A Black sheriff rides into Rock Ridge, and the silence is deafening. Boots thud on dry boards, a player piano chokes mid-tune, and the porch crowd stiffens. Sheriff Bart’s cool smile meets their open-mouthed fear, and the joke lands instantly: the hero of this Western is Black, and the town’s so-called decency is the real outlaw.
This is the chaotic masterwork of Mel Brooks, a film that used l...
