HIGH ANXIETY
US, 1977, 94 minutes, Colour.
Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman.
Directed by Mel Brooks.
High Anxiety is Mel Brook's homage to, and parody of, Alfred Hitchcock's films (though the targets of the lunacy are venal psychiatrists and damaging therapy). Brooks himself heads the screenwriters. produces, directs, acts (very well indeed) the central role and sings the satiric title song which he composed.
With regulars Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman and an excellent eccentric supporting cast, he has some hilarious send-ups of movie techniques and conventions, a superb parody of Psycho's shower murder, a skit on The Birds and parallels of Spellbound, North by Northwest and of Vertigo for the climax (including a humorous psychiatric session). More Hitchcockian suspense would have added to a very funny film.
1. The appeal of the Mel Brooks comedy? American comedy style, farce and parody?
2. The contribution of Mel Brooks - production and direction, writing, acting, the singing? How successful the work of Brooks as parodyist and satirist?
3. The importance of the dedication to Hitchcock and the various allusions to his films, themes, styles? The fact that Brooks did not use a suspense format for his parody?
4. The humour of the title, the reference to Hitchcock's vertigo? The humour of the theme song and the parody on High Anxiety? The way that it was used during the credit sequence with Brooks looking out of the plane, the various psychoanalytic sessions with Professor Lilloman? The importance at the end with the literal parody of Vertigo and the psychoanalytic. session on the steps? A good framework for the parody of Hitchcock?
5. The quality of the comedy routines and their enjoyment? The throwaway lines and punch lines, American wit and humour? The exaggerated characters in themselves, references to films about asylums? The importance of Montague and Nurse Diesal and the satire of characters? Victoria Brisbane as the parody of the Grace Kelly style heroine? The comedy routines about film making, especially the music in the bus, the camera crashing through the glass windows, the ending? How well did these humorous elements combine with the Hitchcock parody?
6. The humour and tone of the prologue - the plane arriving, the various adventures at the airport, eg. the woman rushing to meet him, the seeming spy being a flasher? Brooks lucky to escape?
7. The basic situation from Hitchcock's Spellbound- the build-up to Thorndyke's arrival, the comedy routines with Brophy as the taxi driver, suggestions of murder and the ominous music (even from the bus), the introduction of Montague and his jealousy about not being in charge, Wentworth as the second in charge being persecuted? The introduction to Nurse Diesal and her masculine appearance and her control of everybody at the institute? The satire on the institute for the very, very nervous?
8. Harvey Korman's comedy style as Montague - his being under Nurse Diesal's control, his being late and missing his fruit cup, Werewolf sequence, the sado-masochism, his role in the plots against Thorndike, the comeuppance at the end for his villainy?
9. Cloris Leachman's parody as Nurse Diesal? Her masculine look, voice, cigars etc.? Her behaviour at the table? The sado-masochism and her Nazi style? The dialogue given her and its satire? Her involvement in the plots? Her final destruction like the witch from the Wizard of Oz?
10. The picture of the institute - the satire on films about asylums -Thorndyke's various interviews and being confronted by the patients, Wentworth and his wealth and Montague's arranging that he stay - pretending to be a werewolf etc.? The tour of the wards? Mr. Brisbane and his acting like a dog etc.? In good taste, appropriate satire?
11. The film's targets of psychiatry and psychology and their exploitation? The 3okes at psychiatrists' expense? The presentation of the conference in San Francisco with the portraits of the eminent psychiatrists, the references to money? Making a good living? The humour of the introduction of the chairman, the various questions and the satire when the doctor brought his children in and Thorndyke could not speak frankly and reverted to childish language?
12. Mel Brooks' style as Thorndyke - Thorndyke as hero of the film and all the difficulties he got into, his skill as a doctor, qualifications? The importance of his fear of heights and the various presentations - at the institute with the cliffs, in the hotel, at the end? The psychoanalysis with Dr. Lilloman and the parody of psychiatric sessions? His behaviour at the conference ' at the hotel, the shower and the newspaper, his singing the song in the cabaret, the false shooting and his escape, the attack from the birds, the dry-cleaning, the attempt on his life at the phone, Brophy to the rescue? The plan back at the institute, their all going to the tower? The humour of the flashback and the psychiatric session on the step? The continued reference to High Anxiety and the visuals as if it were the ad. for the film?
13. Victoria Brisbane as heroine - the blonde Hitchcockian heroine, the atmosphere of mystery, her coming and going, hiding by embracing Thorndyke, her relationship to her father, the experience of the song? The humour of the phone call where she was in bed and thought it was an obscene caller and her reaction? Her participation in the rescue?
14. The humour of Dr. Lilloman, his presence in the institute, the cure, the fight parody and his acting as referee, being asleep and the people thinking him dead, his curing of Thorndyke?
15. Dr. Wentworth and his place in the institute, his being sacked, his fear -and the humour of film styles of visualising his being caught in a web? His escape and the violence of his murder?
16. The presentation of the life at the institute - the comedy sequences of the meals? The tour and the inmate taking half the moustache from the guard etc.?
17. The humour of the hotel sequences and the parody of Psycho? The parody of The Birds? The allusions to other Hitchcock films?
18. The comedy contribution by Brophy - as a kind of chorus on what was happening?
19. The lack of suspense in the film? was it compensated by the comedy? The values implicit in this kind of film - audience presuppositions and the film playing on them?
