Mel Brooks: 'Politically correct is absolutely wrong.'

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks sat down with Yahoo! Movies. Brooks considers Blazing Saddles to be his masterpiece and says that it is the funniest movie ever made, regardless of the fact that it is only number 6 on AFI's list. However, Brooks insists that Blazing Saddles would never be able to be made today.

He stated, "They can't make that movie today because everybody's so politically correct. You know, the NAACP would stop a great movie that would do such a great service to black people because of the N-word."

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Brooks explained, "You've got to really examine these things and see what's right and what's wrong. Politically correct is absolutely wrong. Because it inhibits the freedom of thought. I'm so lucky that they weren't so strong then and that the people that let things happen on the screen weren't so powerful then. I was very lucky."

1974's 'Blazing Saddles' was directed by Brooks who also co-wrote the film along with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger. Blazing Saddles stars Cleavon Little as an unlikely sheriff in the town of Rock Ridge, Harvey Korman as the villain, Madeline Kahn as a Marlene Dietrich-style chanteuse, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco Kid and Brooks himself as a dimwitted politico. Once the lunatic film gets started, logic is lost in a blizzard of gags, jokes, quips, puns and outrageous assaults upon good taste or any taste at all. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards®-- Supporting Actress for Kahn, Best Editing and Best Song.

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