HIGH ANXIETY (1977)

A Psycho-Comedy

RATING: ½


By Shawn McKenna
Date Reviewed: November 15, 1997

Coming off a string of three excellent movies, Blazing Saddles(1973), Young Frankenstein (1974), and Silent Movie (1976), this is Mel Brooks first weak film. It is not bad, it just is not up to Brook's standard. Part of the problem is using Hitchcock as the basis for this satire. Hitchcock's films are full of satire and are often quite brilliant. To pull off a good satire of a satirist, especially of Hitchcock's stature, then the material must be brilliant. Too often the jokes fall flat.

There are some funny moments. Most of them happen when Brook's deviates from the Hitchcockian material and goes for his own. Imprimis: when the doctor is killed from very loud music, that is very funny. Cloris Leachman has a great role as the sadistic neo-nazi Nurse Diesel. Another great scene is when the characters Thorndyke and Brophy hear background music and look around puzzled until the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra drives by them in a bus (yes he did the same joke in Blazing Saddles.) The funniest Hitchcockian moment--the pigeons.

Brooks is hired as a psychiatrist for the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. His predecessor died under strange circumstances. Brooks has his own neurotic hang-up. He is afraid of heights. He finds that the institute has never cured a patient. When he tries to change things around the institute, he is framed for murder. There is also a subplot involving a daughter searching for her father.

High Anxiety satires such Hitchcock's films as Spellbound, Psycho, Vertigo, and North by Northwest with various results. The plot is jumpled, as often with satiric films, and the jokes could have been much better. I laughed a lot of times, but not as much as The Producers or any of his previous satires. Those films were better written too. I found myself disinterested toward the end. It probably was not a good idea to spoof Hitchcock.
HIGH ANXIETY (1977)
Dr. Thorndyke Mel Brooks
Victoria Brisbane Madeline Kahn
Nurse Diesel Cloris Leachman
Dr. Montague Harvey Korman
Brophy Ron Carey
Professor Lillolman Howard Morris
Piano Player Murphy Dunne
Psychiatrist Ira Miller
Director: Mel Brooks
Written By: Mel Brooks
Ron Clark
Rudy DeLuca
Barry Levison
Music By: John Morris
Produced By: Mel Brooks
Running Time: 94m.
Rated: PG
Genre: comedy/spoof
Country: USA

Other Critics:

Roger Eberts Rating
**½

Leonard Maltin's Rating
**½

Awards, Facts, and Oddities

Ray Berwick, who trained the birds in Hitchcock's The Birds, trained the birds in this movie.
Rain Man director Barry Levinson, who also coscripted this film, has a guest spot as an irate bellboy.
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