10 Greatest Directorial Film Debuts

10. Mel Brooks – The Producers (1967)

Comedy great Mel Brooks began a stellar career as one of the genre's greatest personalities with the groundbreaking and controversial black comedy, The Producers. Brooks' story revolves around a theatre producer's efforts to create the worst Broadway musical of all time.

The concept is simplistic and innocent on paper, but never afraid to push the boundaries, Brooks decided to make said musical a love letter to Adolf Hitler!

Written by a deranged former Nazi, "Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden" is a sincere romanticized depiction of Nazi Germany in a musical format.

As the first slapstick comedic depiction of the evil Nazi regime would inevitably be slammed by some critics as tasteless and vulgar. Overtime these mixed reviews were eventually squashed by the film's prolonged legacy, with the musical gaining cult status and later becoming a real show on Broadway!

Brooks would win his only Academy Award for the musical, winning Best Screenplay in what was a rare triumph for the comedy genre at the Oscars. The Producers was also the first of a series of collaborations with close friend Gene Wilder, with Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974) also gaining a cult following.