Young Frankenstein is a
1974 comedy film directed by
Mel Brooks, starring
Gene Wilder as the title character.
Teri Garr,
Cloris Leachman,
Marty Feldman,
Peter Boyle,
Madeline Kahn,
Kenneth Mars, and
Gene Hackman also star. The screenplay was written by Brooks and Wilder.
[Director & leading actors]
The film is an affectionate
parody of the classical
horror film genre, in particular the various
film adaptations of
Mary Shelley's novel
Frankenstein produced by
Universal in the 1930s. This is reflected by the fact that most of the pieces of lab equipment used as props are the same ones created by
Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film
Frankenstein. To further reflect the atmosphere of the earlier films, Brooks shot the picture entirely in
black-and-white, a rare choice at the time, and employed 1930s-style opening credits and period scene transitions such as iris outs, wipes, and fades to black. The film also features a notable period score by Brooks' longtime composer
John Morris.