Review: Young Frankenstein (1974)

This is a Resurfaced review written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Young Frankenstein

Rating

Director

Mel Brooks

Screenplay

Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks (Novel: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Length

1h 46m

Starring

Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, Liam Dunn

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

A comic twist on the traditional Frankenstein story.

Review

When you want a spoof, all you have to do is turn to the master, Mel Brooks. During the 1970s and 1980s, his spoofs charmed audiences of every age. From the irreverent “The Producers” to the goofy “Spaceballs.” Mel Brooks probably hit the pinnacle of success with two films in the mid-70s. “Blazing Saddles” took the western genre and turned it on its ear while “Young Frankenstein” tackled horror.

Gene Wilder is Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a descendent of the late Baron von Frankenstein who carried out an experiment to revive the dead without success. Frankenstein is now a professor of neurology and must continuously contend with those who can’t keep from comparing him and his grandfather. He even goes so far as to change the pronunciation of his own name.

When his grandfather dies, he inherits Frankenstein’s castle and leaves for Transylvania to take control of it. He says goodbye to his fiancee, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) and heads off. Upon arrival, he is greeted at the station by Frederick’s grandfather’s assistant’s grandson, Igor (Marty Feldman), and a woman who will also be his lab assistant, Inga (Teri Garr).

They travel up a long, winding road to the castle and meet the old caretaker, Frau Bleucher (Cloris Leachman). Anytime her name is uttered, the horses rear back and neigh loudly.

Late one night, Inga comes to Frederick’s room hoping to catch his attention. She is about to leave when they hear violin music that appears to be coming from behind the bookcase. Frederick searches the books for potential secret levers and pulls out one book he swears is it and nothing happens. Frustrated, he asks Inga to bring a torch closer so he can see better. She grabs one from next to the shelves and they swing around trapping him behind them.

After wrestling with the wall-mounted torch and the bookcase for a few minutes, they creep down a set of stone stairs into the deep recesses of the dungeon. First they come across a room with various specimens, one of which happens to be Igor. All three then set off into another room where they come across grandfather’s equipment. They continue following the sound and find all of his old notes. Frederick glances at them, realizes that there’s not much work left to be done and sets to work.

They dig up a freshly buried body from the graveyard and Igor is sent to retrieve an intelligent brain from the brain depository. When he accidentally breaks its after being frightened by his own reflection, he selects a brain with a label that reads “Abnormal, do not use.” He thinks it says Abby Normal and thinks nothing of it.

Nor does anyone else until the creature is created. It does come to life while they are watching, but does so during their dinner. Frankenstein’s monster (Peter Boyle) is, of course, afraid of fire, but easily seduced by violin music.

Garr and Leachman are over the top while Kahn only slightly overacts. Boyle is terrific and Feldman is wonderful, but the true star (and as it should be) is Wilder. Time and time again, he has proved that he is the consummate comedian. He plays things straight so well that it’s become his trademark. He plays Frederick Frankenstein with great ease and skill giving one of the best performances in a comedy picture in history.

There are great production values all over the place. Every detail down to the actual sets used in the original “Frankenstein” film is there. The gothic settings, costumes and accents all add needed dimension to the film. Brooks does one of his best jobs if not for a few lagging moments in the interior of the film that are easily overcome.

“Young Frankenstein” is one of history’s best spoofs and it’s all thanks to the great collaborative effort of a legendary set of comedians from a time period that almost seems lost in today’s shoot-em-up, gross-em-out decade.