Young Frankenstein (1974)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

In one of writer-producer-director Mel Brooks' best films - a nostalgic, hilarious spoof-tribute to classic horror films (with its authentic black and white cinematography and production design/set decoration), and in particular, of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's classic 1818 novel about corpse revival by a God-aspiring mad scientist.

This film had everything - slapstick, farce, dirty (or ribald), bawdy humor and irreverent satire. Many of Brooks' films were filled with physical gags, terrible puns, one-liners, and shattered taboos.

Although the low-comedy film had two Academy Awards nominations (that didn't win), Best Adapted Screenplay (for Mel Brooks and star Gene Wilder) and Best Sound, two deserving cast members, Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn, were un-nominated, as was the wonderfully crisp black-and-white cinematography by Gerald Hirschfeld. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1974 at 86ドル.3 million (domestic), with a production budget of only 2ドル.8 million.

• in the early 20th century in an American medical school classroom, the grandson of the infamous original baron (named Victor), Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) was lecturing to his class; he tried to distinguish himself from his ancestor: ("It's pronounced Frohn-ken-Steeeen"); when he was asked touchy questions from an inquisitive and persistent student (Danny Goldman) about his legendary grandfather Dr. Victor Frankenstein; he reacted by jabbing a scalpel into his leg
• after inheriting his family's Transylvanian castle, Dr. Frankenstein traveled to Europe to inspect the property; at the Transylvania train station, he was greeted by bug-eyed, ignorant, leering family servant Igor (Marty Feldman) - pronounced "Eye-gore" (with a shifting humpback -- "Didn't you used to have that on the other side?...Your, uh...")
• Dr. Frankenstein was transported with his busty temporary assistant Inga (Teri Garr) to the Transylvanian castle in a hay cart; on the journey, she exclaimed "Werewolf!"; Igor misinterpreted what she said and answered by pointing out:
  • "There...There, wolf. There, castle."

• Frankenstein marveled at the large wrought-iron door knockers on the Transylvania castle door: "What knockers!", with Inga's quick appreciative response as he lifted her out of the carriage:
  • "Oh, Thank you, Doctor!"
• Frankenstein met with the castle housekeeper Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman); during the film, horses would neigh and whinny (amidst lightning strikes) whenever her name was mentioned
• in the revolving bookcase-fireplace sequence, a secret passageway was revealed as Dr. Frankenstein continually requested of Inga:
  • "Put the candle back."
• he failed in his attempt to block the turning bookcase with his body:
  • "Now listen to me very carefully, don't put the candle back. With all of your might, shove against the other side of the bookcase. Is that perfectly clear?"
• and then Inga became trapped behind the bookcase; the two realized that they had discovered Dr. Victor Frankenstein's secret laboratory (with his private journals) - Frederick was inspired to resume his grandfather's experiments to reanimate a dead corpse
• Igor was questioned by the slow-to-anger Dr. Frankenstein about whose brain Igor had stolen: "Would you mind telling me whose brain I did put in?"; Igor had been instructed to steal the brain of deceased "scientist and saint" Hans Delbrück, but he accidentally destroyed it, and then substituted the brain of a recently-executed criminal; Igor responded hesitantly and acquired a promise that the doctor wouldn't become angry: "Abby someone...Abby Normal...I'm almost sure that was the name"; Frankenstein pressed further before strangling his servant:
  • "Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven-and-a-half-foot long, fifty-four inch wide gorilla? Is that what you're telling me?"
• during the memorable creation scene, Dr. Frankenstein yelled out madly:
  • "Give my creation...life!"
• once the Monster (Peter Boyle) had been created, it became frightened by Igor's lighting of a flaming match; to control the violent Monster that was strangling him, Dr. Frankenstein acted out the word 'Sed-a-give' ("Give him the sedative" with an injection) using the concept of the game of charades
• with the aid of Frau Blucher, the Monster escaped from the castle; in a classic scene, the Monster found himself in the shack of a blind hermit (Gene Hackman) - a tribute to a similar scene in The Bride of Frankenstein in which he called the Monster "an incredibly big mute"; the hermit ladled boiling hot soup onto the Monster's lap, broke the Monster's wine mug when toasting their friendship, and lit the Monster's thumb, thinking it was a cigar - and then he called after him as he left in fear:
  • "Wait. Where are you going? I was gonna make espresso."
• Dr. Frankenstein was intent on presenting and introducing his tamed Monster to an audience as a "man about town"; the two performed a top-hat and cane, tap-dancing duet of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz" - with the Monster's slurred, squeaky, and high-pitched singing of "Punnondariiiiiiiizz!"; again, the Monster became spooked by an exploding stage light, and he reacted violently by attacking the hostile audience (throwing vegetables at him); the Monster was apprehended, imprisoned, and chained up in a dungeon where he was taunted; meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein and Inga (to comfort him) slept together on the doctor's reanimation table
• the Monster escaped at the same time as the unexpected arrival of Dr. Frankenstein's untouchable fiancee Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) who was wearing a fur wrap, gloves and a turban; Dr. Frankensein (in a dressing gown with ascot) and Inga (wearing a low-cut blouse) greeted her at the castle's front doors; a request was made of Igor: "Igor, will you give me a hand with the bags?" - he replied, with growling:
  • "Certainly, you take the blonde and I'll take the one with the turban"
• a mob assembled to march to the castle to confront Dr. Frankenstein; Elizabeth was kidnapped by the Monster - and her hair turned white with streaks, a la The Bride of Frankenstein after she was taken into the forest; she was confused but then realized she was about to be raped; she bargained with her captor; but then she changed her mind - after looking down - and was pleasingly shocked when she sighted the Monster's enormous penis (Schwanzstucker); she reacted with a loud, wide-eyed and aroused exclamation: "Oh, my God! WOOF!", and vainly tried to discourage the Monster with more lame excuses
• she warbled one line of the tune: "Oh, Sweet Mystery of Life" before the Monster made love to her (offscreen); afterwards, they shared a post-coitus cigarette (in the manner of Now, Voyager (1942) ) and she asked: "Penny for your thoughts. (He responded: "Mmmmmm"); she complimented him on his stamina after multiple orgasms:
  • You're incorrigible, aren't you? You little zipper-neck."
• but then, the Monster was lured away by the sound of violin music; by now, the nymphomaniacal Elizabeth wished to distract him and tempt him to come back:
  • "Where are you going? Where? Oh, you men are all alike. Seven or eight quick ones and you're off with the boys, to boast and brag. You better keep your mouth shut. Oh, I think I love him."
• the Monster was lured back to the castle and recaptured by Frankenstein and Igor; during another transference procedure in the lab, Dr. Frankenstein was able to transfer more humanizing elements into the Monster's body and intellect from his own self; the Monster addressed the mob assaulting the castle - calming them and placating them by explaining how Frankenstein had transformed him with "a calmer brain and a somewhat more sophisticated way of expressing myself"
• as the film concluded, Frederick and Inga were married and Elizabeth was also wedded to the now-sophisticated Monster; it was implied that Frederick had inherited the giant genitals of the Monster during the transference process