Young Frankenstein
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Movie Reviews of Young Frankenstein
Movie Review: Brooks best
Summary: 5 Stars
Although 'Blazing Saddles' is better remembered and 'The Producers' more critically acclaimed (Mel Brooks won an Oscar for the screenplay), Young Frankenstein is the best and the funniest film he has ever made. Its a wonderful comedic homage to the original James Whale films made back in the 1930's. So this is much more than just a parody. The original sets were recreated, in the same location, and the film is shot in black and white which brings back happy memories of Bride of Frankenstein (itself a black comedy).
Mel Brooks was very lucky to have Gene Wilder as leading actor for his best films. In the 1960's and 1970's Wilder was a comedy actor without peer. Effortlessly funny, and here right from his opening scene, at a teaching Hospital he's brilliant. The classic moment in this scene is his growing anger whilst holding a scalpel. Well you can guess what happens... Wilder does it with brilliant comic timing. Seeing the film again recently it struck me that Wilder would have made a great silent comedy star. Evidence of just how good Wilder was in this era, is that he even out performs the late Marty Feldman. The rest of the cast are nearly as good with Cloris Leachman and Peter Boyle both giving marvellous performances.
Gene Wilder also gets writing credits with Brooks as well and between them they produced a great script with a stream a great one-liners:
Frankenstein: Igor, would you give me a hand with the bags?
Igor: [doing a Groucho Marx] Certainly, you take the blonde and I'll take the one in the turban.
The DVD has some great extras, with the commentry by Mel Brooks being a particular highlight. Its both informative and funny. I haven't watched the documentary on the DVD yet. Overall this is a superb disc and a film that should be in everybodies collection.
Movie Review: Comedy School, lessons 5,6 and 7
Summary: 5 Stars
It's always a bit dangerous when a medium uses itself as its subject. So paintings about painting, plays about the theatre, rock and roll songs about how hard it is to be a star all tend to run along the edge of tedious and self-important. Movies about movies are the worst. If you want me to understand some other film before I see yours, buy me a ticket.
What keeps Young Frankenstein from being tedious is that some of the eternal pillars of comedy are present. There's lesson 5 -the running gag. Fred Frankenstein's horse snort whenever Frau Blücher's name is mentioned. Do it once, it's ominous, do it fourteen times and it's a running gag. Then there's lesson 6-Shtick. When carting the body of the about to be resurrected criminal through the town, have an arm pop out of the coffin just as the policeman comes by. Then have the hero pretend that it's his own as he does a long dialog with the cop.
Ah and Lesson 7: breasts. Ever since burlesque, there's the gorgeous, barely dressed creature as part of the comedy. In this case, it's Terry Garr who is both achingly beautiful and approachable. Ummm, maybe Lesson 7 is 'cast Terry Garr'.
If you are a lover of horror films who also has a sense of humor, this is probably one of the best movies ever made. The sets are borrowed from the original Frankenstein Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of)movies and the parody is uncanny because of it. But even if you don't love horror, this is a good flick because the lessons of comedy are followed. And because of Terry Garr.
Lynn Hoffman, author of the partly-comic bang BANG: A Novel and New Short Course in Wine,The
Movie Review: Quite possibly the best Mel Brooks film of all time
Summary: 5 Stars
Although it's always a matter of opinion, I will come out and say that I think Young Frankenstein is the best film in the Mel Brooks film library. With a perfect cast, crisp jokes, and spot-on directing, it's a complete package that mixes satire and fresh humor.
Filmed entirely in black and white to be as close to the classic Frankenstein film as possible, this movie is half satire and half sequel. It follows the story of Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of the famous Doctor Frankenstein who created a monster. At first resistant to his father's legacy, he eventually goes down that same road. Helping him out is Igor (pronounced "eye-gor;" his granddaddy worked for "Froederick's" granddaddy...of course, the rates have gone up) and his beautiful lab assistant Inga. The first half of the film is familiar territory, largely following along the lines of the original film. When the monster shwos up, though, things get really good.
While the rest of the cast is excellent, Peter Boyle's performance as the monster really shines. The film gains its own identity once he shows up, culminating in a terrific and classic bit where Dr. Frankenstein demonstrates the monster's ability to learn through a musical number. Explaining how these bizarre events turn out would be a disservice to the film, but rest assured that it is hilarious from start to finish.
Overall, Young Frankenstein is a terrific movie, whether you're a fan of satire or just straight comedy. The cast is terrific in their performances, the humor is side-splitting even today, and it stands as one of Mel Brooks's finest achievements.
Movie Review: Comedy at its very best!
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is definitely one of the greatest comedies of all time!
It is basically a parody of the Frankenstein movies of the 1930's and 40's as well as the monster movie genre in general. The jokes are extremely funny and the movie is full of so many classic scenes and lines that I couldn't mention all of them in this review.
It stars Gene Wilder as Fredrick Frankenstein, a lecturer at a medical school who is so ashamed of his grandfather's work as a mad scientist, chooses to pronounce his name "Fronkensteen" instead of Frankenstein. He journeys to his family castle in Transylvania because of an inheritance. On his way there, he meets his innocently hilarious new lab assistant Inga (Teri Garr) and the hunchback Igor (EYE-gor), played to perfection by Marty Feldman. Upon arriving at the castle, he also meets the sinister Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman). Later, he discovers his grandfather's laboratory and sets out to recreate the monster based on an instruction book that was left behind. Peter Boyle portrays the monster and is very funny.
The film also features Madeline Kahn in her traditional Mel Brooks appearance as Fredrick's girlfriend Elizabeth. Gene Hackman also has a small cameo role.
As for bonus features, the most interesting ones are a making-of featurette and audio commentary for the film by Mel Brooks himself.
Overall, this is a timeless comedy classic that I very highly recommend.
Movie Review: Once in a while you need to just enjoy it for what it is meant to be
Summary: 5 Stars
Without looking for flaws or problems I just choose to enjoy this movie for the masterpiece that it is. Gene Hackman has an amazing role as the blind hermit, making this film as good as any comedy I've ever seen in his segment. It was years later before I realized the guy playing the monster, Peter Boyle is the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond. He's hilarious here in this movie. Marty Feldman could do anything he wanted to in the comedy genre and be entertaining, and this movie bears that out perfectly where Marty plays the part of Igor. Frau Blucher played by Cloris Leachman seems to be a role tailor made for her, and the mention of her name in the movie makes the horses nervous. Teri Garr has some moments in the film to make young boys successfully get through puberty, and Madeline Kahn is excellent for her portrayal of an annoying conceited nincompoop woman engaged to Gene Wilder's character - Dr. Frankenstein. Mel Brooks was the howl of a werewolf and the voice of a cat accidentally hit by a dart, but otherwise doesn't appear in this film - which really surprised me since he has important roles out in front for most of his movies. I thought attention to detail was good for the sets, and was pleasantly surprised by the casting. Very enjoyable, and definitely worth buying this DVD. If you want a high definition version, buy it in Blu-ray. Very entertaining and funny film. I recommend it without a doubt.