Young Frankenstein is a great parody of classic horror films, particularly Frankenstein. The greatest thing about this Mel Brook’s comedy classic is that you can really tell that this tribute was made with affection for both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.
Director, Mel Brooks, does such a great job with “Young Frankenstein” and in my opinion his visually inventive film. I loved the fact that the cinematography really resembles that of the original Frankenstein films.
The movie features an amazing performance from Gene Wilder as Frankenstein, he was cast perfectly for the role. Frederick (Gene Wilder) is a young neurosurgeon trying to live down the family name and giving hilarious demonstrations of the difference between voluntary and involuntary reflexes. He inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather is embarrassing, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind. A film that feels visually like it could fit in with the classic Universal monster movies. It is wonderfully funny and entertaining, there’s not a single dull moment. It is also noteworthy to mention the other great talents of in this movie – Madeline Kahn, Gene Hackman, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, etc.,
On January 01, 1974, Roger Ebert says: “Brooks’s targets are James Whale’s “Frankenstein” (1931) and “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935), the first the most influential and the second probably the best of the 1930s Hollywood horror movies. Mel Brooks even rented the original “Frankenstein” laboratory, with its zaps of electricity, high-voltage special effects, and elevator platform to intercept lightning bolts.”
Let’s start dissecting! We will cover ‘Voluntary and Involuntary Reflexes’
What is the Nervous system? It is a specialized system that aids in the coordination of voluntary and involuntary actions, reflex actions in our body. The nervous system consists of nerve cells called neurons. Neurons transmit messages in the form of electrical impulses.
Reflex action: Involuntary action in response to a stimulus. This is a spontaneous action without thinking. For example, when we adjust our eyes when exposed to bright sunlight.
Involuntary action: When actions take place without consciousness or willingness of an individual are called the involuntary action. Digestion and heart beating are few examples of involuntary actions.
Voluntary action: When an action is produced with the involvement of thoughts, they are called voluntary action. It involves actions like walking, eating, jumping and running.
Hindbrain and midbrain control involuntary actions.
Motor cortex in the frontal lobe of the cerebrum control voluntary actions.
Could Frankenstein exist in real life?
An article on LiveScience.com states: “In the novel, Dr. Frankenstein creates the monster out of bits and pieces of organs from an array of corpses. However, transplanted organs and body parts are often rejected by their host bodies; a creature whose entire body is made up of bits and pieces from an array of corpses would need to have a dramatically suppressed immune system so that all those body parts wouldn’t reject one another. In fact, its immune system would have to be suppressed to the point where the creature could survive only in a protective bubble (https://www.livescience.com/62249-what-are-monsters.html).
I highly recommend this movie! Young Frankenstein is a fantastic film with a very fun and cleverly parodied spoof of classic Frankenstein films! Check it out if you haven’t already!
Stay tuned for some more Frankenstein content this Halloween!