Mel Brooks masterpiece just gets better and better with each passing year. It is such a side-splittingly funny comedy that many people overlook what an amazingly crafted film it is. While perhaps not pound-for-pound as funny as The Producers or Blazing Saddles, this film was far more of an accomplishment cinematically speaking, making what could have been a light spoof of the genre (see Brooks' own Dracula: Dead and Loving It) a true work of art.

Gene Wilder gives a hilarious over the top performance as the eternally intense Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fraan-ken-steen). From his original script (later punched up by Brooks), the film traces his acquisition of the family estate and shows fate taking its toll on his career (following in his grandfather's vootshteps!). He is aided by the goofy Igor (Eye-gor), played by the great Marty Feldman, and lab assistant Inga (a radiant Teri Garr). Together they get the old boy moving again, through graverobbing and patchwork. The result is the Monster, a faithful reincarnation of Karloff's 1931 creature, this time played accurately by Peter Boyle. This team of unbridled comedic talent, rounded out by Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman and a brief cameo by Gene Hackman as the blindman, make up one of the finest casts ever assembled for a comedy.

The real achievement, besides making you laugh, is how dead-on the film is staying true to tradition. Many of the set pieces used in James Whale's original Frankenstein pictures are on display in this film, all bolstered by the fact that they decided in 1974 to shoot the picture in glorious black and white. But technically they couldn't have been more right, with the costumes, sets, and lighting design all meshing perfectly to recreate the feel of the original films, even though the tone of the movie is considerably different. If only Brooks had decided to make his later Dracula picture a send-off of Lugosi's vampire instead of Coppola's overdramatic take on the story, it might have been first rate entertainment, instead of mere disposable viewing.

Wilder and Brooks stuff the picture with so many classic moments that you feel at times overwhelmed by the delicate balance of artistry and hilarity. Staying so true to the concept, yet also remaining comical, the film achieves a level of pure art that is rare for a comedy that tries to do both. Few do, this list including Rushmore and Ed Wood as good, more recent examples of this. But considering this movie has everything from a technically marvelous creation scene, as they try to inject life into the Monster, to a flat out dance number between the doctor and his creation, it is surprising it works at all, nevermind so well. Yet it does, and that can be directly credited to the creative geniuses in charge.

Young Frankenstein was a colossal box-office hit in 1974 and has established itself in the 25-odd years since as a true classic of American comedy. Its popularity hasn't waned a bit, and if anything it makes you sad for all the talent that has been lost since (the late Feldman and Kahn) and for another Brooks parody film that may live up to it, but this is more than likely just wishful thinking. Nonetheless, Frankenstein was and is a triumph for all involved, and if you catch it on DVD, there are even more wonderful benefits, from Brooks' very insightful commentary to the numerous extra scenes that are, to some fans, like finding the Bible had a couple more chapters.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older