Young Frankenstein –
Horror-Comedy isn’t a new idea and it was used by comedy legend Mel Brooks in one of his funniest films, ‘Young Frankenstein’. Starring and penned by Gene Wilder (the original Willy Wonka), it follows the physical and emotional journey of Frederick Frankenstein (‘frawn-ken-steen’ as he puts it) as he comes to terms with the work of his grandfather the late Victor Frankenstein of Mary Shelly’s book.
Riotous laughter ensues as we meet Igor, Frederick’s sarcastic manservant, who is involved in some of the best gags of the film; “Walk this way,” as he produces a short stick and limps awkwardly, before passing it to Frederick and insisting he ‘walk this way’. We also meet Inga, Frederick’s attractive assistant, and Frau Blücher, whose name is feared by horses far and wide, to the amusement of Igor. It soon comes to pass that Frederick finds his grandfather’s work (in a book titled ‘How I Did It’) and proceeds to grab a recently deceased person from the graveyard, avoids the local police by pretending one arm of the corpse is his own, and reanimates it in his new castle in Transylvania…
David R yr12
(This review continues in the comments section)
Score: 9.1/10
Thursday 15 March 2007
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2 comments:
Of course, Igor was meant to supply a top-notch brain, but lost the specific one needed and instead replaced it with ‘Abby Normal’ (Abnormal, if you didn’t get it). As a result, the creature that comes forth is a monstrosity that threatens the lives of everyone in the town, but it is kept a secret by Frederick for fear of reprisal. Still he manages to avoid the close analysis of the one-armed Inspector Kemp, who is rivalled in comic terms only by Igor. (True film buffs may be able to spot a cameo appearance by Gene Hackman about halfway through the film, who sets up another very funny scene) Also, the late Peter Boyle manages to get the audience behind the creature and root for him, while still allowing himself to be comically mocked, as is witnessed in his dance number. The humour is not morbid, but neither is the horror comical; they both stick to their own ends to great effect, and the end result is funny film but with truthful morals that never enter the realm of cheesiness. Definitely a classic film, of all time, not just in terms of comedy, and high on my list of favourite films.
Great work.
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