Young Frankenstein

     Frankly (get it?) it's been a long, long time coming that I watch Young Frankenstein, as not only was it made by one of my favorite spoof movie directors, Mel Brooks, but it also happens to be my dad's favorite movie of all time. Since I'm already a fan of Brooks' work, I was sure I would enjoy the film, but with the knowledge that this movie inspired a lot of my dad's sense of humor, I was excited to watch it fully for the first time, finally ready to understand all of the references my dad would make constantly at home.

    If I'm being honest, I actually attempted watching this movie once earlier this year, while I was visiting my friends in Gainesville. However, since our days were busy and our nights were even busier, when we tried to watch it together we all were falling asleep in the first ten minutes. Normally I wouldn't mind if I slept through the first bit of a movie, especially if I'm watching with friends, but since this movie is important to me, I wanted to do it right, meaning I would postpone the viewing until some other time.

    By complete coincidence, upon my return to Tallahassee I had learned that the student cinema on campus would be hosting a viewing of Young Frankenstein in the theater, meaning that not only would I be able to watch it for free with my friends, but I would also be experiencing the movie on the big movie theater screen, which felt like I was transported back to the 70s when the movie first released. This was such a lucky accident that I cleared my schedule for that day, prepared to ensure that we would have seats no matter what!

    To give a brief summary of the movie, the story follows Fredrick Frankenstein (though he pronounces it differently to distance himself from his grandfather's "doodoo" work) as he explores the castle he inherits from his grandfather's death, where the infamous Frankenstein reanimation experiments took place. Here, he is accompanied by Igor and Inga, his lab assistants. Together, the rediscover his grandfather's work and attempt to recreate the experiments by reanimating the corpse of a local giant. However, when Igor gives it an abnormal (Abby Normal) brain instead of the intended genius brain, it creates a violent, mindless monster. He is briefly trained by Fredrick to be able to perform socially, but society rejects him anyways. After some shenanigans involving monster sex and brain transferring, the movie ends on a happy note.

    As funny as this movie is, I do believe it is worthy of genuine reflection and analysis despite it being commonly written off as a "spoof" movie. Sure, the film is meant to parody classical 30s horror movies with a bunch of cheap puns and raunchy jokes, but its style of parody differs from other popular Brooks' spoof films like Spaceballs, where it feels like the plot comes second to the onslaught of constant jokes and skits. Instead, this movie could work perfectly fine as a modern (for its time) adaptation of the classic Frankenstein story even if you removed all of the jokes- there is a degree of craftsmanship and passion behind this film that should be considered with seriousness, and not just discredited as mere joke movies like Spaceballs. So, I want to take a minute to appreciate the filmmaking before I talk about how funny I thought the movie was.

    The set design and overall tone of the movie accomplishes a spectacular job of replicating the look and feel of 30s horror cinema, utilizing a black-and-white film and props from the original Frankenstein movie from that era. If you think I'm a fraud for complimenting Young Frankenstein for its imitation of these old horror movies since I wasn't around for them, please read this blog on my thoughts on the original Nosferatu film, as I have been watching plenty of old horror movies for a college course I'm taking. Moving onwards, it's clear that despite a focus being placed on the humor of the movie, Mel Brooks did not slack in any department regarding the aesthetics of the film, leaning into Classic German Expressionism ideas and concepts to build the eerie countryside of Transylvania, with its deep shadows cutting across the screen in every scene and its sharp, angular designs for props and buildings. It takes a certain kind of movie for me to actively pay attention to set design, and this film is one of those that just speaks to me visually. I can say the same for its scene transitions, which makes the movie feel like it was ripped straight out from the 30s cinema, and is simply way too ahead of its time.

    Every performance in this film shines, whether it be Gene Wilder in the titular Fredrick Frankenstein (or is it "Fronkensteen"?), Marty Feldman as the hunchbacked, goofy servant Igor, or Peter Boyle as the infamous Monster. I'm not sure that a film with this many jokes could be made today with such tight and well-timed delivery, as every joke, bit, and gimmick that comes up in the movie hits the spot every time. Running gags like the horses shrieking every time Frau Blücher's name is spoken never get old, and specific jokes like the Abby Normal brain are so stupidly charming that they become instantly quotable, even if there are virtually zero scenarios that warrant referencing this movie. Even characters that I initially didn't really care for, like the mechanical arm-toting Inspector Kemp, had grown on me by the end of the film with the repeated gimmick of having to move his arm manually by himself, since the sheer silliness of the concept wormed its way into my heart.

    Young Frankenstein is undeniably a fantastic movie, both in its humor and general attention to detail in its production. For fans of Mel Brooks' brand of stupid spoof movies, this film offers a more refined viewing experience while still offering all of the raunchy humor fans have come to adore, and for those who are fans of the horror genre but aren't familiar with Brooks' brand of comedy, this is one of the best introductions you could possibly get. I now understand exactly why my dad adores this film so much, and how he can reference it so often without getting tired of it. It truly is a one-of-a-kind movie, and I can only hope that this brand of comedy parody films makes its way back into mainstream media one day, so that more people can enjoy this classic.