Amazon.com Essentials:
If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young
Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time,
nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in
the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles
sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a
raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein
(1931) and Bride of
Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white,
Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same
equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer
Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and
stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The
story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and
his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late
father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled
How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor
(Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri
Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter
Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the
Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention,
Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman,
Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role)
through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young
Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy
classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one
joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost
their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best
comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most
fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD
includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary,
interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the
original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a
copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's
Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon
