| RATING: | 80% |
| FORMAT: | DVD |
Uneven but undeniably-funny parody of a much-loved genre classic of the cinema.
Much about this movie is absolutely spot on. From the sumptuous black & white chiaroscuro cinematography to the mannered performances. The social outcast theme of the original is preserved here to good effect since there is no point in merely pastiching the form of the original - you must also engage with its content. in this way this film is in love with the very thing it so accurately sends up and the lack of malice or feelings of superiority so common to recent additions to the parody genre does not leave a nasty taste in the mouth, but a feeling of having successfully revisited a superior motion picture which is, in fact, being justly-celebrated.
Marty FELDMAN sticks out as a brilliant Greek chorus whose timing and facial ticks leave you positively perspiring with mirth. Madeline KAHN is effortlessly both sexual animal and repressed Victorian; while Gene WILDER essays his usual shrill and slow burn style that always reveals the punch line before you get there - but you still cannot stop yourself laughing.
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