Young Frankenstein (1974)

It's not only a spoof of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but it's a spoof of all Gothic Novels and the movies that have been inspired by them. Also it's a slap-stick comedy, and it works on all these levels! It pokes fun at every ridiculous Gothic cliché with a very inventive and various ways that still hold up to date. But it's the editing that stands out above the rest ways. Yes the editing! I can't remember if I've seen before a film editing that works this effectively in the comedy genre. It's so subtle and creative. Gene Wilder did it again with his charismatic and charming performance that must play a vital role in making the audience riveted whatever the movie he is in.Unfortunately, there are some jokes that didn't land. Mostly because they were repetitive. Although they worked at the first time, they lost their sharpness and effectiveness very quickly, maybe even at the second time they were repeated. The rest of the jokes that didn't hit the mark, which is quite few, were just because I didn't find them funny.I think Young Frankenstein is a very funny and unique comedy, and if I may choose between the two Mel Brooks films that have been released that year, Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, I would choose Young Frankenstein.(8/10)

It is clear that everyone had great fun making this film and that it has to be Marty Feldman's finest performance. Gene Wilder, of course, works very hard and has some marvellous moments, particularly in close-up. Some of the broader humour seems less funny to me now than it did originally but there is no denying the splendour of Peter Boyle as 'the creature' or the zoning performance from Madeline kahn, who really seems to make her role out of almost nothing. Biggest problem for me this time around was lack of continuity to the point that some parts of the film appeared little more than a series of sketches. For some reason i was particularly bothered by Wilder's sudden transition from wanting nothing to do with his grandfather to being all enthusiastic. The extras on the Blu-ray disc reveal all. The film was clearly cut down, presumably because considered over long and almost arbitrarily scenes were chopped. I assume it was decided to keep 'the funny bits' in and leave out the exposition, like the crucial reading of the will and its conditions. Personally I would have reduced the police inspector role, which can become somewhat tiresome. Still, I am being ungenerous and even if the film could have been better, it is still good and there is surely something in here for all to enjoy.

My first exposure to Young Frankenstein came from my dad and while I did laugh a few times, I didn't see it as anything special. Well, I recently re-watched it and I now consider it to be one of the best comedies ever made, from it's hilarious writing and homages to the horror genre to it's brilliant characters, Young Frankenstein is a absolute laugh riot.The movie starts with Dr. Frederick Frankenstein teaching at a medical faculty where he becomes enraged when a student brings up his grandfather to which Fredrick responds that his grandfather's work was garbage, but when an lawyer tells him that he has received his grandfather's country estate so Fredrick then journeys to Transylvania where he meets Igor and a youthful assistant named Inga. After arriving at the castle, the three stumble upon Victor's hidden laboratory and read his personal journals, and soon Fredrick chooses to continue his grandfather's research so he and Igor go to a cemetery and dig up a corpse and bring it back to the lab where they bring it back to life, but the monster is set free. Now, Fredrick, Inga and Igor must catch him before he can harm anyone else.Given the movie's content, Young Frankenstein has the honor of being one of the very few comedies that is just as hilarious for those people who have never any of the old-school monster movies that are being made fun of here and yet there's still lots of awareness for those who have seen the old horror movies and while it may seem off-putting to film a comical satire of one of the most iconic movie monsters in cinema history, but the movie unexpectedly comes across as the proper way to do an effective spoof as opposed to some recent spoof movies, but what's even more interesting is that the film gives us some extraordinary insight into the Frankenstein mythos or at least more than what I, Frankenstein ever could do. While the movie is a comedic remake of the 1932 classic, the story is pretty much identical, but there are quite a lot of differences like having the lead be the grandson of the mad genius, Igor is kind and the creepy caretaker is the one who pulls the strings and manipulates the lead character, but the film still maintains the heart and spirit of the original.When it comes to Mel Brooks as a director, he's always on top form no matter what genre he's making fun of but when he and Genre Wilder do a movie together does it become especially memorable as seen with 1967's The Producers or Blazing Saddles, while the straightforwardness Mel applies to the story coupled with Gene's comedic talents make Young Frankenstein stand above other comedies not to mention they co-wrote the script together and their conflicting attitudes when it comes to comedy allow them to take the best of both of their talents and are able to maintain a harmony between horror and comedy that perfectly works here. Mel does bash the viewer over the head and gets right in the thick of it then it comes to a joke or a quip, but then Wilder comes in, grasps it by the rear end and punches the stop button long enough for the joke to sink in and when you put these two masters together, they're like the ying and yang of the comedy universe. The script is one of the most ingenious for a major comedy movie and has all the necessary features that strongly conjure the basis of the old monster movies which have become a en-grained part of cinema today. What Brooks gives us is a Frankenstein movie with modern emotions while also giving the audience a cast of characters that take the story to a whole new level of funny and each actor fits into their roles with ease.First off, Marty Feldman is a wonderful Igor and his character introduction is one of the greatest in any comedy with an abrupt and memorable zoom of his smile and swelled eyes. To understand the comical abilities of Feldman calls for a ravenous craving and a connoisseur's delight. Marty's witty talents will catch the viewer completely off guard when he appears out of the blue or when he improvises a line of dialog or one just needs to pay close attention to Feldman's reaction once a joke has said and appreciate that Igor is a gag line within a gag line. The joke about his hump is one is classic Mel Brooks comedy. The other column holding the film's cast up is Peter Boyle as the Creature as it seems to fit the gentle giant rather than calling him a monster. Boyle delightfully personifies the condition of this misunderstood being which evokes the true spirit of Mary Shelley's original book, but he also does have some incredibly funny moments such as a scene with a blind priest which is still one of my favorite scenes in any comedy. Terri Garr is a delight to watch as Inga, Cloris Leachman steals the show as the sinister Frau Blucher, Kenneth Mars creates an enduring character by using a mutter and a wooden arm to comical effect and Madeline Kahn is wonderful as Frederick's fiancée Elizabeth, even Gene Hackman pops up for a cameo, but as wonderful as they all are, none come close to Genre Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein. He applies a elongated pause which is commonly followed by a minor eye moving that make even the most dull dialog funny. Gene's understated approach and dignified demeanor are a perfect fit for the movie, and when paired with Brooks' directing, allowing the comedy to come easily and openly and it always delivers on giving the audience the right chuckles at the right time.I could go on and on about how great Young Frankenstein is, but I would rather recommend that you see it for yourselves.

'Young Frankenstein' - a film sadly brought back into the public's mind this year due to the sad death of Gene Wilder.It feels wrong to review this film. It belongs to another era, it's comedy was so different to ours now. In some ways that's a good thing, it's certainly more sharper than what we produce today, but there are moments that are dated and unfunny.It's a cult classic though, and you can see why. There are some iconic moments in amongst the run time, and that's why people watch it again and again.As a casual viewer though I couldn't quite buy into the madness in the same way I could with Wilder and Brooks' other project 'The Producers'.