For a really delightful parody, James Whale's own Bride of Frankenstein is far better value.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:42
Rotten:3
Average Rating:8.5/10
Consensus: Made with obvious affection for the original, Young Frankenstein is a riotously silly spoof featuring a fantastic performance by Gene Wilder.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: An affectionate parody that pays homage to the FRANKENSTEIN films (from the novel FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley) directed by James Whale in the 1930s, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is both a zany comedy and a... An affectionate parody that pays homage to the FRANKENSTEIN films (from the novel FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley) directed by James Whale in the 1930s, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is both a zany comedy and a cinematic tour de force. Written by director Mel Brooks and the film's star, Gene Wilder, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN has all the usual--and in this case slightly unusual--suspects: the reluctant scientist Frederick Frankenstein, who is actually the grandson of the infamous creature-creator (pronounced "Fronken-steen" and played by Wilder), his spoiled fiancée (Madeline Kahn), Igor the pop-eyed hunchback (Marty Feldman), his dizzy assistant (Teri Garr), the castle's hideous head housekeeper (Cloris Leachman), and, of course, the Monster (Peter Boyle). Highlights include the sets, which are the original ones used in the Whale films; the beautiful black-and-white cinematography; and the fine screenplay. Combining noirish elegance with uproarious sight gags and double entendres is a feat Brooks pulls off fabulously, directing the wonderful ensemble to act with sensitivity and humanistic feelings as well as with lunatic abandon. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is a treat from beginning to end. [More]
Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr
Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars, Gene Hackman
Director: Mel Brooks
Director: Mel Brooks
Screenwriter: Gene Wilder
Producer: Michael Gruskoff
Composer: John Morris
Reviews for Young Frankenstein
Say this for Brooks - he saw women as comedic equals, and they continually proved him right.
More about the myth of Karloff than the monster, this Mel Brooks pastiche is probably his best early film.
...an unswervingly funny yet loving and beautifully crafted homage, something more artful and lasting than the usual pull-my-finger farce or focus-grouped Scary Movie lowballer.
Bug-eyed Marty Feldman steals the show as Igor, pronounced 'Eye-gor'.
Mel Brooks caught comic lightning in a bottle in 1974 with his appropriately black-and-white spoof of James Whale's 1931 classic horror film.
It shows artistic growth and a more sure-handed control of the material by a director who once seemed willing to do literally anything for a laugh. It's more confident and less breathless.
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