Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein: The New Mel Brooks Musical
$18.98
With the hugely successful adaptation of THE PRODUCERS turned into one of the biggest (and most profitable), most popular, and critically praised Broadway musicals of all time, it was a given that Mel Brooks would attempt to dive back into the well and turn some of his other movies into stage musicals. YOUNG FRANKENTEIN was the movie next chosen for adaptation. Unfortunately, though the show has comical musical numbers that allude and sometimes outright copy from famous composers, musicians, and performers of the past (Irving Berlin, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Danny Kaye, etc.), the show fails to be capture the imagination and wit that made THE PRODUCERS such a huge hit.

THE PRODUCERS was originally a story that Mel Brooks turned into a play which was so long that he made it into a film. The original movie, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, wasn't exactly a box office smash, but was big enough to usher Brooks onto the Hollywood scene and would lead him to becoming one of the biggest comic powers of the 1970s. Still, until the late 1990s, THE PRODUCERS was an unknown film, except by Brooks' fans and movie buffs. It also had started out as a stage play and already contained two musical numbers. Therefore, that movie was a perfect pick for adapting into a stage musical. On the other hand, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is one of Brooks' best-known movies, has remained hugely popular since its initial release, and is a parody of the classic black and white horror films of the 1930s. The movie also contain one of the best comedy musical song and dance numbers of film ("Putting on the Ritz"), but that's an Irving Berlin song, not a Mel Brooks song.

Despite all of these challenges, I still thought that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN would be great. I was wrong. The musical isn't terrible, but I was terribly disappointed. Instead of being unique and original, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN ends up sounding like a poorly made copy. There really aren't any standout numbers on the soundtrack, but there are a few worth recommending and a few others that are half-way good.

2. "The Happiest Town in Town"--the big opening number. If all of the songs were as well done as this, then the show would have been as big a success as THE PRODUCERS.

3. "The Brain"--another early number. Full of words and witty humor. Once again, if most of the songs from the album were done along this vein, then the show would have been huge.
5. "Together Again"--a duet between Igor and Frederick. I don't think it's been acknowledged, but the song was definitely inspired by the Muppets "Together Again".

9. "Life, Life"--one of the few serious songs on the album. It's one of the best all around musical numbers in the whole album. I know Brooks is a comedy man, but from this song alone I would be interested in seeing him trying something a bit more serious.

11. "Transylvania Mania"--another big dance number that's just all around fun.

15. "Please Send Me Someone"--this song is kind of mixed. There is a beauty to it, that gets interrupted by bits of comedy. Once again, if the show had been serious, this could have been a very powerful ballad. Instead, it's ruined by its own comedy.

18. "Deep Love"--sex can make people want to sing.

I was really looking forward to "Puttin' On the Ritz", but the expansion of the song and dance number from what was done in the movie actually detracts from the scene rather than make it better.

Overall, though YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN isn't a terrible musical, it is a disappointment. There are glimpses of the Mel Brooks genius, but in trying to top the biggest Broadway musical success ever, he has given us a show that starts out strong, but ends up falling on its feet.

Young Frankenstein
$14.98
Young Frankenstein is certainly a classic film, and I feel somewhat bad about giving it only 3 stars. The film shows its age, not in the jokes themselves, but in the way they are delivered. I've never liked films that wink too much at the audience, and Young Frankenstein winks constantly - especially Igor, but also the monster and others. I found that every time this happened, I was taken out of the movie and reminded that I was watching something, which was distracting and ultimately causes me to remove one star. The other star is removed because, well, it's not The Producers, which is, for my money, a better (and funnier!) film.

A plot synopsis is probably not required, as the film is a spoof-homage (almost equal parts each) of the various Golden-Age Frankenstein films. Young Dr. Frankenstein ("It's pronounced Fronk-en-steen") is ashamed of his famous anscestor until he learns he is the sole heir to the family's estates. He arrives in Transylvania and finds Igor ("It's pronounced Eye-gore") and the original doctor's book "How I Did It". He resolves to build his own monster to prove that with a good brain it would give a good monster. Unfortunately, Igor screws up and we're left with the standard grunting and homocidal monster. This does lead to the two greatest set-pieces in the film, however: Frankenstein and the monster performing "Putting on the Ritz" and the monster's visit to a blind and clumsy hermit monk. These scenes are laugh-out-loud funny even on repeated viewings, and it all depends on the performance of Peter Boyle as the monster. In fact, Boyle's and Teri Garr's (as the ditzy lab assistant) performances are the best in the film.

This is a fine DVD edition - Mel Brook's audio commentary is surprisingly interesting and informative. It's especially good to hear him admit his mistakes (he wanted to cut the 'Putting on the Ritz' scene) and other inside information. Less interesting are the deleted scenes (most are not that funny, although I liked the "Reading of the will" cut scene). The outtakes are mostly people laughing and ruining the shot, so get boring quickly. The audio and video are very crisp and clean, probably better than the original run film prints!

Young Frankenstein / Spaceballs Double Feature
$21.00
Mel Brooks double feature: Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs

Funny Guy Collection (Napoleon Dynamite / Office Space / Young Frankenstein) [Blu-ray]
$69.98
I'm sick of Blu-Ray sets where there is only one or two great movies in them. For Example, The Holiday Favorites Collection has Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, and Jingle All the Way. Why would anyone who likes Miracle on 34th Street also want to see the slapstick comedy of the other two movies? I mean, maybe Home Alone, but definitely not Jingle. The Funny Guy Collection, however, has three movies I would actually buy separately for one low price. They need to make more collection sets like this and I would buy more.