews. He had actually met Mel Brooks in 1963, when he appeared in a play with Brooks’ wife, Anne Bancroft.

  The Producers got mixed reviews. Some critics didn’t like it and said it wasn’t funny. Others thought it was brilliant and Brooks won an Oscar for the screenplay (story and script). The film made only a small amount of money, but it made Brooks famous, and he was the most successful comedy director of the 1970s with films such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie, all three starring Gene Wilder. Brooks continued making films during the 1980s and 1990s, but with less success. Then, in 2001, he rewrote The Producers and made it into a musical play. The play was performed 2,502 times on Broadway in New York and won twelve Tony Awards, the theatre’s Oscars. It also had three years in London’s West End.

In 2005 Brooks worked with Thomas Meehan to turn the musical play into a musical film. Again, the film had mixed reviews and a lot of critics felt that no film could be as funny as the original. Again, it wasn’t a great success and there was no Oscar this time. It earned about $38 million, but it actually cost $45 million to make.

Choose the correct answer to the questions.

3   Gene Wilder:

Read the text.

  In 1968 Mel Brooks directed his first film from a script that he had written himself. The film was The Producers and it has become famous as one of the funniest films ever made. There are two main actors in the film and they are both perfect in their parts. Zero Mostel played Max Bialystock, a poor Broadway play producer. For eight years, between 1951 and 1959, Mostel wasn’t able to work in films or on stage in the USA because of his political opinions, but he was a famous theatre actor and he had also appeared in a few films. He didn’t want to be in The Producers at first, but his wife persuaded him that it was a good part when she read the script. The other lead actor was Gene Wilder, who had become famous in 1967 in the Oscar-winning film Bonnie and Clyde. He had had only a small part in that film but had received good reviews. He had actually met Mel Brooks in 1963, when he appeared in a play with Brooks’ wife, Anne Bancroft.

  The Producers got mixed reviews. Some critics didn’t like it and said it wasn’t funny. Others thought it was brilliant and Brooks won an Oscar for the screenplay (story and script). The film made only a small amount of money, but it made Brooks famous, and he was the most successful comedy director of the 1970s with films such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie, all three starring Gene Wilder. Brooks continued making films during the 1980s and 1990s, but with less success. Then, in 2001, he rewrote The Producers and made it into a musical play. The play was performed 2,502 times on Broadway in New York and won twelve Tony Awards, the theatre’s Oscars. It also had three years in London’s West End.

In 2005 Brooks worked with Thomas Meehan to turn the musical play into a musical film. Again, the film had mixed reviews and a lot of critics felt that no film could be as funny as the original. Again, it wasn’t a great success and there was no Oscar this time. It earned about $38 million, but it actually cost $45 million to make.

Choose the correct answer to the questions.

4   The Producers:

Read the text.

  In 1968 Mel Brooks directed his first film from a script that he had written himself. The film was The Producers and it has become famous as one of the funniest films ever made. There are two main actors in the film and they are both perfect in their parts. Zero Mostel played Max Bialystock, a poor Broadway play producer. For eight years, between 1951 and 1959, Mostel wasn’t able to work in films or on stage in the USA because of his political opinions, but he was a famous theatre actor and he had also appeared in a few films. He didn’t want to be in The Producers at first, but his wife persuaded him that it was a good part when she read the script. The other lead actor was Gene Wilder, who had become famous in 1967 in the Oscar-winning film Bonnie and Clyde. He had had only a small part in that film but had received good reviews. He had actually met Mel Brooks in 1963, when he appeared in a play with Brooks’ wife, Anne Bancroft.

  The Producers got mixed reviews. Some critics didn’t like it and said it wasn’t funny. Others thought it was brilliant and Brooks won an Oscar for the screenplay (story and script). The film made only a small amount of money, but it made Brooks famous, and he was the most successful comedy director of the 1970s with films such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie, all three starring Gene Wilder. Brooks continued making films during the 1980s and 1990s, but with less success. Then, in 2001, he rewrote The Producers and made it into a musical play. The play was performed 2,502 times on Broadway in New York and won twelve Tony Awards, the theatre’s Oscars. It also had three years in London’s West End.

In 2005 Brooks worked with Thomas Meehan to turn the musical play into a musical film. Again, the film had mixed reviews and a lot of critics felt that no film could be as funny as the original. Again, it wasn’t a great success and there was no Oscar this time. It earned about $38 million, but it actually cost $45 million to make.

 Choose the correct answer to the questions.

5   Mel Brooks:

Read the text.

  In 1968 Mel Brooks directed his first film from a script that he had written himself. The film was The Producers and it has become famous as one of the funniest films ever made. There are two main actors in the film and they are both perfect in their parts. Zero Mostel played Max Bialystock, a poor Broadway play producer. For eight years, between 1951 and 1959, Mostel wasn’t able to work in films or on stage in the USA because of his political opinions, but he was a famous theatre actor and he had also appeared in a few films. He didn’t want to be in The Producers at first, but his wife persuaded him that it was a good part when she read the script. The other lead actor was Gene Wilder, who had become famous in 1967 in the Oscar-winning film Bonnie and Clyde. He had had only a small part in that film but had received good reviews. He had actually met Mel Brooks in 1963, when he appeared in a play with Brooks’ wife, Anne Bancroft.

  The Producers got mixed reviews. Some critics didn’t like it and said it wasn’t funny. Others thought it was brilliant and Brooks won an Oscar for the screenplay (story and script). The film made only a small amount of money, but it made Brooks famous, and he was the most successful comedy director of the 1970s with films such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie, all three starring Gene Wilder. Brooks continued making films during the 1980s and 1990s, but with less success. Then, in 2001, he rewrote The Producers and made it into a musical play. The play was performed 2,502 times on Broadway in New York and won twelve Tony Awards, the theatre’s Oscars. It also had three years in London’s West End.

In 2005 Brooks worked with Thomas Meehan to turn the musical play into a musical film. Again, the film had mixed reviews and a lot of critics felt that no film could be as funny as the original. Again, it wasn’t a great success and there was no Oscar this time. It earned about $38 million, but it actually cost $45 million to make.

 Choose the correct answer to the questions.

6   The second The Producers film: