Young Frankenstein (1974) 20th Century Fox/Comedy-Horror RT: 105 minutes Rated PG (suggestive content, scary images, language) Director: Mel Brooks Screenplay: Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks Music: John Morris Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld Release date: December 15, 1974 (US) Cast: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Madeline Kahn, Gene Hackman, Richard Haydn, Liam Dunn, Danny Goldman, Oscar Beregi, Arthur Malet, Richard Roth. Box Office: $86.2M (US)
Rating: ***
When it comes to Mel Brooks comedies, the question that seems to come up the most is “Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein?” Me, I am and always will be Team Blazing Saddles. Brooks’ western send-up is brilliant on virtually every level. Its utter lunacy is inspired. It’s one of my all-time favorite comedies. I don’t feel the same about Young Frankenstein, a spoof of the horror genre; specifically, the old Universal Frankenstein movies of the 30s. Don’t get me wrong; I like it a lot, I just don’t love it like some people do.
What I do love about Young Frankenstein is the love with which it is made. Brooks clearly has a genuine affection for the genre. In fact, if you look at his entire oeuvre, you can see he has a love of old movies in general. But in Young Frankenstein, it’s clear from first frame to last that he’s paying homage to something that has meaning for him. Not only is it filmed entirely in black and white, the opening and closing credits are in the style of 30s movies. He even employs old-time scene transition techniques- e.g. wipes, irises and fades to black. The score by John Morris also evokes the era. It’s actually Brooks’ most beautiful film. It’s true artistry.
If the opening minutes of Young Frankenstein remind you of Citizen Kane, you’re not alone. After an extended, under-the-credits, exterior shot of Frankenstein’s castle, we go inside where an unseen person attempts to wrest a mysterious box from the hands of a rotting corpse that, of course, fights back. This is, after all, a Mel Brooks comedy. The scene then shifts to a medical school classroom in New York where the professor is doing a lecture on the brain and central nervous system. The professor is actually Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Wilder, Blazing Saddles), a direct descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He’s not proud of his lineage. He gets upset whenever somebody asks him about his grandfather’s experiments with reanimation, dismissing his work as insanity. He even goes so far as to tell people his name is pronounced “fronk-on-steen”.
ANYWAY, he’s approached after class by an old solicitor from Transylvania who informs him that he has inherited the entire Frankenstein estate including the castle. After a not-so-emotional goodbye with his socialite fiancee Elizabeth (Kahn, Blazing Saddles) at the train station, Frederick travels to the Transylvania station (yes, Track 29!) where he meets hunchbacked servant Igor (Feldman, Silent Movie), pronounced “eye-gor”, and comely lab assistant Inga (Garr, Oh, God!) who immediately asks him if he’d like to go for a “roll in ze hay”. It’s Mel Brooks, what do you think she means? When they arrive at the castle (with its big “knockers”), they’re greeted by housekeeper Frau Blucher (Leachman, Phyllis) whose very name causes horses to buck and whinny in fright.
Eventually, Frederick locates his grandfather’s secret laboratory and his private journals entitled How I Did It. He decides maybe his grandfather wasn’t so crazy after all and proceeds to resume his experiments, hopefully with more success. He and Igor steal the corpse of a hanged murderer, transplant the brain of somebody named “Abby Normal” and bring it to life. Of course, all hilarious hell breaks loose. The monster, played by Peter Boyle (Joe), is still afraid of fire. He does, however, do a nice rendition of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” with his master/maker.
I’ve watched Young Frankenstein a few times over the years and it’s never completely won me over. For all its wonderful stylish trappings, it’s not as consistently funny as the outrageous and gleefully anachronistic Blazing Saddles. Written by Wilder and Brooks, it’s quite funny, no doubt, but it didn’t make me laugh out loud like Blazing Saddles or as often. Most of time, I chuckled at the double entendres, stupid puns and takes on familiar scenes from its source material like the one with the little girl playing with flowers. It has an entirely different (and pretty funny) outcome. The scene with the blind man (Hackman, The French Connection) takes a turn for the riotous as well. There’s no shortage of humor in Young Frankenstein; I just think it runs out of steam near the end. At 105 minutes, it might be a tad too long.
But you know what? As I think about it, there are some great bits in Young Frankenstein. I don’t think I have to explain them in too much detail. Fans instantly recognize lines like “Where wolf? There wolf.”, “Pardon me, boy? Is this the Transylvania Station?”, “What hump?”, “Put… the candle…. back.” and “Frau Blucher.” Then, of course, there’s “’UTTIN’ ON THE ‘IIIITZ!!!!”
The cast does an amazing job. That is one area in which Brooks is always spot-on. He brings out the funny in every actor he works with, the sole exception being the dreadful Dracula: Dead and Loving It (his final film before retiring in ’95). Wilder is at his zany best as the increasingly crazy Dr. Fred Frankenstein. Feldman is a riot as Igor. Garr has some great moments as Inga. Leachman stands out as Frau Blucher (NEIGH!!!!). Kenneth Mars (What’s Up, Doc?) does fine work as the local police constable who leads the townspeople in a charge against the doctor and his monster. In one of their meetings, somebody mentions they’ve had five previous experiences with the Frankenstein family. What a clever way to reference the five Frankenstein flicks from Universal.
The more I think about it, the more I like Young Frankenstein. I can see why it’s regarded as a comedy classic. It lovingly goofs on a genre that’s become a cornerstone of our cinematic culture. It looks like an old horror film, but plays like a contemporary comedy with its bawdy humor that never actually feels dirty or obscene. It’s simply a silly comedy-horror film that knows and understands its target very well. Even with its shortcomings, it’s still better than most of today’s so-called comedies.
One last thing….. BLUCHER! (NEIGH!!!!)
TRIVIA TIDBIT: The lab equipment seen in Young Frankenstein is the same lab equipment used in the original Frankenstein (1931). It would later be used again in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters about Frankenstein director James Whale.
