In the last several years, I have started to watch more scary movies, including some of the old black and white monster movies. Some of them have been remade or at least been inspiration for newer movies. Young Frankenstein borrowed some from the original Frankenstein movies while also being sort of a sequel.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein spent his life trying to live down his grandfather’s reputation and distance himself from the experiments that Victor had conducted. Frederick was very sensitive about that, even insisting that his last name was pronounced differently. After the death of his great-grandfather, Frederick traveled to the family castle in Transylvania where he met Inga, Igor (pounced Eye-gor) and Frau Blucher. Frederick discovered his grandfather’s notes on his experiments and, believing it could work, decided to do it with the help of Igor and Inga. Things didn’t go how he had hoped and became even more complicated when Elizabeth, the women he was engaged to, arrived.
Young Frankenstein was inspired by the original Frankenstein made in 1931 and The Bride of Frankenstein made in 1935. The first movie was based on the book my Mary Shelley. It was also sort of a sequel to the earlier movies since it was about the grandson of the earlier Dr. Frankenstein. Some of the props and equipment from the laboratory were actually ones that had been used in the original movie, which added another connection. I really liked the idea of seeing how someone from the original doctor’s family had handled the infamy because of the experiments. I recently learned that a musical based on this movie will be on Broadway sometime in the near future. I do think it would be interesting to see how songs were incorporated into the story.
I thought that the humor used in Young Frankenstein worked very well for the movie. Some of it was a bit silly, but it still worked. There was no way not to laugh at Igor visiting the brain depository and seeing the message that brains should be slipped in the slot after a certain time. I expected some silliness since Mel Brooks directed the movie and most of his have at least some of that type of humor. I was laughing throughout the movie and thought it was very entertaining. Igor was responsible for many of the things that made me laugh. Sometimes it was something he said or did and other times it was just the expression he had on his face. The other characters, especially Frederick, also said and did many funny things. There were a few times when he did seem to get a bit crazed. His hair tended to look more wild during those times, which also made me laugh.
Young Frankenstein was filmed in black and white like the first monster movies. I did think that gave the movie another connection to the previous movies dealing with Frankenstein. The fact that the movie was in black and white worked well for the material and I think it even added to the spooky, creepy atmosphere the movie had overall. The castle, where most of the movie took place, probably added the most to the creepy and spooky atmosphere. Even with those things, the movie really wasn’t scary or suspenseful. That was fine with me since I didn’t figure it would be as scary as most other monster movies. Anyone in the mood for a really scary, suspenseful monster movie should pick something else. There were a few small hints of violence in a couple of scenes that weren’t graphic and shouldn’t bother anyone.
The movie was rated PG, so there really isn’t anything too offensive included. Of course, some people could be bothered by the experiment itself. Children might be scared or upset by certain things that happened, so parents may want to check the movie out first. There were some sexual innuendos throughout the movie that children more than likely wouldn’t understand. There was no nudity and no graphic sex scenes. There were one or two scenes that made it clear that characters were going to have sex and sort of started the act without being graphic. Frederick did seem to be interested in Inga when he first met her even though he was already engaged to Elizabeth. That did set up a bit of a love triangle, especially once Elizabeth arrived.
Frederick was a doctor who had tried very hard to distance himself from his grandfather and the experiments he had done. He was very sensitive about that issue, and did over react a bit if someone dared to mention his grandfather. It didn’t take Frederick long to change his mind once he found his grandfather’s notes. Frederick did act crazed at times, which did work for the movie. Gene Wilder was great in the part. Igor was a hunchback who claimed his grandfather had worked with Frederick’s grandfather. Igor meant well but he did manage to screw things up at times. Marty Feldman was wonderful and added a lot of humor.
Inga was the pretty young woman who served as an assistant in the laboratory. She wasn’t really that developed even though she was in much of the movie. Teri Garr fit the part very well. Elizabeth seemed to be very proper and concerned about her appearance. She seemed to be the one in charge in her relationship with Frederick. Madeline Kahn was wonderful in the part. Frau Blucher was at the castle and had known Frederick’s grandfather. She was very secretive about what she might know about his work. Cloris Leachman did a good job with the part. Peter Boyle had to express a lot with his facial expressions since the monster didn’t talk. He did bring a lot to the character, showing that he was more than a monster who wanted to kill. Gene Hackman turned up in one scene as someone who encountered the monster. Kenneth Mars was also very good as Inspector Kemp, a local police officer.
Main Cast
Peter Boyle - The Monster Marty Feldman - Igor Teri Garr - Inga Madeline Kahn - Elizabeth Cloris Leachman - Frau Blucher Kenneth Mars - Inspector Kemp Gene Wilder - Dr. Frederick Frankenstein
Mel Brooks - Director
DVD Information
I picked up Young Frankenstein on DVD a few years ago. My copy has the widescreen version of the movie. I’m not sure if there is a full screen version. The DVD includes an audio commentary by Mel Brooks, deleted scenes, outtakes, interviews done for Mexican television, theatrical trailers and television spots. There were five different trailers, with most of them being very similar to each other. Mel Brooks provided the voice overs for three of them. There were nine different television spots that Brooks provided the voice overs for as well. Making
Making FrankenSense of Young Frankenstein was a thirty-six minute documentary that was filmed in 1996. Some of the crew and Gene Wilder talked about making the movie. I hadn’t realized before that Gene Wilder actually came up with the idea for the movie originally and that Mel Brooks joined the project later. It was explained how certain things were done in the movie and how Wilder and Brooks had worked together. Pictures taken during the filming were shown throughout the documentary as well as some other outtakes. The documentary was interesting, but I think it would have been better if Mel Brooks had been included. It did seem odd that he wasn’t involved.
Young Frankenstein was a funny, very entertaining movie that is worth seeing. Fans of the cast, Mel Brooks, or monster movies should give this one a chance.
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