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"It's FrankenSTEEN!" |
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Directed by Mel Brooks -
Written by Mel Brooks,
Gene Wilder
Starring Gene Wilder,
Marty Feldman, Madeline
Kahn, Peter Boyle
Distributed by 20th
Century Fox - 1974 -
106mins - Rated PG |
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The scariest comedy of all time! |
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Absolutely hilarious. It is not only the best film to be written and
directed by Mel Brooks, but it is also one of the funniest satires
ever made.
Brooks studied the Karloff version of "Frankenstein" for inspiration
and by God it shows! Anyone familar with the horro classic will find
much to enjoy here, but you do not have to be familiar with that film
to have a blast.
Gene Wilder (the always brilliant and reliable man) stars as a
descendant of Dr. Frankenstein. To hide his shame of being associated
with the man who rose the dead, he teaches college and avoids contact
with many ("It's FrankenSTEEN not FrankenSTEIN!"). Then one day, he
decides to follow the Dr.'s footsteps, and resurrect the dead with the
help of Igor (the hilarious Marty Feldman). Soon, he has made a
monster (Peter Boyle) who's as dumb and crazy as possible!
Note Gene Hackman in a small role as the blind man who wants to make
espresso |
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard Propes' Comment
This is
another film that I didn't initially find a
connection to at first viewing...Unlike other
films, however, it seems to be a film I grow
more fond of over the years. That's actually a
good description of my relationship with Mel
Brooks, in general. Suddenly, here I am in my
mid 30s absolutely adoring films such as "Spaceballs"
and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" along with
earlier films such as "The Producers" and this
classic. This film doesn't make me laugh as much
as some of his films, but it's still just a hoot
to watch. Gene Wilder, just by showing up as
Gene Wilder, seems right at home here along with
Peter Boyle as The Monster and Marty Feldman as
Igor. Anyone who fondly remembers Madeline Kahn
simply has to view this film, and Mel Brooks
seemed to have a knack for drawing wondrous
performances out of Cloris Leachman (who
throughout her career seemed largely wasted in
films and television). The same could be true
for Terri Garr, here seen as Inga. She's a
wonderful actress with definite comedic gifts.
My demented side has always wanted to see this
film combined with "Rocky Horror Picture Show."
For me, this film has a lot of the style, humor
and energy that would have been right at home in
"Rocky." Of course, the joy of "Rocky Horror" is
that it's an obvious "B" movie with lots of
subtle humor...still, I can't help but enjoy the
thought of the two of these movies combined.
Overall, this is a wonderful film with a solid
cast...it's not quite one of my all-time
favorites, but I also seldom turn the channel
when it's on late night cable!
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