Gene Wilder and Richard Prior were for a time in the early 80’s comedy gold, with a number of successful films doing very well at the box office.
The first onscreen meeting of Pryor and Wilder almost came with Mel Brooks’ 1974 western spoof Blazing Saddles. Pryor, who had co-written the film, was slated to co-star as Bart, the black sheriff, but, according to Brooks, his history of a lot of substance abuse made him uninsurable so the part went to Cleavon Little.
They then had a meeting on screen in Billy Wilder’s Silver Streak in 1976 and hit it off immediately.
In 1980 acclaimed black actor Sidney Poitier decided to direct Stir Crazy which begins with friends played by Wilder and Pryor going on a road trip from New York to sunny California and while on route get a job promoting a bank dressed in Woodpecker costumes.
Two robbers steal the uniforms while they are on a break and steal a huge load of cash. Of course, the two are then wrongfully arrested on a bank robbery charge and sentenced to 125 years in prison.
Can they survive in prison or when a chance of escaping arrives will they, along with fellow friends they make inside, manage to get out and find freedom?
One thing is for sure, Wilder and Pryor do have great chemistry on screen and play off each other beautifully. From the scene where Pryor instructs Wilder how to “be bad” while being first put inside, to going into full panic mode when sentenced, you can see why they were so successful in the movies they made together.
Some of the humour has dated somewhat and a lot of the cliches of prison life are all here to be seen but it is still a lot of fun to watch.
The film has a lot of heart, with Gene Wilder’s character believing that everything can be solved just by talking to people, but coming unstuck almost every time. Despite the occasional F-bomb, it is a good-natured comedy. It was a big hit and the #3 domestic box office hit of 1980, behind only The Empire Strikes Back and 9 to 5. This is the best film out of the 3 in this set.
Sadly Pryor set himself on fire not long after filming finished, either by accident whilst freebasing cocaine, or deliberately during a bout of drug-induced psychosis.
It also stopped what would have been the third Pryor-Wilder pair-up, with the screenplay for Trading Places was originally intended for them. Instead, the leads in John Landis’ 1983 film went to Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy.
This new release box set called Pryor & Wilder 1980-1991 from Indicator is from new remasters and comes in a set which also includes See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You.
The picture quality is fabulous with great detail and the colour shines. The sound is fine with clear dialogue and music score.
The box set has the following special features –
High Definition remasters of Stir Crazy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You
Original mono audio on Stir Crazy
Original stereo audio on See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Another You
Audio commentaries on Stir Crazy and See No Evil, Hear No Evil with entertainment journalists Max Evry and Bryan Reesman (2024)
Audio commentary on Another You with film historian Kim Newman and Empire magazine editor Nick de Semlyen (2024)
Interview with Tom Scott (2024): the composer and actor talks about his work on the Stir Crazy score
Interview with Stewart Copeland (2024): the composer and Police drummer recalls his work on the See No Evil, Hear No Evil score
Michael Boyce Gillespie on Sidney Poitier (2024): the cinema studies professor discusses Poitier’s directorial career and his relationship with Richard Pryor
The Making of ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’: archival promotional documentary
Original theatrical trailers
Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited edition exclusive 100-page book with new essay by Jeff Billington, extracts from archival interviews with Pryor and Wilder, archival production reports on Stir Crazy, extracts from the films’ press books, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits
Limited edition of 6,000 individually numbered units for the UK
A super set for fans of the duo with fantastic remastered pictures and good extras
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE BOX SET
