Young Frankenstein has been one of my favorite comedies since I was about eleven. It's definitely rich with visual images, and the fact that it's a black and white movie is a large part its charm. The appearances of the perfectly cast characters—Igor, Dr. Frankenstein, his fiancé, the monster, and more—are just brilliant and add to the overall look and feel of the film. Here is a very spooky topic—the neurosurgeon grandson of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein goes to Transylvania to "complete" his grandfather's work—that is twisted into the Mel Brooks style, zany, satirical comedy that he does so amazingly well. It all looks perfectly creepy and scary—the castle, the dark and stormy night, the trick bookcase, the monster, lots of scenes, the cinematography—an homage, assumably, to the original Frankenstein story, yet this movie being a spoof of that story makes one see all of it in a new and delightfully funny light. Of course, there are numerous hysterically memorable scenes that are both creepy and hilarious at the same time. Igor (pronounced EYE-gore) is probably involved in at least 50% of these scenes that are so brilliant.
Here's a great example. Dr. Frankenstein (pronounced FRONKINSTEEN), along with his "assistant" played by Teri Garr, is exploring the premises of the castle and comes upon some decapitated heads of various times of death, labeled as such. Starting with one that's 100 years old (a skull), then 25 years old, and so on, until he reaches "6 months dead," and finally "freshly dead," which, as you can see below, is actually Igor with his head on the shelf, making you jump, especially when he "pops to life" revealing his prank. It's such a memorable moment—one that causes belly-aching laughter, if you have that type of sense of humor! I think that it appeals to both adults and kids alike.
I could go on and on about this movie and why it's so memorable and entertaining, even influential, but the main point is that it especially makes use of visual elements, combined with everything else, for a certain effect. Again, take the characters—Igor (Marty Feldman) is one of the strangest looking dudes there ever was! And, he is so brilliantly funny. Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frankenstein, and his crazy hair and expressive face add tremendously to a remarkable performance. The monster (Peter Boyle) is terrifying because of how he looks and his huge size, but also because he is mistakenly given an "abnormal" brain due to a snafu on Igor's part; He's also quite endearing as he makes friends with a little girl, learns to (barely) sing and dance, and cries like a baby. He ends up with Frankenstein's fiancé whose hair looks like that of the Bride of Frankenstein after she spends a night with him. See photos below.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie a very high rating of 94% and sums it up with, "Made with obvious affection for the original, Young Frankenstein is a riotously silly spoof featuring a fantastic performance by Gene Wilder."
I highly recommend this movie, and I guarantee that it will leave you with some fantastic images in your head. Maybe the young people of today won't know how to appreciate it 40 years later, but I think it's definitely worth a watch if you've never seen it. Check out the trailer on the IMDb page.
I'll leave you with some more great stills from the film.
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