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Young Frankenstein

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For the musical, see Young Frankenstein (musical). For the DC Comics character, see Young Frankenstein (character).

Young Frankenstein
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed byMel Brooks
Written by
Based onFrankenstein
1818 novel
by Mary Shelley
Produced byMichael Gruskoff
Starring
CinematographyGerald Hirschfeld
Edited byJohn C. Howard
Music byJohn Morris
Production
companies
  • Gruskoff/Venture Films
  • Crossbow Productions, Inc.
  • Jouer Limited[1]
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • December 15, 1974 (1974-12-15)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.78 million[2]
Box office$86.2 million[3]

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Peter Boyle portrayed the monster.[4] The film co-stars Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman.

The film is a parody of the classic horror film genre, in particular the various film adaptations of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus produced by Universal Pictures in the 1930s.[5] Much of the lab equipment used as props was created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film Frankenstein.[6] To help evoke the atmosphere of the earlier films, Brooks shot the picture entirely in black and white, a rarity in the 1970s, and employed 1930s-style opening credits and scene transitions such as iris outs, wipes, and fades to black. The film also features a period score by Brooks' longtime composer John Morris.

A critical and commercial success, Young Frankenstein ranks No. 28 on Total Film magazine's readers' "List of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films of All Time",[7] No. 56 on Bravo's list of the "100 Funniest Movies",[8] and No. 13 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 funniest American movies.[9] In 2003, it was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the United States National Film Preservation Board, and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.[10][11] It was later adapted by Brooks and Thomas Meehan as a stage musical. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay (for Wilder and Brooks) and Best Sound.

In 2014, the year of its 40th anniversary, Brooks considered it by far his finest (although not his funniest) film as a writer-director.[12]

Plot

[edit]

Early in the 20th century, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is a lecturing physician at an American medical school. He is engaged to Elizabeth, a socialite. Frederick actively distances himself from his grandfather Victor Frankenstein, the infamous mad scientist. He even pronounces his surname as "Fronkensteen".[13] When Frederick inherits the family estate in Transylvania, he travels to Europe to inspect the property. At the Transylvania train station, Frederick is met by a hunchbacked, bug-eyed servant named Igor, whose own grandfather worked for Victor. A young woman named Inga also greets him.

Arriving at the estate, Frederick meets Frau Blücher, the dour intimidating housekeeper. After discovering the secret entrance to Victor's laboratory and reading his private journals, Frederick resumes his grandfather's experiments in re-animating the dead.

Frederick and Igor steal a recently-executed criminal's corpse. He sends Igor to steal the brain of a deceased "scientist and saint" named Hans Delbrück. Igor accidentally destroys Delbrück's brain and takes another one labeled "Abnormal". Frederick unknowingly transplants it into the corpse and brings the Monster to life. It takes its first steps, but, frightened by Igor lighting a match, attacks Frederick and nearly strangles him before being sedated.

Unaware the Monster exists, the townspeople gather to discuss their unease at Frederick continuing his grandfather's work. Inspector Kemp, a one-eyed police inspector with a prosthetic arm and an unusually thick, barely-understandable German accent, proposes visiting the doctor, whereupon he demands assurance that Frederick will not create another Monster.

Returning to the lab, Frederick discovers Blücher releasing the creature. She reveals the Monster loves violin music and her own romantic relationship with Frederick's grandfather. The Monster becomes enraged by electrical sparks from a thrown switch and escapes the castle.

While roaming the countryside, the monster has encounters with a young girl and a blind hermit.[a] Frederick recaptures the Monster and locks himself in a room with him. He calms the Monster's homicidal tendencies with flattery and a promise to guide him to success, embracing his heritage as a Frankenstein.

At a theater filled with prominent guests, Frederick shows "The Creature" following simple commands, then he and the Monster perform a musical number. A stage light explodes and frightens the Monster, interrupting the performance. The audience boo and throw vegetables at the Monster, who becomes enraged and charges at them. He is captured and chained by police. Back in the laboratory, Inga attempts to comfort Frederick; they have sex on the suspended reanimation table.

The Monster escapes from prison the same night Elizabeth arrives unexpectedly. The monster takes her captive as he flees. Elizabeth falls in love with the Monster due to his "enormous Schwanzstucker".[15] While the townspeople hunt the Monster, Frederick plays the violin to lure his creation back to the castle and recaptures him.

Just as the Kemp-led mob storms the laboratory, Frederick transfers some of his stabilizing intellect to the Monster who reasons with and placates the mob. Kemp then welcomes the Monster.

Sometime later, Frederick and Inga are wed, and Elizabeth marries the now-erudite and sophisticated Monster. While in bed with Frederick, Inga asks what he got in return during the transfer procedure. Frederick growls wordlessly like the monster and embraces Inga.

Cast

[edit]

The rest of the cast is listed on screen in opening credits under "with":

Production

[edit]

In a 2010 interview with Los Angeles Times, Mel Brooks discussed how the film came about:

"I was in the middle of shooting the last few weeks of Blazing Saddles somewhere in the Antelope Valley, and Gene Wilder and I were having a cup of coffee and he said, I have this idea that there could be another Frankenstein. I said, "Not another! We've had the son of, the cousin of, the brother-in-law. We don't need another Frankenstein." His idea was very simple: What if the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein wanted nothing to do with the family whatsoever. He was ashamed of those wackos. I said, "That's funny."[18]

In one of the scenes of a village assembly, one of the authority figures says that he already knows what Frankenstein is up to based on five previous experiences. This is a reference to the first five Universal films.[19] In a Gene Wilder DVD interview, he says the film is based on Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

In a 2016 interview with Creative Screenwriting, Brooks elaborated on the writing process. He recalled,

"Little by little, every night, Gene and I met at his bungalow at the Bel Air Hotel. We ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea coupled with a container of cream and a small kettle of brown sugar cubes. To go with it we had a pack of British digestive biscuits. And step-by-step, ever so cautiously, we proceeded on a dark narrow twisting path to the eventual screenplay in which good sense and caution are thrown out the window and madness ensues".[20]

Brooks and Wilder disagreed over the sequence where Frankenstein and his creation perform "Puttin' on the Ritz". Brooks felt it was too silly to have the monster sing and dance, but eventually yielded to Wilder's arguments.[5][18]

Unlike in many of his other films, Brooks does not appear onscreen in a significant role in Young Frankenstein, though he recorded several voice parts and portrays a German villager in one short scene. In 2012, Brooks explained why:

I wasn't allowed to be in it. That was the deal Gene Wilder had. He [said], "If you're not in it, I'll do it." [Laughs.] He [said], "You have a way of breaking the fourth wall, whether you want to or not. I just want to keep it. I don't want too much to be, you know, a wink at the audience. I love the script." He wrote the script with me. That was the deal. So I wasn't in it, and he did it.[21]

Brooks and producer Michael Gruskoff originally agreed a deal with Columbia Pictures but Columbia would not agree to a budget of more than $1.75 million whereas Brooks wanted at least $2.3 million. Columbia also was not happy making it in black and white, so Brooks and Gruskoff instead went to 20th Century-Fox for distribution when they agreed to a higher budget.[19][22]

Principal photography began on February 19, 1974, and wrapped on May 3, 1974.[23] To recreate the visual style of the original Universal horror films, Brooks shot in black-and-white, employed vintage-style opening credits, used wipes and irises for scene transitions, and even used the original Kenneth Strickfaden lab equipment from the 1931 Frankenstein.[5]

Marty Feldman added a comic twist to his character, by deliberately swapping which side the hump on his back was located; when Doctor Frankenstein asks him about it, Igor replies simply: "What hump?" Wilder wrote the role specially for Feldman.[24]

Reception

[edit]

Young Frankenstein was a box office success upon release. The film grossed $86.2 million on a $2.78 million budget.[3]

Young Frankenstein received acclaim from critics and currently holds a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The consensus reads, "Made with obvious affection for the original, Young Frankenstein is a riotously silly spoof featuring a fantastic performance by Gene Wilder."[25]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "Mel Brooks' funniest, most cohesive comedy to date," adding, "It would be misleading to describe 'Young Frankenstein,' written by Mr. Wilder and Mr. Brooks, as astoundingly witty, but it's a great deal of low fun of the sort that Mr. Brooks specializes in."[26] Roger Ebert gave the film a full four stars, calling it Brooks' "most disciplined and visually inventive film (it also happens to be very funny)."[27] Gene Siskel gave the film three stars out of four and wrote, "Part homage and part send-up, 'Young Frankenstein' is very funny in its best moments, but they're all too infrequent."[28] Variety declared, "The screen needs one outrageously funny Mel Brooks film each year, and Young Frankenstein is an excellent followup for the enormous audiences that howled for much of 1974 at Blazing Saddles.'"[29]

Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times praised the film as "a likable, unpredictable blending of slapstick and sentiment."[30]
Gary Arnold of The Washington Post, who disliked Blazing Saddles, reported being "equally untickled" with Young Frankenstein and wrote that "Wilder and Brooks haven't dreamed up a funny plot. They simply rely on the old movie plots to get them through a rambling collection of scene parodies and a more or less constant stream of puns, double entendres and other verbal rib-pokers and thigh-slappers."[31] Tom Milne of the UK's The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote in a mixed review that "all too often Brooks resorts to the most clichéd sort of Carry On smut" and criticized Marty Feldman's "grotesquely unfunny mugging," but praised a couple of sequences (the flower-throwing scene and the Monster's encounter with the blind man) as "very close to brilliance" and called Peter Boyle as the Monster "one of the undiluted pleasures of the film (and the only actor ever to suggest that he might play the part as well as Karloff)."[32]

In his book Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008, Bruce G. Hallenbeck lauded many of Young Frankenstein's scenes as classic comedy moments, and also praised the attention to detail the film shows in paying heartfelt homage to the classic horror films it references. He summed up that "Young Frankenstein is a movie for film buffs, but written, directed and performed in such a way that average Joes and Josephines can enjoy it just as much for its outrageous and wacky humor."[5]

"Walk this way"

[edit]

Igor's line "Walk this way" in the film inspired the song of the same name by Aerosmith.[33] According to Gene Wilder, the joke was added while shooting the scene by Mel Brooks, inspired by the old "talcum powder" joke.[34] A partially contradictory account appears in eyE Marty, Feldman's posthumously published autobiography: Feldman recalls spontaneously doing the "walk this way" shtick to make his colleagues laugh, with Brooks then insisting, despite Wilder's and Feldman's reservations, that it stay in the film.[35]

Home media

[edit]

Young Frankenstein became available on DVD on November 3, 1998.[36] The film was then released on DVD for the second time on September 5, 2006.[37] The film was then released on DVD for the third time on September 9, 2014, as a 40th anniversary edition along with a Blu-ray release.[38]

Musical adaptation

[edit]
Main article: Young Frankenstein (musical)

Brooks adapted the film into a musical of the same name which premiered in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre and ran from August 7 to September 1, 2007.[39] The musical opened on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre (then the Hilton Theatre) on November 8, 2007, and closed on January 4, 2009. It was nominated for three Tony Awards, and starred Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Megan Mullally, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Andrea Martin.[40]

The musical version was to be used as the basis of a live broadcast event on the ABC network in the last quarter of 2020, with Brooks producing, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[41]

Awards

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Nominations[42]

Other honors

[edit]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ These encounters are references to 1931's Frankenstein and 1935's Bride of Frankenstein, respectively.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Young Frankenstein". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
  3. ^ a b "Box Office Information for Young Frankenstein". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. ^ "Young Frankenstein". GetBack Movie. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. pp. 105–109. ISBN 978-0-78-643332-2.
  6. ^ Picart, Caroline Joan (2003). Remaking the Frankenstein Myth on Film: Between Laughter and Horror. Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-79-145770-2.
  7. ^ "Film & Movie Comedy Classics". Comedy-Zone.net. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
  8. ^ "Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies". Bravo. Published by Lists of Bests. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  9. ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  10. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  11. ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  12. ^ King, Susan (September 9, 2014). "'Young Frankenstein' has new life on 40th anniversary". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020. 'Young Frankenstein' is "by far the best movie I ever made. Not the funniest — 'Blazing Saddles' was the funniest, and hot on its heels would be 'The Producers.' But as a writer-director, it is by far my finest.
  13. ^ Picart (2003), p. 46.
  14. ^ Picart (2003), p. 54.
  15. ^ Hallenbeck (2009), p. 108.
  16. ^ Molinari, Matteo; Kamm, Jim (2002). OOPS! They Did It Again!: More Movie Mistakes That Made the Cut. Citadel. ISBN 978-0806523200. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2018 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ Joe Robberson (October 28, 2014). "20 Things You Didn't Know About 'Young Frankenstein'". Zimbio. Livingly Media. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Lacher, Irene (August 1, 2010). "The Sunday Conversation: Mel Brooks on his 'Young Frankenstein' musical". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  19. ^ a b Young Frankenstein – Mel Brooks Audio Commentary (DVD).
  20. ^ Swinson, Brock (January 14, 2016). "Mel Brooks on Screenwriting". Creative Screenwriting. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  21. ^ Heisler, Steve (December 13, 2012). "Mel Brooks on how to play Hitler, and how he almost died making Spaceballs". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  22. ^ Brooks, Mel (2021). All About Me!. Century. pp. 232–233. ISBN 978-1-529-13507-7.
  23. ^ "From the Archives: On the set of 'Young Frankenstein'". Los Angeles Times. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Marty Feldman: Six Degrees of Separation". BBC Two. August 13, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  25. ^ "Young Frankenstein". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  26. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 16, 1974). "'Young Frankenstein' a Monster Riot". The New York Times. p. 48. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  27. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Young Frankenstein". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  28. ^ Siskel, Gene (December 25, 1974). "'Young Frankenstein': Fitfully funny". Chicago Tribune. Section 4, p. 7.
  29. ^ "Film Reviews: Young Frankenstein". Variety. December 18, 1974. 13.
  30. ^ Champlin, Charles (December 18, 1974). "Portrait of a Young Monster". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 1.
  31. ^ Arnold, Gary (December 21, 1974). "Monstrous Spoof". The Washington Post D1, D5.
  32. ^ Milne, Tom (April 1975). "Young Frankenstein". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 42 (495): 90–91.
  33. ^ Sarah Rodman. Walk their way Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. July 28, 2003.
  34. ^ Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search for Love and Art Archived March 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, p. 151; Gene Wilder, Macmillan, 2005.
  35. ^ Feldman, Marty (2016). eyE Marty: The Official Autobiography of Marty Feldman. Rare Bird Books. p. 187.
  36. ^ "Young Frankenstein DVD". blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  37. ^ "Young Frankenstein DVD". blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  38. ^ "Young Frankenstein DVD". blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  39. ^ "The Paramount official site". Theparamount.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  40. ^ "Puttin' on the Glitz: Young Frankenstein Opens on Broadway". Playbill. November 8, 2007. Archived from the original on November 10, 2007.
  41. ^ Evans, Greg (January 8, 2020). "ABC & Mel Brooks Will Team For 'Young Frankenstein Live!' This Fall – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  42. ^ "The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  43. ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  44. ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  45. ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  46. ^ "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  47. ^ "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.

Further reading

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James Van Hise. "Films Fantastique presents Young Frankenstein". Rocket's Blast Comicollector #146 (Nov. 1978), pp. 6–14. On the writing, pre-production and filming of the picture.

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