When I first saw YOUNG FRAKENSTIEN 20 years ago I rolled around the living room in fits of hysterical laughter , something that hasn't happened very often . In fact I would probably that throughout my life this has just got to be the funniest film I have ever seen in my life so when it was broadcast on BBC 2 over the Christmas period I went out of my way to watch it
Hmmm . I have to amend my opinion chaps . Not only is it no longer the funniest film I have seen in my entire life I wouldn't even consider it the funniest film from Mel Brooks ( Which will remain now and forever BLAZING SADDLES ) which is a great shame . The problem is that much of the early part of the story seems to drag along with a fairly unfunny broad performance by Gene Wilder and he's not helped by Marty Feldman as Igor , though perhaps the screenplay is to blame since both characters have a running gag of getting their names wrong - " Fronkonsteen " and " Eyegore " . Some of the other failings might be down to the fact that my views of the original Universal horror movies that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN parody have changed over the years . When I was a teenager I used to love these movies had very fond memories but after seeing them all again over the years I found them lacking and were nowhere as good as I remembered them
That said where this film is at its funniest is when they directly spoof scenes from the original movie . The scenes with Inspector Kemp , especially when he is first introduced still make laugh as does the scenes culled from THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTIEN featuring Gene Hackman . It's just a pity the laughs are a long time coming and somewhat inconsistent and it's one of those movies that will have the audience remembering all the good bits while forgetting the more numerous unfunny bits
Hmmm . I have to amend my opinion chaps . Not only is it no longer the funniest film I have seen in my entire life I wouldn't even consider it the funniest film from Mel Brooks ( Which will remain now and forever BLAZING SADDLES ) which is a great shame . The problem is that much of the early part of the story seems to drag along with a fairly unfunny broad performance by Gene Wilder and he's not helped by Marty Feldman as Igor , though perhaps the screenplay is to blame since both characters have a running gag of getting their names wrong - " Fronkonsteen " and " Eyegore " . Some of the other failings might be down to the fact that my views of the original Universal horror movies that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN parody have changed over the years . When I was a teenager I used to love these movies had very fond memories but after seeing them all again over the years I found them lacking and were nowhere as good as I remembered them
That said where this film is at its funniest is when they directly spoof scenes from the original movie . The scenes with Inspector Kemp , especially when he is first introduced still make laugh as does the scenes culled from THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTIEN featuring Gene Hackman . It's just a pity the laughs are a long time coming and somewhat inconsistent and it's one of those movies that will have the audience remembering all the good bits while forgetting the more numerous unfunny bits