All I have to say is that I love Mel Brooks even more than I already did (and that's a lot of love).
This movie is a parody of about 10 Alfred Hitchock films- and each done so well that Hitchock himself loved it. Seriously- Brooks dedicated the movie to him at the beginning of the film. He also had a private screening for Hitchock and after the movie, he left without a word! Brooks thought that the film icon had hated it- but actually the complete opposite! Hitchock sent Brooks wine congratulating him on a job well done. Pretty sure that's one of the highest compliments anyone could ever get- ever.
High Anxiety is about Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, a highly regarded Psychiatrist from the East coast and comes over to the West coast to run the:
PsychoNeurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. Here in the institute you meet Cloris Leachman as the very manly, pointy-breasted nurse and Harvey Korman as another doctor who was going to run the institute before Thorndyke arrived. Having been a HUGE Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein fan for years, it did my heart good seeing Frau Blucher and Hedley Lamarr get um... *ahem* kinky? Also, anytime I see Madeline Kahn in anything- I know it's going to be good.
So many direct spoofs from his movies are so well done that you had to know that Brooks watched Hitchocks films on repeat- like for example...
The shower scene from Psycho. We all know how it goes down in Psycho, but in High Anxiety, Brook's character has been asking the bellhop to get him a copy of the newspaper since he got to the hotel. The bellhop, not being the nicest/sane guy in town, rolls up the newspaper and stabs Brooks's with it and leaves. Instead of the usual blood we would have seen, instead we see the ink go down the drain and Brooks looks like he's dead but then blurts out "He's not getting a tip". If it wasn't for the fact my room mate has been asleep for almost two hours, I would have laughed so hard out loud.
(Even the opening scene where Thorndyke goes through the airport seemed so hilarious once you put it in context- just watching everyone's face as the plane goes for the landing and then you see Brooks- Lordy that's the exact look my mom gets whenever we're on a plane...)
Due to this movie, I know understand why my parents always joke about the drapes (seeing as my dad is a psychologist) and when ever I say I'm getting anxious, my dad will always sing "Hiiiigh Anggggg-sietyyyy". And I got that it was from the movie but I thought he was just being a dad but nope. Mel Brooks takes a jab at Frank Sinatra while he's at it... Ahhh... Mel Brooks...
If you are either an Alfred Hitchcock fan, Mel Brooks fan, thriller fanatic, or a comedy enthusiast, High Anxiety is probably one of the best films you could see. So if you want to hear Mel Brooks sing or just get a brief idea of the movie, watch the video I have at the bottom- It's of the movie's theme.
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