Styles to Die For
In the movie Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks and the movie Airplane! by Jim Abrahams, comedy is used in a variety of ways in order to lighten the mood of the horror film. By using comedy in the movie, the film is less serious and more amusing. This is often created in both films through the use of sexual references. In both scenes of the movies, there is a serious topic being identified, and in order to ease the intense situation, comedy is used so that the audience laughs at the situations rather than be fearful of the horrific events. Both directors also use situational comedy in order to create moments of comedic relief for the audience in order to down play the seriousness of the plot.
Schwanzstucker Scene
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In the scene, Dr. Frankenstein is planning how to create a human life form again from the works his grandfather left in his study. Dr. Frankenstein mentions that the monster must be very large in order for the experiment to work correctly. From this, his personal assistant comments on his size by saying, “He would have an enormous schwanzstucker!” Dr. Frankenstein responds saying, “Well, that goes without saying,” while Igor says, “He’s gonna be very popular.” The scene uses deadpan comedy in order to lighten the mood while still keeping the topic somewhat focused and serious. Rather than inserting random comedy in the film, this scene downplays a sexual remark in order to ease the tension from the scene while still maintaining a level of seriousness to the movie and scene. This scene is significant to the film since this scene makes the adds contrast in the film since it is between two very intense scenes, the secret room scene and the digging up of the body scene. By having this contrast in-between two dramatic scenes, the mood of the film is lighten and the audience feels more at ease with the plot rather than being apprehensive and fearful of what is about to occur.
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Balloon Scene
During the turbulence on the airplane, the balloon in the seat flies out of the chair. In this scene, Ted, the pilot is concentrating on trying to fly the airplane safely and protect all of the sick people, while the, balloon is in the background on top of Elaine. This scene is significant since it also relieves the tension in the plot. Prior to this scene, it is emphasized that Ted is the only person who is capable of saving everyone on the plane. The sexual innuendo implied behind Ted causes laughter in the scene while Ted is still completely focused on flying the plane. While this scene demonstrates some of the tension in the film through the turbulence and Ted’s concentration and flying, the scene adds comedic relief that lets the audience feel more relaxed and calm about the situation. By creating this atmosphere, the plot isn’t continuously stressed, and the audience is not anxious throughout the entire movie. This also allows for a more appealing mood in a serious situation, which causes the viewers to want to continue watching.
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Comedy Comparison
In both films sexual references are both implied in the scenes. However, the portrayal of the two scenes is very different. In Young Frankenstein, deadpan comedy is used in order to suggest a sexual reference while in Airplane!, the sexual suggestion is rather blunt for a more open laugh and comedic relief. Deadpan comedy is comedy in which the actors in the scene suggestion a comedic reference in a normal tone rather than a more obvious manner. This creates subtle comedy that builds up in the film as more comedic situations occur. Brooks lightens the mood of the film through how he has the actors use deadpan comedy in various scenes such as the Schwanzstucker scene. By using this comedy style, the director creates a different mood for the audience since the more serious issue is played down by the subtle comedy used. On the other hand, prop comedy is when props are used in order to create a humorous scenario. In the film, the scene is meant to create a sudden laugh rather than build up in the film overtime. This creates different effects with the overall reaction of the audience to the intense, horror situations of the films. Unlike Young Frankenstein's director, Mel Brooks, Jim Abrahams used prop comedy in tense situations in order to lighten the serious mood through the use of sexual references. The use of these prop scenes causes the audience to be distracted from the seriousness of the plot.
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Although the directors clash in some of the types of comedy style they used, both directors used a form of comedy known as situational comedy. Mel Brooks uses situational comedy when Dr. Frankenstein is put in a situation where he enters a new environment and is trying to adjust to such environment. The audience is amused by the people Dr. Frankenstein meet and the strange experiences that he has to go through, and due to this, the audience gets a laugh as well as another distraction from the horrific topic of the plot. Abrahams also used situational comedy in Airplane! when he placed Ted in a tense and frightening situation where he has to fly the sick passengers to safety. By placing the people on the plane this frightening scenario, they act out in racial remarks, which causes the audience to laugh as well.
Overall, both directors portray the films in comedic ways so that the horrific situations being addressed in both movies are being down played by the humorous scenes that are placed throughout the plot line. Mel Brooks in Young Frankenstein choose to focus on deadpan comedy as the main type of comedy used. This caused the audience to be amused and laugh at the humorous scenes. On the other hand, one of Jim Abrahams main focuses in the film Airplane! was the prop comedy used. Prop comedy was often used in the movie to suggest a sexual reference. The balloon man was often used as a prop in order to create such a scene in order to create a moment of comedic relief. The use of various moments of comedic relief in the movie causes the mood to be less serious and horrific. Although both directors vary in the types of comedy they decided to portray in the films, the situational comedy of the plot still causes the audience to laugh. Overall, the films are considered horror comedies since the seriousness of the plot is not stressed upon through the use of varying comedy styles.
Overall, both directors portray the films in comedic ways so that the horrific situations being addressed in both movies are being down played by the humorous scenes that are placed throughout the plot line. Mel Brooks in Young Frankenstein choose to focus on deadpan comedy as the main type of comedy used. This caused the audience to be amused and laugh at the humorous scenes. On the other hand, one of Jim Abrahams main focuses in the film Airplane! was the prop comedy used. Prop comedy was often used in the movie to suggest a sexual reference. The balloon man was often used as a prop in order to create such a scene in order to create a moment of comedic relief. The use of various moments of comedic relief in the movie causes the mood to be less serious and horrific. Although both directors vary in the types of comedy they decided to portray in the films, the situational comedy of the plot still causes the audience to laugh. Overall, the films are considered horror comedies since the seriousness of the plot is not stressed upon through the use of varying comedy styles.