Yar, you be here: Young Frankenstein (Special Edition) > Customer Reviews

Young Frankenstein (Special Edition) Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 73 Reviews)

Slapstick comedy masterpiece!
This film is one of my all-time favorite Mel Brooks movies. It has been called one of the ten funniest movies ever made, and I am not about to argue that. Everything about this film works. From the casting, to the set pieces, to the dialogue, to the direction, to the soundtrack, everything clicks. One thing in the film's favor: the decision to film in glorious black and white, as in the glory days of Hollywood horror films, which this movie paid direct homage to. The cast was spot on, and you could only imagine the crack-ups that occured after each take. Peter Boyle was wonderful as the Monster, and Gene Wilder was a true genius as Fiedrich Frankenstein. Teri Garr, in an early appearance, is great as Inga, the lab assisant. Marty Feldman lends his maniacal eyes to Igor, giving a rousing performance in the process. Madeleine Kahn, as usual for this great lady, nearly steals the whole show as Dr. Frankenstein's american fiancee. She will forever be remembered for her rendition of "Love at Last I've Found You". Overall, one can tell this film was a true labor of love. Every scene is filled with detail, which this DVD release brings into sharp focus. The contrast is wonderful, the sound is sharp, and the film just glows. If Mel Brooks rather crude humor isn't your forte, this film is closer to mainstream than normal for him. As a result, he gave us a true cinema classic, and we thank him for it.

"This DVD needs a new Special Edition"
I've had this DVD for about 5 years, and I have to say that it needs a "NEW" Special Edition. (1) It needs a anamorphic tranfer, watching it on my widescreen TV does not do this movie justice. (2) It needs new audio, a mono soundtrack is good if you're watching using your TV speakers. Give it a Dolby/DTS 5.1 this film deserves it. (3) "Making Sense of... " is great, but what about the FOX Channel special that aired for it's 25th Anniversary that would be a great addition. (4) The deleted scenes are in 4:3. Did Mel shoot them that way, I don't think so. Present them the way they were shot in 16:9. (5) The trailers should be in widescreen (some are, and some are'nt). Bottom line "Young Frankenstein" needs a "NEW" Special Edition, come on FOX you release that same crap over and over, do we really need another DVD release on ID4- I think NOT.

Brian
Philadelphia, PA

Reanimating Dead Tissue Is Easy, Comedy Is Hard
Released in 1974, Young Frankenstein is irrefutably one of the funniest movies ever made. Devotees are quick to recreate favorite scenes and certain lines from the film have insinuated themselves into popular culture. Never has the phrase, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard," seemed more fitting. Indeed, anyone who has ever intentionally attempted humor knows it's a whole lot more difficult than it looks.

Viewed in this context, Young Frankenstein is one of those incredibly rare examples of a project where everything goes right. The best place to begin is with the chemistry between Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Left to his own devices, Brooks is the original loose canon, willing to embrace any outrageous extreme in pursuit of laughs. Wilder, a far more refined and nuanced artist, is his perfect foil, they balance each other ideally. (This was also true in The Producers and Blazing Saddles.)

Next is the supporting cast. Great comic actors are less common than hen's teeth, but Brooks managed to assemble a veritable Who's Who. Teri Garr, in addition to bringing sex to the picture, has superb comic timing. Madeline Kahn is as gifted a comedienne as you might ever find, and her flamboyance is irresistible. Marty Feldman is more than just another pretty face with a moving hump, he delivers. Actors like Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, and Gene Hackman - not known for comedy - rise to the occasion and become funny by virtue of their context.

Next is the discipline. Brooks and Wilder stay close to the original Mary Shelley story as well as the two famous film versions, even going so far as to locate and use the laboratory set from the 1931 Frankenstein by James Whale. By making the film an homage to the great monster pictures of early Hollywood, (note the decision to shoot in black and white), Brooks and Wilder created something that is more than just a broad farce, at times it is actually touching.

Architecture firmly in place, the mayhem could begin in earnest. This is as good a comedy script as you are likely to find anywhere, one-liners zing by with the manic pace of a Marx Brothers movie. But even the best script can die in the wrong hands, and there are no wrong hands in this film, (not even the dead ones). From physical humor, to timing, (where comedy lives or dies), to snappy, deadpan delivery of over-the-top dialogue, Young Frankenstein is practicality a masters class in comic acting - plus - these performers are obviously enjoying themselves. If you were to own just one comedy film, this should be it. Absolute perfection.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Next Page