Young Frankenstein

by Robbo

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Posted on 29 May 2021

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Rating -

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder, the latter also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Peter Boyle as the monster. The film co-stars Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman.

The film is a parody of the classic horror film genre, in particular the various film adaptations of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus produced by Universal Pictures in the 1930s. Much of the lab equipment used as props was created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film Frankenstein. To help evoke the atmosphere of the earlier films, Brooks shot the picture entirely in black and white, a rarity in the 1970s, and employed 1930s’ style opening credits and scene transitions such as iris outs, wipes, and fades to black. The film also features a period score by Brooks’ longtime composer John Morris.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Wilder) is a lecturing physician at an American medical school and engaged to Elizabeth, a socialite. He becomes exasperated when anyone brings up the subject of his grandfather Victor Frankenstein.

When a solicitor informs him that he has inherited his family’s estate in Transylvania after the death of his great-grandfather, Frederick travels to Europe to inspect the property.

At the Transylvania train station, he is met by a hunchbacked, bug-eyed servant named Igor, and a young assistant, Inga.

Upon arrival at the estate, Frederick meets Frau Blücher, the intimidating housekeeper. After discovering the secret entrance to his grandfather’s laboratory and reading his private journals, Frederick decides to resume his grandfather’s experiments in re-animating the dead.

He and Igor steal the corpse of a recently executed criminal, and Frederick sets to work experimenting on the large corpse. Igor is sent to steal the brain of a deceased revered historian, Hans Delbrück; he drops and ruins Delbrück’s brain. Taking a second brain labeled “Abnormal”, Igor returns with it, and Frederick transplants it into the corpse, thinking he has transplanted Delbrück’s brain.

I love the classic Universal horror films of the 1930’s and 40’s, and Frankenstein (1932) is one of my particular favourites, so a comedy based on these films was well received.

I feel that although Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder are parodying these films there is a love for them as well, particularly the attention to detail and the choice to film it in the style of the time.

This film is silly, unpredictable but extremely funny and in my opinion, Mel Brooks best film and definitely on my list of best comedies ever.

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