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High Anxiety (1977)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
1 September 1978 (Sweden)
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Tagline:
The Master of Comedy takes on The Master of Suspense! more
Plot:
Dr. Richard Thorndyke arrives as new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous to discover some suspicious goings-on...
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Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.
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NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
MovieWeb's 2009 DVD Holiday Gift Guide
(From MovieWeb. 24 November 2009, 5:51 AM, PST)
Walk This Way: Nine-Disc Mel Brooks Blu-ray Set!
(From Cinematical. 27 October 2009, 4:48 PM, PDT)
(From MovieWeb. 24 November 2009, 5:51 AM, PST)
Walk This Way: Nine-Disc Mel Brooks Blu-ray Set!
(From Cinematical. 27 October 2009, 4:48 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
hits and misses
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Mel Brooks | ... | Richard H. Thorndyke |
 | Madeline Kahn | ... | Victoria Brisbane |
 | Cloris Leachman | ... | Nurse Diesel |
 | Harvey Korman | ... | Dr. Charles Montague |
 | Ron Carey | ... | Brophy |
| Howard Morris | ... | Professor Lilloman |
 | Dick Van Patten | ... | Dr. Wentworth |
| Jack Riley | ... | The Desk Clerk |
| Charlie Callas | ... | Cocker Spaniel |
| Ron Clark | ... | Zachary Cartwright |
| Rudy De Luca | ... | Killer (as Rudy DeLuca) |
 | Barry Levinson | ... | Bellboy |
| Lee Delano | ... | Norton |
| Richard Stahl | ... | Dr. Baxter |
| Darrell Zwerling | ... | Dr. Eckhardt |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
Canada:14A (Ontario) |
Netherlands:12 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Italy:VM14 (original rating) |
Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) |
Brazil:12 |
Australia:M (TV rating) |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:PG |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:15 (re-rating) |
Norway:16 (original rating) |
Sweden:15 |
UK:15 |
USA:PG (Approved No. 25032) |
Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The bird droppings were actually mayonnaise and chopped spinach. However, Mel Brooks reported to Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" that the helicopter spraying the fake bird droppings scared the pigeons so much that he believed half of the bird droppings were real.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Montague takes Thorndyke to the violent ward, Norton opens the door's sliding window only half way. However, the reverse angle from inside the ward shows the window fully open.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Spoofs Call Northside 777 (1948)
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Soundtrack:
High Anxiety
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FAQ
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I have an idea where this film went wrong humor-wise, but first I'd like to comment on the fact that people said that Brooks didn't spoof enough Hitchcock. Well, I haven't seen too many Hitchcock movies (I have been planning to), but I can read, and I read the "movie connections" section of this movie to find a long list of Hitchcock movies spoofed. Perhaps those people weren't watching this film closely enough.
Anyway, here is my theory as to why this film isn't as funny as it could have been (a dramatization):
(Mel Brooks and two writers, whom we'll call "Bob" and "Jeff", are having a meeting about the script of "High Anxiety.")
Bob: Hilarious script, Mel. One of your funniest works yet.
Jeff: Only problem is, it's too short. This will only turn out to be about an hour long.
Bob: Yeah, you need some way to make it longer.
Mel: (thinking about it) Well, I could develop the plot more, or I could add more jokes, but I'm not gonna do that. I'm just gonna extend some of the jokes. Hell, I figure, if one joke is funny, then if I make it last longer, it'll be funnier, right?
Jeff and Bob: (casting each other nervous glances, but too afraid to tell Mel that this is a bad idea) Um...right.
And that's just it. Some of these jokes are extended until they are no longer funny. Of course, the movie does have its moments of inspired hilarity, but there are also many times when Brooks milked a joke for all it was worth - and it came out boring, e.g. the painful "Fight it!" sequence, which goes on WAY too long.
Note that I didn't say that Brooks built onto the jokes; that could've worked (see any Farrelly Bros. movie, especially the "frank and beans" scene from "There's Something About Mary" for proof). But no, Brooks just extended the jokes. That doesn't work. It's too bad, too, because there are some genuinely funny moments in this movie. This movie should only be for true Brooks fans (like me) - for anyone else looking for a spoof by Mel Brooks, stick to "Blazing Saddles", "Young Frankenstein", or "Spaceballs."