It's kind of crazy that I haven't seen Young Frankenstein until today. It is easily one of Mel Brooks's best comedies right up there with The Producers and Blazing Saddles. It is also quite different from the typical Mel Brooks film, for instance Spaceballs, in that it doesn't totally rely on endless gags (many of which aren't even that funny). Young Frankenstein is perhaps his smartest, most balanced and artistically pleasing film that shows Brooks's competence not only as a comedian but as a film maker.
Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who views himself as a respectable scientist that tries to distance himself away from the legacy of his grandfather, the infamous Victor Frankenstein. He travels to his grandfather's estate, the obligatory dark castle atop the hill, and is joined by the voluptuous Inga and Igor, the grandson of, well, Igor. In an amusing scene, since Frederick insists on pronouncing his name Fronk-en-steen, Igor counters that his name should be pronounced Eye-gore. At the estate, Frederick discovers his grandfather's old notes and cannot help but to try to recreate his experiment.
The film is a departure from the obvious in your face comedy that Brooks is famous for. Although there are plenty of stupid laughs in this film, they are refreshingly few and far between. When contrasted with the ominous horror elements of the movie, it makes these moments much funnier. The funniest parts are in the subtler moments. In a perfectly normal looking scene, Gene Wilder may deliver a line in a certain way that had me cracking up. In one scene Inga makes an innocent one liner regarding a certain enlarged body part of the monster that is as funny as the wildest gesture from any other typical Mel Brooks scene.
The heart and soul of the film is of course Gene Wilder who is a brilliant comedic actor. The way he is able to raise his voice excitedly while remaining perfectly calm is one of his greatest assets and his deadpan humor and sarcasm are top notch. Watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory again and notice how sharp his delivery and wit is. He brings the same kind of brilliance to this film and he must of had a ton of fun playing this eccentric mad scientist. And I haven't even begun to talk about the great supporting roles.
I really liked that this film was filmed in black and white, an obvious choice for satirizing the classic monster pictures. It creates a genuinely dark atmosphere which is such a great contrast to the humor of the film. Brooks took great care in getting the details right; apparently he even used the same laboratory set they used in the original Frankenstein. Young Frankenstein may not be Brooks's funniest movie, I'd probably have to give that distinction to The Producers, but it is arguably his best made film.
Grade: A
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