‘Crazy Movies Club’ is the name of the cycle in which our local cinema included Mel Brooks‘ ‘ Young Frankenstein ‘. I think it’s a very appropriate setting for the Brooklyn-born comedy creator’s personality, though this movie is one of the more ‘restraint’ ones in his successful career as an author and director of comedies and parodies for the big screen. Everything is relative, of course, as we are dealing with Mel Brooks.
Having managed the breakthrough with ‘The Producers‘ in the late 60s, the 70s were for Mel Brooks the years of consecration. Most of his films from this period were parodies of the classic genres of American cinema, or in other words ‘Hollywood parodies Hollywood’. What sets Mel Brooks apart from other parody filmmakers who followed (and imitated) him is the audacity to break Hollywood’s film and censorship conventions, but especially his deep knowledge and respect for the film genres that he is approaching. Mel Brooks‘ kind of respect, of course. In the case of ‘Young Frankenstein‘, the original story lines from Mary Shelley’s novels and classic horror films from the 1930s are taken. The film is filmed in black and white, Mel Brooks being one of the first directors to understand the stylistic value of working with ‘vintage’ technical means. Even sets from the classic Frankenstein films made 40 years ago were reused. On top of all this, however, a healthy dose of Mel Brooks‘ craziness was added.
Some of the comical ideas and many gags are memorable. At some moment the actors started to improvise, and being excellent comedy actors, the result is that they have fun and entertain us, the viewers. Gene Wilder (who also participated in writing the script) is perfectly in the role of the young Frankenstein who travels to Transylvania following in the footsteps of his famous and controversial grandfather, resuming his comical and frightening experiences and adventures. Marty Feldman is a tailor made partner, with an uncommon sense of humor. I was less impressed with Peter Boyle who could never forget Boris Karloff, but instead I was delighted with Gene Hackman , an actor whom I particularly appreciate, in an episodic composition role. Even if it doesn’t reach the maximum level of comedic intensity of Mel Brooks‘ best films, ‘Young Frankenstein‘ remains a quality entertainment today.