Film Review
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.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Mel Brooks film:
Silent Movie (1976)
Film Synopsis
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...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.