Young Frankenstein

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Young Frankenstein

• British Novel to Film
• Fu Jen University
• Dr. M. Connor

2
Instant classic

• In 1974, director Mel Brooks released Young
  Frankenstein, his parody of and homage to the
  horror films of the 1930s, especially James
  Whales Frankenstein and The Bride of
  Frankenstein.
• The term instant classic is bandied about much
  too often these days, but thats just what this
  film has become.

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Part of the pop culture it was parodying

• Much of the dialogue in this incredibly funny
  movie has become part of pop culture.
• I would love to give you a number of examples,
  but much of the humor is also visual.
• But I think this example works (see next slide)

4
Where else do you get em?
An example of the visual humor in Young
Frankenstein Source Mel Brooks Movie Site,
http//www.ladyofthecake.com/mel/frank/yfimages.ht
m
5
What about the words?

• Igor, Frankensteins assistant, in a scene
  reminiscent of the 1931 Frankenstein, has stolen
  an abnormal brain from the medical school.
• And this is how Frankenstein learns of it

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Classic exchange

• Dr. Frankenstein Would you mind telling me whose
  brain I did put in?Igor And you won't be
  angry?Dr. Frankenstein I will NOT be
  angry.Igor Abby someone.Dr. Frankenstein Abby
  someone. Abby who?Igor Abby Normal.
• To this day, its not unusual to call people Abby
  Normal as an insult!

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Beautifully shot

• Brooks wanted this film to have the proper look,
  so he shot it in black and white, recreating the
  beautiful look of the 1930 inspirations.
• He also rented the original sets from the 1931
  original.
• The laboratory looks so much like Whales film
  because it is the set from Whales film.

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The Plot (as you know)

• The film is the story of Dr. Frederick
  Frankenstein, (Gene Wilder) grandson of the
  infamous Victor Frankenstein (Henry in the Whale
  films).
• A brilliant surgeon in America, he still tries to
  distance himself from his family heritage, to the
  point of making sure people know that it's
  pronounced Fronk-en-shteen, not Frank-en-stein.

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The cast of characters

• But Frederick learns he is to inherit the family
  castle in Transylvania, and off he travels to see
  his new property, leaving his fiance, Elizabeth
  (Madeline Kahn) behind.
• When he arrives in Transylvania, he meets the
  family retainers, the hunchback Igor (Marty
  Feldman), whose hump mysteriously moves from side
  to side, Inga, (Terri Garr) the sexy blonde lab
  assistant, and Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman),
  whose very name causes the horses to whinny in
  fear.

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Frau Blucher

• This is a subtle joke. But not the one I thought
  it was.
• According to tradition, Blucher means glue in
  German, and as the old jokes tell us, thats
  where useless horses end up.
• BUT, this isnt true.

Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher, Source
http//www.amicidellabonelli.net/foto/foto_mini/fr
anky/frau.jpg
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Snopes explains...

• The only in-joke connected with this gag is that
  so many people have missed its real humor and
  instead been taken in by a leg-pull. "Blucher" is
  not the German word for "glue," nor does it sound
  remotely like any German word for "glue"
  standard, slang, archaic, or otherwise. Blucher
  (or Blücher) is simply an ordinary Germanic
  surname.
• The joke employed in the film is a take-off on
  the hoary melodramatic film device of inserting
  an ominous organ riff or clap of thunder and
  having actors react with visible fright whenever
  the villain appears on-screen or a character
  refers to something evil or threatening.
• From The Urban Legend Reference Pages

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Memorable Scenes

• One of the films most famous scenes is the one
  in which the tuxedoed Frankenstein and his
  creation do a song and dance routine to Puttin
  on the Ritz in front of a medical convention in
  Bucharest.
• When they started to film the scene, no one was
  sure what the Creature should say.
• Boyle came up with a strangled version of
  "Puiinin da reeez!" On screen, it works
  brilliantly.

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Classic humor
The famous Puttin on the Ritz scene. Source
Mel Brooks Movie Site, http//www.ladyofthecake.co
m/mel/frank/yfimages.htm
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Homage scenes

• Many scenes from Frankenstein and The Bride of
  Frankenstein show up in this film.
• The first is a parody of the little girl drowning
  scene, taken from Frankenstein. But there is no
  accidental murder here.
• Although the audience is mentally prepared for
  one, in this version, the girl is catapulted from
  a see-saw straight through her bedroom window and
  into her bed, where her parents peek in to wish
  her good night before she falls asleep.

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The Hermit

• The second scene, featuring the Monster and Gene
  Hackman playing a blind hermit, is an obvious
  reference to the blind hermit scenes in The Bride
  of Frankenstein.
• But of course, in this case, its funny.
• So when feeding the Monster, the hermit pours
  steaming soup into his lap. And when lighting
  the Monsters cigar, the hermit sets the poor
  creatures thumb on fire.
• And when the poor, pained Monster finally flees
  the cabin, the hermit shouts out, Wait. Where
  are you going? I was going to make Espresso, a
  line ad-libbed by Hackman.

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Touching and funny
Gene Hackman as the blind hermit and Peter Boyle
as the Monster. Source Mel Brooks Movie Site,
http//www.ladyofthecake.com/mel/frank/yfimages.ht
m
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More than a parody

• As Roger Ebert has written, the film works on a
  couple of levels first as comedy, and then as a
  weirdly touching story in its own right. A lot of
  the credit for that goes to the performances of
  Gene Wilder, as young Frankenstein, and Peter
  Boyle as the monster. They act broadly when it's
  required, but they also contribute tremendous
  subtlety and control. Boyle somehow manages to be
  hilarious and pathetic at the same time. (Ebert)

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So what do you think?

• Because of this level of skill in the
  film-making, I find this an excellent film to
  watch when studying Frankenstein.
• In fact, more than one student has argued that
  this version of the story comes closest to the
  spirit of Shelleys work!
• They know that it is a comedy, but the story is
  touching and the Monsters search for love and
  understanding is clearer.

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An alternate ending to Shelley?

• Other students have argued that had Shelleys
  Victor taken his parental role to the Creature
  seriously, as the Frederick Frankenstein
  character does in this film, the stories would
  have had similar endings!

Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein. Source
Mel Brooks Movie Site, http//www.ladyofthecake.co
m/mel/frank/yfimages.htm
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But this dialogue supports that

• Dr. Frederick Frankenstein to The Monster
  Hello handsome. You're a good looking fellow, do
  you know that? People laugh at you, people hate
  you, but why do they hate you? Because... they
  are jealous. Look at that boyish face. Look at
  that sweet smile. Do you wanna talk about
  physical strength? Do you want to talk about
  sheer muscle? Do you want to talk about the
  Olympian ideal? You are a God. And listen to me,
  you are not evil. You... are... good.
• the Monster starts to cry, and Dr. Frederick
  Frankenstein hugs him
• Dr. Frederick Frankenstein This is a nice boy.
  This is a good boy. This is a mother's angel. And
  I want the world to know once and for all, and
  without any shame, that we love him. I'm going to
  teach you. I'm going to show you how to walk, how
  to speak, how to move, how to think. Together,
  you and I are going to make the greatest single
  contribution to science since the creation of
  fire.

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• Madeline Kahns Elizabeth is very different from
  the Elizabeths of the novel or the Whale films.
• Shes incrediby funny in an understated way.
• And the hair does make an appearance!

Madeline Kahn as Elizabeth, the bride of
Frankenstein. Source Mel Brooks Movie Site,
http//www.ladyofthecake.com/mel/frank/yfimages.ht
m
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Some fun trivia

• When Dr. Frankenstein descends the stairs into
  the basement of the castle there is a gargoyle on
  the wall made to look like director Mel Brooks.
• The assistant property master's name, Charles
  Sertin, is on the third brain on the shelf.
• The clock rings 13 times at the beginning of the
  film.
• Mel Brooks made a cameo appearance in this film,
  making the sound of the off-screen cat screaming
  when hit by a dart.

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On Broadway?

• According to The Internet Movie Data Base, Mel
  Brooks is currently working on turning his 1974
  comedy film hit, Young Frankenstein, into his
  next Broadway musical, with a possible opening in
  2005.
• But dont buy tickets yet.

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But a quote from Variety

• "Hairspray" book co-writer Thomas Meehan gave a
  progress report on tuner "Young Frankenstein"
  (his last Tony was for Mel Brooks' "The
  Producers"). "We've been working on it six
  months, and (we have) six songs for act one and
  about two-thirds of the book for the first
  act.... As soon as we finish it, we might throw
  it away if it stinks. So don't hold your breath."
   (June 16, 2003)

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Sources

• Ebert, Roger. Young Frankenstein Review,
  January 1, 1974. Rogerebert.com Movie Reviews 20
  Mar 2005. http//rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs
  .dll/article?AID/19740101/REVIEWS/401010324/1023
• Young Frankenstein, The Internet Movie
  Database, http//imdb.com/title/tt0072431/