Young Frankenstein (1974) - film review

Dr Frederick Frankenstein is a medical school lecturer who just happens to be the grandson of the mad scientist Baron von Frankenstein, whose monster-making exploits have been widely reported in books, films and comic books by irresponsible sensationalists.  Frederick is so keen to disassociate himself from his grandfather that he pronounces his surname Fronk-un-steen and never throws up an occasion to paint his infamous forebear as a charlatan.  But when Frederick learns that he has inherited his grandfather’s estate he wastes no time and boards the next available train to Transylvania.  On his arrival at Castle Frankenstein he meets his faithful servant Igor, weird housekeeper Frau Blücher and indecently attractive lab assistant Inga.  When he comes across his grandfather’s old journals one evening, Frederick cannot resist resuming his experiments.  He readily acquires a corpse and sends Igor offer to the brain depository to get him the brain of a great man.  Unfortunately, Igor drops the brain he was meant to purloin and instead takes the one next to it, one in a jar marked Do Not Use This Brain. Abnormal.  Even though Frederick follows his grandfather’s write-up of his experiments to the letter, his attempts to reanimate the corpse prove unsuccessful.  Or so he thinks...

The greatest horror spoof of them all.  In the wake of his hugely successful parody western Blazing Saddles (1974), the multi-talented Mel Brooks offered this affectionate homage to the classic Frankenstein films made by Universal Pictures in the 1930s and ’40s.  Aficionados of the Gothic horror genre will have fun spotting the countless references to these much-loved films but Young Frankenstein has much broader appeal than the usual fan fest. 

This is a slick, intelligently made production, stylishly shot in high contrast black-and-white (highly unusual for a Hollywood film made in the mid-1970s).  It reproduces in exquisite detail the sets of the original Frankenstein films and is so unremittingly funny that anyone who watches it runs the risk of laughing him or herself into an early grave (not quite the outcome that Mary Shelley had intended).

Rumour has it that the cast and crew had such a good time making this film that they prolonged the shoot as long as possible, improvising gags as they went.  Gene Wilder clearly relishes playing the mad scientist, and who can blame him with the lovely Teri Garr to pass him his test tubes and the popeyed Marty Feldman to lend him comic support (with a hump that inexplicably shifts from left to right and back again in the course of the film).

Peter Boyle is a worthy successor to Boris Karloff, playing the monster in a way that manages to be terrifying, hilarious and sympathetic, all at the same time.  The ultimate twist is that the women find the creature oddly attractive (no doubt because of his enormous schwanzstucker).  Of course the high point is when Dr Frankenstein and his creation take to the stage and give their inimitable rendition of Puttin’ on the Ritz, possibly the funniest thing ever committed to celluloid (outside a Marx Brothers film).  This is just too good to miss.

© filmsdefrance.com 2009

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