Director: Alan Johnson Starring: Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Tim Matheson Story: A theatrical troupe in Nazi-occupied Poland create a plan to stop the Gestapo from dismantling the Polish Underground, and to smuggle a group of Jewish and Gay people out of the country where they can be safer Pros: - Passionately and hilariously attacks Hitler and the Nazis, with lots of compassion for the groups of people who were persecuted during WWII - A really beautiful love letter to theatre, with lots of inside jokes and references - It’s great to see Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, real life husband and wife, share the screen and showcase their incredible chemistry - A strong cast of supporting characters - The musical numbers are a lot of fun - A tighter script than the original film from the 1940s, fixing some of the pacing issues which appear in the original - Balances comedy and drama well Cons: - The Polish lieutenant is a but of a grating character (and it doesn’t feel like he’s meant to be) - While the film does handle what gay people went through during the war with real sympathy, and feels ahead of its time for addressing it in the way it does, the gay character does still feel like a stereotype - Not every joke lands