Young Frankenstein

<<

Screening Suggestions

>>

It has been quite some time since I've done one of these. Why not go with a true blue classic? If you were to ask me what my overall favorite all-time comedy was, I'd say... 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'... but if you looked on the other side of the coin, you'd probably find 'Young Frankenstein'.

In Mel Brooks' classic, Gene Wilder plays the grandson of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. However, he disassociates himself from his family name by going by Frederick "Fronk-en-steen". He has inherited his grandfather's castle in Transylvania. Upon arriving in Transylvania, he meets Igor (Marty Feldman, and it's actually pronounced "Eye-gore"), whose grandfather once worked for Frederick's.

Frederick eventually meets his lovely new assistant, Inga (Teri Garr) and the castle's caretaker, Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman) as he settles in. Eventually, he is drawn to his grandfather's private library, where he discovers his grandfather's plans to resurrect a human being, and the whole thing goes from there as a sort of parody of the original 'Frankenstein' as only Mel Brooks can do.

Adding to the cast are an array of names. Peter Boyle, who most would know by now as Frank from 'Everybody Loves Raymond' plays the Monster, and does a brilliant job of it all without ever having to speak. His facial expressions and body language just say it all. Gene Hackman plays a blind man, and along with Boyle provides arguably the funniest scene of the movie. The lovely Madeline Kahn as Frederick's tightly-wound fiancee is often quite funny, as she plays the kind of woman who won't let Frederick do anything. And finally there's Kenneth Mars as Inspector Kemp - a guy with a fake arm and a bit of a speech impediment who leads the eventual angry mob.

When put altogether, the writing and visual humour are both hilarious, making for a fine balance. It's incredibly quotable, and it seldom relies on crude humour. When it does, though, it does it cleverly. Being that it's farcical about one of the biggest titles in cinematic history, there is even something about it that's timeless.

So, if you've never seen 'Young Frankenstein' before and need a good, genuine laugh while keeping things relatively light, I can tell you that it has never failed to bring a smile to my face. Of all the Mel Brooks films out there, it's easily my personal favourite.

---