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Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THEY DON'T GET MUCH WILDER
Review: Thirty years later, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN remains a classic comedy, filmed with such loving affection for the classic it spoofed. So much of the humor is played so straight, it becomes even funnier. All the actors have their own crowning moments, many of which have been reiterated by other reviewers. But take the film's classic black and white photography and cinematography which evokes the pure essence of the original films. Gene Wilder is perfect as the heir to the Frankenstein legacy, and his comic timing has never been better. Marty Feldman is pure magic in his role as Eyegor, the bug-eyed assistant who is lecherous, witty and morose all at the same time. Teri Garr is brilliant as Inga, the buxom assistant whose German accent is so good it's amazing. Peter Boyle, barely recognizable under the expert make-up, does wonders with his eyes and his duet with Wilder on "Puttin on the Ritz" is superb. Cloris Leachman is great, but I wish she had more screen time; her Frau Brucher (Neighhh) is a comic masterpiece. And of course the late Madeline Kahn also brutally underused, is magnificent as Elizabeth, whose roll in the hay with the Monster is tremendous. Gene Hackman in his cameo as the blind man is top notch; only an irritating Kenneth Mars "mars" the perfect casting.
But one cannot help but admit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is one of the funniest films Brooks ever made and one of the best American comedies of our time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'm still laughing
Review: This is by far one of the funniest movies of all time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ABBIE-NORMAL CLASSIC!
Review: What can one say about about a true comedy classic? Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder turned Mary Shelly's FRANKENSTIEN story on its head and made one of the funniest movies of all time. There are so many great lines and comedic moments in the film that if I were asked to list them all I know I would forget some of them due to sheer number alone. Brooks assembled a great cast and there's not a bad performance in the film. Marty Feldman as Igor, Peter Boyle as the Monster, Madeline Kahn as Elizabeth, Terri Garr as Inga, and even a cameo by a well known dramatic actor, are all side-splitting in this spoof. I rank the movie as Brooks and Wilder's best film. This 1974 film has not aged at all. It is truly timeless. Having it presented in letterbox on DVD is just great.

The Special Edition DVD has a great commentary (lifted right from the Laserdisc release) track by Brooks. There are bloopers, some behind the scenes footage and and a very rare foriegn press interview with the late Marty Feldman about the film prior to its release. If you want a good laugh, this is your best bet. If you have already seen the movie, why are you even reading this review, you should own a copy by now.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hilarious, but not perfect
Review: Yes, it's hilarious. But it's not perfect. The mugging done for the camera (by Wilder and Boyle, especially) ruins the sense of "I'm watching something that's just very funny" and turns it into "I'm watching actors self-consciously ham it up."

The gist of this movie is that it is a retelling of the Frankenstein Monster's story from Shelley. If you've read the book AND seen the classic movies with Karloff and Lancaster, then there are multiple points of similarity and allusion. You will indeed laugh. But there are moments when the best you can do is grimace at the weak elements. And sadly, Cloris Leachman ("High Anxiety") is very poorly used. She has a few funny lines, but she is a much better actress than this movie shows. (The "Frau Bluecher" gag was funny the first 4 times, but by the 5th time it was tiresome.)

One thing that Mel Brooks has done well is to hire good music resources. The theme of "Young Frankenstein" is clever and fits the "fake" and the "real" setting well. It's mysterious and still faintly derisive. ("High Anxiety" is another movie with great scoring.)

Warning: this movie is not kid-safe, especially near the end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Put.....The Candle.....Back!".....
Review: Young Frankenstein is Mel Brooks' crowning achievment. He would never again reach these great comedic heights ever again in his career. Gene Wilder stars as a descendant of the mad doctor, Victor Frankenstein. Although Wilder insists on it being pronounced "Fronk - In - Steen". This movie, although released in the mid 70's, is filmed in great black and white. It was a great touch that added the mystique of the film. It wouldn't work again until 1994 when Tim Burton did it for his masterpiece film "Ed Wood". The cast and performances are inspiring. A young Teri Garr is mighty catching in her finely tuned comedic performance. The great Marty Feldman co-stars as Igor, who doesn't seem to notice the rather large hump on his back. Then there's Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher(thanks Paul). She is one of our finer female comedians. There's even a cameo by Gene Hackman. Lastly, we come to Peter Boyle. A great actor who gives a knee slapping performance as the monster. The dance sequence to the song "Putting On The Ritz" still makes me laugh just thinking about it. Lucky for us, we get to see more of his comedic talent every week on "Everybody Loves Raymond". Sadly, watching the brilliant Madeline Khan only saddens the viewer to know that this brilliant comedienne is no longer with us. She will be horribly missed. There is jokes and sight gags galore throughout the whole movie. Each one is a winner. So is this classic.


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