Young Frankenstein (1974)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Gene Wilder (screen story and screenplay) and
Mel Brooks (screen story and screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The scariest comedy of all time!

Plot:

Dr. Frankenstein's grandson, after years of living down the family reputation, inherits granddad's castle and repeats the experiments.

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Housekeeper | Monster | Scientist | Surgeon

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 11	11:45 PM	AMC
Mon. Dec. 14	12:30 PM	AMC
Tue. Dec. 15	6:30 AM	AMC

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Dr. Frankenstein
Peter Boyle	...	The Monster
Marty Feldman	...	Igor
Cloris Leachman	...	Frau Blücher
Teri Garr	...	Inga
Kenneth Mars	...	Inspector Kemp
Richard Haydn	...	Herr Falkstein
Liam Dunn	...	Mr. Hilltop
Danny Goldman	...	Medical Student
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Sadistic Jailor (as Oscar Beregi)
Arthur Malet	...	Village Elder
Anne Beesley	...	Little Girl
Monte Landis	...	Gravedigger
Rusty Blitz	...	Gravedigger
John Madison	...	A Villager

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (1987) | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1988) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-16 (cinema release) (1975) | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Iceland:LH | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Mayfair Theatre - 214 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Gruskoff/Venture Films

Trivia:

The shot of the monster carrying Elizabeth in the woods is a subtle reference to a similar shot in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The film is set in a mythological German-English "Transylvania," not a realistic depiction of the eponymous, 30,000 square-mile, Hungarian-Romanian province. In reality there would not be a single "Transylvania station" for trains, but would be many towns, each with their own station. But the movie's Transylvania is an imaginary land with imaginary people that Mel Brooks makes up, even though he uses a real place's name for it.

Quotes:

[following Igor's botched attempt to interpret Dr. Frankenstein's charade clues while being attacked by the monster]
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: SEDA-GIVE?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Madeline Kahn/Carly Simon (#1.19)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

I Ain't Got Nobody (and Nobody Cares for Me)

A Track of Laughs.

Mel Brooks' hilarious "Young Frankenstein" is one of those strange films that is so outlandish and makes fun of itself so much that it sucks the viewer into its twisted world and does not let up until the final credits roll. The titled character (Gene Wilder) decides to go to Transylvania and continue the research of a late relative. What follows is a comic joy-ride that involves the assistant (Marty Feldman), the love interest (Teri Garr), the stuck-up girlfriend (Madeline Kahn), the weird house-keeper (Cloris Leachman), the odd detective (Kenneth Mars) and naturally the monster himself (Peter Boyle in a priceless performance). Gene Hackman's whacked cameo as a the blind man who encounters the monster is one of the best sequences during the history of the cinema. A brilliant screenplay and beautiful black-and-white cinematography assist "Young Frankenstein" in being the total success that it is. 4.5 out of 5 stars.