Director: Mel Brooks Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman co-star in this hilarious parody. The film was dedicated to Hitchcock, and Brooks consulted Hitchcock when writing the screenplay. Nurse Diesel. A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep. He flashes his overbite, mugs like a rubber man, and as the lead writer manages to give himself the final word on everything ("What a dramatic airport!"). The best Brooks can do is to place himself in the shower with a fuming bellhop outside the curtain, or scamper through the park with a throng of rancorous birds defecating on his suit. Los Angeles International Airport also appears at the beginning of the film. The movie first screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and it won Eric Mendelsohn the 1999 Sundance International Film Festival directing prize. And the concept of this film, a spoof of Hitchcock films, seems like gold. But somebody has to tell him you cannot run Abraham Lincoln over with a Buick youve gotta stop somewhere in making up history. I never do political comedy because they keep changing the presidents, so you cant have fun with them. This tribute to 'Hitchcock, Alfred' contains references to more than 10 of his films: see the links to other titles. Cloris Leachman gives a performance of tremendous skill and total commitment and creates another memorable character; unfortunately, much of what she and Harvey Korman are called upon to do, while daring in 1977, is a little embarrassing today. (Hallo, cowboy, is that a ten-gallon hat on your lap, or are you just enjoying the show?) Premiere magazine ranked the von Shtupp role as #74 of the greatest performances of all time in their April 2006 issue. Brooks: If you make something that makes sense, that is basically truthful about the human condition, it works it stays alive. Wentworth wants to leave the institute but Diesel refuses to let him. Mel Brooks is an iconic filmmaker known for comedies like 'The Producers,' 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein,' among other works. To stop Thorndyke, Diesel and Montague hire "Braces", the silver-toothed man behind the Ashley and Wentworth murders, to impersonate him and shoot a man in the lobby. Happy now?! Where was she when I had Madeline Kahn, the greatest comedienne that ever lived? The film also starred Louise Fletcher, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, Marsha Mason, Sid Caesar, John Houseman, Dom DeLuise, the ever-youthful Abe Vigoda, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Scatman Crothers and Dr. Zaius lookalike Paul Williams. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. After a Harvard psychiatrist (Brooks) takes over the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, he realizes his predecessor died under suspicious circumstances. Thorndyke must prove his innocence to the police. The only really wacky character is Cloris Leachman as a nurse from heck. This film was directed by Mel Brooks. on April 28, 2020, 1977-12-25 Movie - High Anxiety - Madeline Kahn.jpg. in 1972. When he cracks the mic chord like a whip while singing the title song, she reacts in a spasm of sadomasochistic ecstasy and when she mistakes Thorndykes labored breathing during a murder attempt as the heavy breathing of an obscene phone caller she responds How did you get my room number? There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as The Pink Panther and The Spy Who Loved Me, with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws. Kahn is the Hitchcock blonde whose father is in the asylum. It is an Affectionate Parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Most of the story takes place at the fictional Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, with exteriors filmed at Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles. Groans galoreand what happened to Brooks' style? As everyone knows, humor is very, very personal. High Anxiety is Mel Brooks comic tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. All in all, despite its problems, this is still one of the better Mel Brooks movies. Uploaded by It would probably be fair to say that the results are quite mixed, although in fairness even Brooks at his best can be uneven. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Wentworth wants to leave the institute, arguing with Diesel. Both of them are a riot. High Anxiety (1977) -- (Movie Clip) You're The Cocker's Daughter? Her first husband had disappeared, but she explains that because he was an illusionist, that was his job. None of those parodies work. I love him; I really admire his bravery. VIDEO: Comedy Legend Mel Brooks Looks Back and Laughs. Mel Brooks is a well known name in comedy and since I also know Alfred Hitchcock movies I thought it would be a good idea to watch this one. How did having her by your side contribute to your career? He then takes a shower, during which the bellboy enters and, in a frenzy, mimics stabbing Thorndyke with the paper while screaming, "Here's your paper! Gosh, wasn't she hideous as the nurse from hell? She was afraid of Barbra Streisand, of winding up on the cutting room floor and of palm trees. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for High Anxiety (R4 DVD 1977) Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn AS NEW FREE POST at the best online prices at eBay! Her baby talk whispers, little girl lisps, her entire speech impediment repertoire. Spellbound and Vertigo aren't the only Hitchcock films to get blitzed by Brooks's satire. She knew what was really good, what was funny and what was unique and original. Do go on, I do believe you were discussing my cherry., Although best known as a comedian, Kahn had originated dramatic roles on stage in 1974s In the Boom Boom Room and 1977s Marco Polo Sings a Solo. The bird droppings were actually mayonnaise and chopped spinach. He also wrote, however, that too much of the film "is piddled away with juvenile sex jokes" that "are simply beneath a comic mind as fertile as the one that belongs to Mel Brooks. The name Richard Thorndyke recalls Roger Thornhill of North by Northwest (1959), and a slaying staged in a crowded lobby resembles that thriller's amazing United Nations murder. If You Love Hitchcock, You'll Love HIGH ANXIETY! All Rights Reserved. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. . 11 of 49. Mel Brooks' brand of humor -- over-the-top, non-stop, often outrageous -- tends to be a matter of taste, although when he's in top form (e.g., The Producers, Young Frankenstein) he's appreciated by almost everyone. Her characters had some of the best names in film: Empress Nympho, Lili Von Schtupp, Trixie Delight. Copyright 2023 The story has a psychiatrist with a fear of heights appointed the head doctor at the Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, when there he discovers a web of crime. Internet Service Terms THR: Anne Bancroft was your wife and creative partner for 40 years. Brooks took great pains to not only parody Hitchcock films, but also to emulate the look and style of his pictures. Brooks: I loved it. She didnt need more than fifteen minutes of screen time to steal a movie. Rest of it is hit-and-miss, as Brooks trots out the toilet jokes, the gay jokes, the human anatomy jokes, etc etc, that have populated most of his lesser efforts. He is taken by his camera-happy driver, Brophy, to the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, where he has been hired to replace Dr. Ashley, who died mysteriously (Brophy suspects foul play). She left us much too soon. There is a bench in Central Park dedicated to her. Music: John Morris In an interview he said, "I watch the kind of film we're making with the [director of photography], so he knows not to be frivolous. Her mother pushed her to study music and drama at Hofstra University, but she majored in speech therapy, if only to better duet with Gilda Radners Baba Wawa on Saturday Night Live. Remove Ads Cast Crew is less interested in curing its rich clientele than in keeping them indefinitely and thus getting more of their money, Braces broke that glass himself trying to kill Thorndyke, UsefulNotes/Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Film, UsefulNotes/Parental Guidance Suggested Rating. This aspect of the movie comes from Hitchcock's 1958 Vertigo, starring James Stewart as a detective whose acrophobia kicks in during a rooftop chase, paralyzing him with terror and touching off a murder scheme. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! There are no reviews yet. I bet theyre tight. Barry Levinson was one of the co-writers of the screenplay and appears in a cameo in the film. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. After a Harvard psychiatrist (Brooks) takes over the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, he realizes his predecessor died under suspicious circumstances. THR: Quentin Tarantinos Django Unchained owed a debt to Blazing Saddles. His masochistic screaming as Nurse Diesel spanks him caps it all. Support. The Hollywood Reporter: Why do you think Hollywood so rarely acknowledges comedy directing as an awards-worthy endeavor? Mel Brooks, if nothing else, is spectacular at collecting up the clichs, the stereotypes, the conventions, the seriousness, and at the same time the joy and entertainment that comes in the different works he has made fun of over his career (countless westerns with Blazing Saddles, historical epics with History of the World part 1, the sci-fi boom of Star Wars/Trek with Spaceballs, silent films with Silent Movie). Mel Brooks and Madeline Kahn at the airport, trying to get past airport security by being loud and annoying. Thorndyke knocks Norton the orderly out a tower window, saving Brisbane. The film does have its bright moments (the sequence that parodies Hitchcock's "The Birds" is probably the funniest) and a pleasant comic tone, but, generally, it's a misfire. She made bad movies good, good movies great and great movies classics. Near the middle of the movie, the story moves to San Francisco, taking advantage of settings used in Hitchcock's Vertigo, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Mission San Juan Bautista tower. Thorndyke, Brooks is nevertheless as irresistable as he is irrepressible, with Madeline Kahn a fine match for him as the flakiest mysterious blonde this side of Kim Novak. Very very funny Hitchcock spoof with some adult humor. Apple Inc. Happy?" High Anxiety (1977) -- (Movie Clip) Dedicated To The Master, High Anxiety (1977) -- (Movie Clip) A Mr. MacGuffin Called, Mel Brooks was a standup comic, a TV writer, and a Broadway playwright before he became a movie director in his early forties, a ripe old age for a filmmaking debut. Thats my last one, I promise! in the Neil Simon satire of all things Bogart, The Cheap Detective, in 1978. Be the first one to, Movie High Anxiety (1977 Movie) 8x10 Advertising Still featuring Madeline Kahn, 1977-12-25-movie-high-anxiety-madeline-kahn, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). She had incredible taste. Though often overlooked in favor of Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein, I believe this to be the pick of Brooks' parodies. A real treat for Hitchcock and Brooks fans, for it is by far one of the better spoofs out there. Extra footage added for network versions. As Estie Del Ruth, she walked Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood in 1976. (Not wanting to sound like she was peeling sour grapes, Kahn said Lucille Ball looked fabulous as Mame. Despite its occasional bright ideas, the movie lacks a unifying bright idea about how to exploit the cast in a sustained, organically conceived parody of Hitchcock. When events take a murderous turn, he is accused of the crime and left with a full blown case of "High Anxiety." Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman co-star in this hilarious parody. With masterful lampoons and farces under his belt, Brooks took on the thornier and more restricted foil of Alfred Hitchcock films. Veteran Brooks ensemble members Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, and Madeline Kahn are also featured. Charlie Callas must have been the MacGuffin in this picture, after we see him the first time he doesn't show up again. 960 Madeline Kahn Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 960 madeline kahn photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. The film is offensive visually and verbally--what happened to the style he gave pictures like "Young Frankenstein" and "Blazing Saddles"? Brooks takes on Alfred Hitchcock in "High Anxiety," which casts him as a. What is the cutting? High Anxiety (R4 DVD 1977) Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn AS NEW FREE POST. Nurse Diesel: Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup. Thorndyke is contacted by Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn), "the Cocker's daughter". So before I watched this, I was like is this going to work. I needed the cuts so that I could give the audience some rest from the relentless onslaught of farts. He arrives in Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). comes up again during the final chase up the stairs. Theyre always coming and going and going and coming, and always too soon. After seeing the movie, Hitchcock sent Brooks a case of expensive 1961 Chteau Haut-Brion wine with a note that said A small token of my pleasure, have no anxiety about this. Madeline Kahn followed the bouncing balls to select an escort for an evenings orgy as Empress Nympho in Mel Brooks History of the World Part 1 (Could you please step on the same foot at the same time. Mel riffs on Hitchcock, right down to Madeline Kahn's gray suit a la Kim Novak in Vertigo. His head had been cut off, and so had his, uh. Although she proclaims that life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage, her husbands death allowed her to append her beliefs, now that hes dead, I have a life. Blasted by critics at the time, who blamed John Landis for writing the script, Clue has gone on to become a cult favorite and Kahns comic flames soliloquy, which was improvised on set, is considered a classic comedy bit. I thought the Mr. MacGuffin reference was clever but didn't see any other fans pick up on it in their reviews here. He does so and discovers that his patient may not be the actual Brisbane. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter, The 41st recipient of AFI's highest honor opens up about his six-decade career, late wife Anne Bancroft and why he kept working with the same circle of actors: "You know what they're capable of, how high they can fly.". As Elizabeth, Dr. Frankensteins financier, Kahn prissily and fussily frustrates Gene Wilder (who wrote the script) because taffeta is so delicate, but finds the sweet mystery of life in the schwanstuker of his reanimated creation, played monstrously by Peter Boyle. But High Anxiety sort of gets away with the poorer moments more or less and is really quite enjoyable from the point of view of its Hitchcockian references alone. With more than a nod and a wink to Monty Pythons Life of Brian, Dudley Moore slurred the part of Herschel, who makes idols during Old Testament times. After he is attacked by pigeons in gastrointestinal distress, he meets up with Victoria and realizes Brophy took a picture of the shooting, in which the real Thorndyke was in the elevator at the time, so he should be in the photo. 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Starring Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Howard Morris, Dick Van Patten. He was wheeled back into the show in a knee-length cast and turned the theater into his own private vaudeville house, pretending to forget lines and trying to crack up his costars. She made a German spectacle of herself as the seductive, saloon-singing spy, Lili von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles, which was co-written by Richard Pryor. Then I saw the cast, Mel Brooks, Madeleine Kahn and Cloris Leachman, and I was like this is going to be a riot. 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. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! They think comedy is frivolous. Cloris Leachman is the only person on screen who ever gets a single laugh, as Nurse Diesel, the wack-job, manly, conniving, dominatrix, but she's trying so hard that she only managed to make me laugh a couple of times. Kahn repeatedly said in interviews that she never thought of herself as a funny person, that it was hard work to be funny, but some of the best judges of funny in show business clamored to cast her. Movie High Anxiety (1977 Movie) 8 x 10 black & white Advertising Still / Lobby Card, featuring Madeline Kahn. Kahns best work has been in great ensembles. In the sketch the president was played by Dan Aykroyd, who debated with White House portraits whether to resign. Mel Brooks said Madeline Kahn was maybe the single best comedian that ever lived. "[9], Roger Ebert gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "One of the problems with Mel Brooks' High Anxiety is that it picks a tricky target: It's a spoof of the work of Alfred Hitchcock, but Hitchcock's films are often funny themselves. Kahn was cast as Goldie, a Golden Girl from the Temple of the Golden Ram, in the Richard Rodgers musical Two by Two, about Noah and his ark. She won a Tony nomination for her performance in David Rabes In the Boom Boom Room in 1973. High Anxiety is definitely lesser Brooks and wildly uneven, but partisans will embrace it wholeheartedly. 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. Later in a cocktail lounge, he snaps a microphone cord like a whip and makes Madeline Kahn hyperventilate with passion. People Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn. Kahn first demurred because she thought that was a tasteless title and, because she was just getting known on Broadway, she thought she wasnt yet ready to do a bad movie. There's more plot here than expected from a Brooks' movie. Madeline Kahn was a comic legend who could do anything with her voice. The patients have nothing on the doctors when it comes to outrageous behavior. She agrees after an argument. If you are a fan of the master of suspense you will probably get a kick out of this one to some extent. Most of this stuff isn't especially hilarious, however. Madeline Kahn gave a deeply nuanced performance in the brief role of Martha Mitchell in Oliver Stones Nixon from 1995. Kahn is just as funny singing a joke as she is telling it. And did I mention that Thorndyke's middle name is Harpo? The standout performances in High Anxiety are from Cloris Leachman as Nurse Diesel and Madeline Kahn as the blonde femme fatale who finds herself in one ditzy situation after another. Kahn was playful and sexy and sad and in a hurry. We werent even supposed to be rooting for her in Whats Up Doc? After High Anxiety, Brooks went into something of a commercial decline as his style of humor fell out of favor with audiences. But these films are only mentioned a little, besides Vertigo, which is, more or less, the basis for 90% of all the parody. After a Harvard psychiatrist (Brooks) takes over the. 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. It would have been very cool if Hitch had made a cameo, why didn't anyone think of that? I would highly recommend High Anxiety for any Mel Brooks fan, it's a funny movie to watch and a guaranteed laugh. Mel Brooks (Actor, Director, Producer, Writer), Madeline Kahn (Actor) Rated: PG Format: DVD 2,048 ratings IMDb 6.6/10.0 $2798 Prime Video $3.99 $9.99 Blu-ray $69.97 DVD $27.98 Multi-Format from $10.61 VHS Tape $19.75 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD 1 $13.51 $13.51 DVD September 5, 2006 1 $26.00 $27.00 $6.21 High Anxiety (R4 DVD 1977) Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn AS NEW FREE POST . I don't got it.") Cinematographer: Paul Lohmann She appeared in three of The American Film Institutes list of the top 100 funniest movies: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Whats Up Doc? In 1985 Kahn joined a stellar comic ensemble cast with Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Colleen Camp and Lee Ving in the comic mystery Clue, based on the board game. What does it look like? This is an excuse to get the whole Brooks' gang dealing with mental institutions and mental illness. But real comedy has a lot to say about the human condition and said so beautifully over the years. Mel riffs on Hitchcock, right down to Madeline Kahn's gray suit a la Kim Novak in Vertigo. Thorndyke is indeed visible in it, but Diesel and Montague capture Brophy and take him to the North Wing. I got it! The film is a parody of the suspense films of Alfred Hitchcock: Spellbound, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds. She took the care to milk the moments between the words to ooze whatever devastation they might bring and always did it with impeccable comic timing. She hired Peter Falk as the detective Lou Peckinpaugh to find her sister when she played Wanda Coleman, er Gilda Dabney, I mean, Chloe Lamar, did I say Barbara Stanwyck? And, oh yes, there's an outrageous bit by Charlie Callas as a guy you might find at the local dog shelter. A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep. Penis envy" becomes "pee-pee envy"; the womb is temporarily rechristened "the woo-woo. They werent asked back again. He thinks hes Gods prophet and his life parallels Moses. While I have seen some hilarious spoofs like Loaded Weapon 1, I have also seen some dreadful ones like Disaster Movie and Epic Movie. I don't even know what Madelaine Kahn is doing here, although the phone booth/obscene phone call scene was one of the couple of scenes that made me laugh. With some terrific actors we also recognize from Mel's best film ever, Young Frankenstein, you can tell the cast really enjoyed themselves and had fun with this movie. With: Mel Brooks (Dr. Richard Thorndyke), Madeline Kahn (Victoria Brisbane), Cloris Leachman (Nurse Diesel), Harvey Korman (Dr. Charles Montague), Ron Carey (Brophy), Howard Morris (Prof. Lilloman), Dick Van Patten (Dr. Wentworth), Jack Riley (desk clerk), Charlie Callas (Arthur Brisbane), Ron Clark (Zachary Cartwright), Rudy DeLuca (killer), Barry Levinson (bellhop) Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. He was my favorite comedy talent. On the other hand, the jokes are strong at times and can be very funny. He never reappeared because he wasnt a very good illusionist. The second husband was a stupidly optimistic man. Later, Thorndyke hears strange noises coming from Diesel's room and he and Brophy go to investigate. In 1993 she won a Tony Award for her role as Dr. Gorgeous in the play The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein. He checks into the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, where, much to his chagrin as a sufferer of "high anxiety", he is assigned a top floor room, mysteriously changed reservation by "Mr. MacGuffin". The movie obviously does not paid psychology very positively as it shows it as sexist and a way to keep patients at the institute beyond their will. Thorndyke also meets Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. Watch for Barry Levinson (writer, director, producer) as he plays the bellboy. My tits are falling off). She played Molly Ringwalds mother in the 1990 film Betsys Wedding. Barry Levinson, one of the scriptwriters and the future director of movies like Rain Man (1988) and Wag the Dog (1997), plays the newspaper-wielding bellhop. [5] It also contains parodies of Michelangelo Antonionis Blowup, and Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, in the camera tracking through walls, and even James Bond films with an assassin who shares a similarity with the Bond villain Jaws, played by Richard Kiel. Brooks is an equal-opportunity satirist, so non-Hitchcock movies also get dragooned into High Anxiety. After she graduated in 1964 she fell into a depression and realized she wanted to be an actor. It's a Worthy Venture--Doesn't Quite Work--But That's Mel Brooks Anyway. Brooks: I had no idea the farting scene in Blazing Saddles would be that hysterical. Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Kahn played Betty in Yellowbeard, Marty Feldmans last film appearance. THR: A lot of the jokes in Blazing Saddles now would be perceived as politically incorrect. And as everyone also knows, this movie's actor-director-writer-producer is not to everyone's taste; among the great Jewish-American comic filmmakers, I'll take Woody Allen or Albert Brooks over Mel Brooks any day. High Anxiety is Mel Brooks' renowned spoof of over ten Alfred Hitchcock classics, including Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds. They think they're only pretending to be "loud and annoying," but that's exactly what they are. Kahn wears a blue pin-striped suit with a bowler hat, because she couldnt get away with the tuxedo. She claims Diesel and Montague are exaggerating the illnesses of wealthy patients so they can milk rich families of millions (through methods demonstrated earlier). Youre not writing in the dark and then casting. I thought Louise Fletcher was pretty intense as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but Diesel would have given her a run for the money. It also includes the then-new Hyatt Regency Hotel with its tall atrium lobby. As a Hitchcock parody, it includes some excellent visual touches, such as skewed camera angles, use of "caged" shadow motifs, Madeline Kahn's icy blond wig, and especially the Psycho shower scene, here staged with Brooks the victim of a . How long is a scene? He is trapped in his car, his ears hemorrhage, and he dies from a stroke, aggravated by the loud music. This is Brooks' first film as a producer and first speaking lead role (his first lead role was in Silent Movie). I know how crazy I can go, and shes gonna nail it. josephine county police scanner,