Young Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) was released in 1974 along with Mel Brooks’ other parody, “Blazing Saddles.” It received critical acclaim from critics and movie goers alike. Besides unanimous praise, the film made enough money at the box office. Afterwards, Young Frankenstein was nominated at The Oscars for “Best Adapted Screenplay.” However, it lost to biggest film of 1974, “The Godfather Part II.” Overtime, Young Frankenstein remains as a timeless classic amongst comedy enthusiasts including Judd Apatow.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. We’ve all seen Young Frankenstein countless times and bringing up quotes.
Alive & Dead Qualities
Alive: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman & Madeline Khan all did an excellent job for their respective performances.
Fun Fact: Mr. Wilder stated Young Frankenstein is his best work.
Mel Brooks did a fantastic job directing the film. He also co-wrote the script with Gene. A few jokes are improvised.
Cinematography is shot in black-and-white recapturing and old school aesthetic. Making it look like you’re transported back to “The Golden Age of Horror.”
Humor contains a lot of legit jokes ranging from visual gags, Fredrick pronouncing his last name correctly, Blucher’s last name is spoken whenever a horse neighs, over-the-top acting, Igor glancing at the camera, dialogue and poking fun at the old school horror movies. You can tell Mel & Gene are passionate fans towards Universal Monsters. Nearly the Cast & Crew had a hard time not to snicker.
Prosthetic Makeup transformed Peter into The Monster.
Igor (pronounced Eye-Gor) is my favorite character. He’s oblivious he’s got a hump on his back and blind. Almost every character has a distinctive personality.
Both Fredrick & Igor are related to Victor and the original Igor. Meaning, Fredrick’s the titular character, not The Monster.
My favorite joke is when Igor mentioned a brain belongs to “Abby Normal.”
This line made me laugh so hard. “What knockers!” Which is Igor literally knocking on the door.
Gene Hackman makes an appearance as a blind man.
The Main Theme plays a key role whenever Fredrick plays the violin, The Monster listens to it.
Opening Credits establishes the film takes cues from Universal Monsters series. What you’re about to see, indicates you’re gonna have a good time watching a timeless classic.
Remember the dramatic chipmunk video on YouTube? The music originated with a matte painting of the castle. Gotta give credit where credit is due.
Fredrick’s laboratory is the exact same one from the original Frankenstein film.
If you own a DVD/Blu-Ray copy, Mel Brooks provides commentary reflecting on the film.
Dead: I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving the Cast & Crew an Extra Point for making a flawless parody as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Young Frankenstein is one of Mel Brooks’ best (if not the best) movies. My all-time favorite is “Spaceballs.” I also like Blazing Saddles & “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” If you wanna introduce a friend to this timeless classic, I strongly recommend it. If The Criterion Collection plans on digitally remastering Young Frankenstein on DVD/Blu-Ray in4K, I’ll be the first customer in line.
One more thing, Happy Halloween fellow movie goers.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 