Young Frankenstein (1974) Review

My Rating: 9/10

Directed by Mel Brooks

Written by: Mel Brooks & Gene Wilder

Starring: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn and Cloris Leachman

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 105 Minutes

Comedy genius at it’s finest! Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein is a genius written story full of hilarious acting, great cast and enough gags to keep your sides sore. Even looking at the poster it makes you giggle a little. Shot in Black & White gives it the authentic feel of a 1930’s horror film and this is sort of a comedic homage to them. The film is written and directed by Brooks and shows why he is one of the funniest directors around. Gene Wilder also wrote the script. Young Frankenstein is comedy that has been found and enjoyed for years, and should be for years to come. Watching this will not disappoint you with the grand performances from Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman and several others, and the hilarious comedy throughout.

Plot:

Fredrick Frankenstein (pronounce Fronkenstein), is the grandson of Dr Frankenstein and decides to continue his experiment of bringing the dead to life. So our character played by Gene Wilder packs his things to move to a hauntingly authentic castle to work in alongside the assistant he found called “Inga” played by Teri Garr. They arrive at the castle and meet Igor (Marty Feldman) and the castle’s housekeeper Frou Blucher (Cloris Leachman). From their onwards Frankenstein proceeds to carry out his experiment which becomes reality and trouble stirs. From this point the film is full of laughs and frantic happenings.

I-Gor (Marty Feldman)

An amazing cast:

Gene Wilder is one of the funniest actors around and one of the best. He played the part in this film excellently, giving Frankenstein an eccentric and wild touch. Marty Feldman ad a short career and a shot life, but this was one of his best film roles. As the kooky hunched over Igor he creates an entertaining flare to him. It’s not even the case of his appearance, but it’s how he acts. I also can’t forget about all the supporting actors who are hilarious. We have Inspector Kemp, the guy who has very stuff limbs, the blind man that Frankenstein encounters (Just like in The Bride of Frankenstein), and Frankenstein himself. The cast is fantastic in this film and there is a great chemistry with them all. The blind man is also played by the legendary Gene Hackman which is also interesting to note.

The Blind Man (Gene Hackman)

The Excellent Homage to the genre:

As much as it is spoofing the classic horror ere of the early years, it is an excellent tribute to them. First off it is in black & white and gives it that feel. The sets, lighting, costumes and all that stage stuff also looks remarkably great. There is also a staircase that is identical to one in the 1931 film Frankenstein.

The best picture I could find of the staircase.

Hilarious Quotes:


Dr Frankenstein when he is asleep: "All right, you win. You win. I give. I'll say it. I'll say it. I'll say it. DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME! DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME!"
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Frau Blucher:  "I am Frau Blücher." [horses whinny]
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Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Igor, help me with the bags. 
Igor: [Imitating Groucho Marx] Soitenly. You take the blonde, I'll take the one in the turban.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: I was talking about the luggage. 

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Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: You know, I'm a rather brilliant surgeon. Perhaps I can help you with that hump.
Igor: What hump? 

There are tons more but these are a few of the hilarious ones.

Dr Frankenstein and his assistant Inga with the monster.

Overall:

The Perfect humour, perfect screenplay and great direction are amazing, making Young Frankenstein one of the best comedy films ever made. One of Brooks’ finest workings that has an excellent blend of humour and a great script. It’s been over 35 years from this film was first released and even now it’s being considered one of the greatest comedy films. It deserves that title because it really is a great film. It isn’t the average comedy you get now where the jokes are constantly about pop-culture, or are just plain dry. So overall, if you haven’t seen Young Frankenstein yet then you are missing out on a lot of laughs.

Ratings:

Story: 94%- Excellent script and story.

Characters: 92%- Hilarious performances.

Emotion: 87%- Most comedies aren’t emotionally dramatic, but it made me laugh.

Visual: 85%- Homage to classic horror.

Music: 85%- Very classic.

Overall: 92%