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Mel Brooks is a very funny man, and though sometimes I think his comedy is a little on the low side, "High Anxiety" has some truly hilarious moments. Mel riffs on Hitchcock, right down to Madeline Kahn's gray suit a la Kim Novak in Vertigo. He combines scenes from "Spellbound," "Vertigo," "Foreign Correspondent," "The Birds," "Psycho," "Dial M for Murder," and "North by Northwest" in this story of a man taking over as the head of a mental sanitarium, replacing a man who is murd - uh, dead. Kahn is the Hitchcock blonde whose father is in the asylum. To give you an idea of this place where the lunatics have definitely taken over - Cloris Leachman plays a nurse who's into S&M with Harvey Korman. Both of them are a riot. Mel plays it straight which makes him even funnier. I have two favorite scenes - the first is Mel, doing a perfect imitation of Sinatra's style, singing "High Anxiety" to Kahn. He's fabulous, and the look on Kahn's face is delicious. My other favorite scene is when Brooks and Kahn disguise themselves as elderly people to get through airport security. Psychiatric expert Brooks thinks the more noise you make, the less people notice you. The two of them do a fabulous skit which is priceless. We really lost a treasure when we lost Madeline Kahn, one of the all-time great talents. It's wonderful to see this and remember her. I do believe that because of the humor, the film can be enjoyed without having seen the Hitchcock films spoofed, but of course, it's all the better if you have. A delightful film.Read full review
What sets Mel Brooks's parody films head and shoulders above the rest is that they actually have PLOTS. Unlike many parody films, which are a series of crude jokes and one-liners, HIGH ANXIETY has a story that could be the basis of a serious film (except that some weird, silly stuff happens along the way). A doctor with a fear of heights (Brooks) takes over as head of a psychiatric hospital. The head nurse and one of the doctors are running an illegal scheme and want Brooks out of the way. While the film pokes fun at Hitchcock, it is obvious that Brooks admired him. The shower scene re-creates, in perfect detail, every camera angle used in PSYCHO. The colors, costumes, and sets are straight out of Hitchcock, too. Don't miss Mel Brooks singing HIGH ANXIETY; it's a pretty good song. Really! Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a Mel Brooks spoof of the mental health care industry and of Alfred Hitchcock films, all rolled up in one. It features Chloris Leachman in one of the best characterizations of a really "bad" nurse in film history. Her role, and that of Nurse Ratchet in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Annie in "Misery" to me, form the trilogy of top bad nurses in film. Despite being over 30 years old, the film does not seem outdated. The only thing that really seemed odd were the cars and some of the hair styles. For a Mel Brooks film fanatic, or a nurse, this film is a must see.
I haven’t really had a chance to watch it. But I remember some really funny parts of this movie and I just love Mel Brooks
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
funny..I love nurse Diesel " no more fruit cup" & " I know you won't"
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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