{"id":28097,"date":"2012-11-06T11:20:40","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T18:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28097"},"modified":"2023-11-30T13:50:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T20:50:09","slug":"young-frankenstein-1974","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28097","title":{"rendered":"Young Frankenstein (1974)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;With such a magnificent body, all we need now is an equally magnificent brain.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster-664x1024.jpg 664w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Poster.jpg 1039w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA neuroscientist (Gene Wilder) returns to the home of his infamous great-grandfather, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, where he enlists the help of two loyal assistants &#8212; hunchbacked Igor (Marty Feldman) and busty Inga (Teri Garr) &#8212; in resurrecting a corpse and bringing a Creature (Peter Boyle) to life.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frankenstein<\/li>\n<li>Gene Hackman Films<\/li>\n<li>Gene Wilder Films<\/li>\n<li>Mad Doctors and Scientists<\/li>\n<li>Madeline Kahn Films<\/li>\n<li>Mel Brooks Films<\/li>\n<li>Peter Boyle Films<\/li>\n<li>Richard Haydn Films<\/li>\n<li>Satires and Spoofs<\/li>\n<li>Teri Garr Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that &#8220;this spoof of Universal&#8217;s 1931 version of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354\"><em>Frankenstein<\/em> (1931)<\/a>&#8221; &#8212; as well as its two direct sequels, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17366\"><em>Bride of Frankenstein<\/em> (1935)<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18402\"><em>Son of Frankenstein<\/em> (1942)<\/a> &#8212; &#8220;is the only Mel Brooks film that almost everyone likes&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;for a change, Brooks remains tasteful throughout; keeps his actors under reasonable control&#8230;; maintains the picture&#8217;s tone by including only one &#8216;burlesque&#8217; interlude (Frankenstein and the Monster perform a hilarious rendition of &#8216;Puttin&#8217; on the Ritz&#8217;)&#8230;; and, while the humor is outrageous, it is subtly played&#8221;. He further points out the critical fact that &#8220;Brooks shows a knowledge and affection for both <em>Frankenstein<\/em> and the horror genre that he would not display for the western in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28158\"><em>Blazing Saddles<\/em><\/a>,&#8221; and notes that &#8220;the use of lab props from the 1931 movie, the use of black-and-white film, and an atmospheric score by John Morris contribute greatly to Brooks&#8217;s attempt to recapture the ambiance of the old Universal horror pictures&#8221;. Finally, he points out that all the actors &#8220;do justice to the clever Brooks-Wilder script&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I agree with Peary: <em>Young Frankenstein<\/em> remains a remarkably restrained and respectful homage to the films it&#8217;s satirizing. Fine attention is paid to recreating the overall feel and look of Universal&#8217;s classic flicks, whose fans &#8212; at least those willing to allow their beloved films to be poked fun at &#8212; will have a field day seeing scene after iconic scene tweaked for humorous effect (i.e., the Monster&#8217;s encounter with a young girl [Anne Beasley] near a well; the Monster&#8217;s not-so-comfortable encounter with a well-meaning blind hermit [Gene Hackman]; etc.). Meanwhile, the cast is indeed game throughout, with &#8220;wild-eyed&#8221; Wilder giving an appropriately impassioned performance as the conflicted Dr. Frankenstein (he fills the shoes of his classic thespian predecessors quite nicely), and Feldman wonderfully over-the-top as his wily assistant. I don&#8217;t quite agree with Peary that Brooks &#8220;remains tasteful throughout&#8221;, though I suppose the term &#8220;tasteful&#8221; is relative &#8212; and it&#8217;s definitely kept mostly in check here. In sum, this is one of a small handful of Brooks films that all film fanatics should be familiar with, and will enjoy revisiting from time to time. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein (nominated as one of the Best Actors of the Year in Peary&#8217;s Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Wilder.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Marty Feldman as Igor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Feldman.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine supporting performances by the rest of the cast<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Boyle.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Hackman.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Garr.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Kahn.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Leachman.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wonderfully recreated Gothic sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Sets.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gerald Hirschfeld&#8217;s b&#038;w cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Young-Frankenstein-Cinematography2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Brooks&#8217; most beloved comedy classics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0072431\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1974\/12\/16\/archives\/young-frankenstein-a-monster-riot.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/young-frankenstein-1974\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/youn.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=3691&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/young-frankenstein-1974.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/young-frankenstein\/review\/110142\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/96522\/young-frankenstein#articles-reviews?articleId=75771\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/young-frankenstein\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;With such a magnificent body, all we need now is an equally magnificent brain.&#8221; Synopsis: A neuroscientist (Gene Wilder) returns to the home of his infamous great-grandfather, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, where he enlists the help of two loyal assistants &#8212; hunchbacked Igor (Marty Feldman) and busty Inga (Teri Garr) &#8212; in resurrecting a corpse and bringing a Creature (Peter Boyle) to life. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Frankenstein Gene Hackman Films Gene Wilder Films Mad Doctors and Scientists Madeline Kahn&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28097\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28097"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93580,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097\/revisions\/93580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}