Young Frankenstein
Year:
1974
Directed by:
Mel Brooks
Rated:
PG
Country:
United States
Runtime:
1 hr. 46 min.
Production Company:
Gruskoff/Venture Films
Written by:
Gene Wilder
Mel Brooks
Starring:
Gene Wilder
Peter Boyle
Marty Feldman
Cloris Leachman
Similar Films:
A smart, hilarious take on the Frankenstein mythology.
At the beginning of Young Frankenstein, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the main character and grandson of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein1, corrects a student's pronunciation of his name. "Fron-kon-steen," he tells him. He does so because he is embarrassed of his ancestry, particularly of what he believes are his grandfather's hokey scientific claims of reanimating dead tissue. By pronouncing his name differently, he wishes to escape this familial connection. A little later another character, Igor, similarly corrects Frederick when he pronounces "Igor" in the traditional way: "Ee-gore." Igor, who has grotesque, bulbous eyes, tells him the correct pronunciation is "Eye-gore." This pronunciation accomplishes the exact opposite of what Frederick had tried to do with his own name. By pronouncing his name as "Eye-gore," Igor affirms his destiny as someone with drastically messed up eyeballs. These similar situations with opposite ramifications set the theme of Young Frankenstein. This is a movie about the rejection and acceptance of destiny, told in the wonderfully haunting style of classic 1930s science fiction and driven by superb acting. And it's hilarious.
Gene Wilder, as Victor Frankenstein's grandson, perfectly portrays a physician who is appalled by his heritage but is inevitably drawn to it. The eventual acceptance of the role as the one who will continue Victor's work is the pivotal point in the film, demonstrating the contentment resultant of succumbing to one's destiny. While this plays out, Wilder bookmarks the stages of his character's development with grand moments of emotional and sonic intensity that recreate the feel of James Whale's original film adaptation of Frankenstein, though the plot primarily parodies the third installment, Son of Frankenstein. These outbursts from Wilder are also used, at times, for comedic effect. In the actor's first scene, his emotion is hilariously transparent as his mounting frustration with a student who unremittingly interrogates him about his grandfather's work is more and more obvious. The scene culminates into an eruption that is simultaneously climactic in emotion and anticlimactic in language: "MY GRANDFATHER'S WORK WAS DOODOO!" Later in the film, at the point at which Frederick finally gives in fully to his destiny, he proudly proclaims his name in its true, original pronunciation, yelling, "MY NAME IS FRANKENSTEIN!" with authority and triumph. There are a number of forces that account for Young Frankenstein's greatness, but Wilder's performance is the crowning one of them all.
Peter Boyle is as perfect a funny monster as Boris Karloff was a frightening one. He actually has much less makeup than Karloff required, due to his naturally robust facial features and large build. He plays the monster's trademark primordial instability well, but he is also able to take the part to the comedic realm with ease. A simple pause followed by "WaaAAAAHHH!" when a blind hermit (played by Gene Hackman) accidentally sets the monster's thumb on fire is perfectly timed for hilarity, and the "Are you serious?" look he gives the camera when the same character unintentionally smashes to bits the mug of wine he just poured for the monster is pure gold. But that's not all. He is also able to make an abrupt change in the character believable. Near the end of the film, a scientific procedure endows him the ability to speak eloquently, and he gives a small speech that is actually moving:
As long as I can remember, people have hated me. They looked at my face and my body, and they ran away in horror. In my loneliness I decided that if I could not inspire love, which was my deepest hope, I would instead cause fear! I live because this poor half-crazed genius has given me life. He alone held an image of me as something beautiful. And then, when it would have been easy enough to stay out of danger, he used his own body as a guinea pig, to give me a calmer brain ... and a somewhat more sophisticated way of expressing myself.
These lines, some of which are taken almost directly from lines the monster speaks in Mary Shelley's novel, are delivered with utmost sincerity, not for laughs but for tears. Boyle uses his own, soft voice when speaking them, making them as innocent as they could ever be. In the novel, it is at times difficult to believe the monster speaks as eloquently as he eventually does. In this movie, the words plant themselves in you with verisimilitude. Boyle lives up to very high standards in the role of one of cinema's greatest monsters.
