Gene Wilder's attempt to do what he did for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN doesn't quite work this time around. Not that the cast isn't as talented as ever, including the wonderfully droll Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman for whom Wilder has written roles ideally suiting them.
But the gags that come fast and furious provide chuckles now and then, not the side-splitting laughter intended. Fans of Wilder will no doubt appreciate much of the crazy humor, but it all begins to wear a bit thin by the time we reach the third act.
There's some clever humor with lyrics of songs that the actors often burst into in the midst of reciting their foolish dialog, and most adept at this sort of thing is Madeline Kahn who turns the film's topsy-turvy plot up a notch merely by her presence on the screen. She's enchanting, giving herself fake identities at the drop of a hat and forcing Wilder to call her "Miss Liar" several times.
But the subplot involving Dr. Moriarty, played with comic relish by Leo McKern, is extremely foolish and played for low comedy to such an extent that it becomes merely tolerable. And Dom DeLuise's attempt at playing an Italian opera singer comes across as rather lame, including his Italian accent.
Definitely not a film for everyone, but fans of Gene Wilder will no doubt overlook the shortcomings. The film has been impressively mounted and handsomely photographed in Technicolor with the visual look of Victorian London on full display.
