Young Frankenstein is a terrific comedy that is not only very
funny, but it manages to pay reverent respect to the very subject that it sends
up: the classic Universal Horror films of the 1930s. Gene Wilder stars as
Frederick, the grandson of the legendary Victor Frankenstein, who teaches at a
medical school. Yet he is so ashamed of his family's history that he insists
everyone call him "Fronkensteen". But once he inherits the family castle in
Transylvania, Young Frankenstein soon relearns the lost art of reviving the
dead. Becoming engrossed in his grandfather's work, Frederick enlists the help
of his trusty assistants Igor (pronounced eye-gor) and the lovely Inga, and
begins to experiment in the old laboratory (which is a spectacular set that is
filled with the original props from the 1930s Frankenstein films).
The creature that results from Frederick's work is marvelously played by Peter
Boyle, who gets a lot of comedic mileage from just a few grunts and a well-timed
exasperated look. What should have been a smooth operation becomes a mess when
Igor takes the wrong brain from the brain depository. The brain that Frederick
winds up using in the creature is abnormal (or "Abby Normal", as Igor refers to
it, when asked by Frederick what was the name of the brain he picked up). And
so the easily excitable creature wreaks havoc on the Transylvanian village,
which leads to the usual horror movie mayhem with villagers armed with
pitchforks and torches, but all told through the skewered, hysterically funny
sensibility of co-writer Gene Wilder and co-writer/director Mel Brooks.
Young Frankenstein is filled with great, memorable performances, such as the
late, great Marty Feldman, who nearly steals the movie as Igor. Teri Garr is
both beautiful and extremely funny as Inga, as is the late Madeline Kahn as
Frederick's shallow fiancée. Cloris Leachman is also great as Frau Blucher, the
housekeeper of the castle who is so creepy that the horses rear up at the very
mention of her name, and Kenneth Mars is funny as the one-armed chief of police
Inspector Kemp. And let's not forget Gene Hackman, who is exceedingly funny in
his small part as the lonely blind Hermit who offers the creature some food and
shelter--much to the creature's ultimate distress. The film looks glorious in
black and white, which helps to invoke the spirit of the Universal horror
classics.
The DVD is well stocked with extras, including a great commentary by director
Brooks. He is very informative concerning the behind the scenes information,
and sometimes listening to him speak about some of the cast and crew members is
bittersweet, since many of them are no longer with us. Still, Brooks is both
funny and fascinating to listen to, since he is filled with many notable
stories about even the most obscure aspects of the film. There's also a 36
minute documentary about the making of the film, as well as deleted scenes, and
bloopers--some of which are just as funny as the movie itself, and offer a
fascinating look inside the making of a comedy classic.