- Note: Blu-ray discs are in a high definition format and need to be played on a Blu-ray player. To find out more about Blu-ray, visit our Hi-Def Learn & Shop store.
- Important Information on Firmware Updates: Having trouble with your Blu-ray disc player? Will certain discs just not play? You may need to update the firmware inside your player. Click here to learn more.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
Brand new and sealed!! Please note this is the region free USA edition!! Get it quick!! Get it now !!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
High Anxiety is a spoof of all of the major Alfred Hitchcock films. Both the characters and the plot line are the sort of thing you literally laugh out loud at. Mel Brooks plays a psychiatrist at the Institute for the very very nervous and has an extreme phobia of heights. The film is the same sort of humour as "Blazing Saddles" (but funnier) and also stars the magnificent Madeline Kahn who compliments Brooks perfectly. This film is so underated its untrue. From the pointy breasted bondage crazed Nurse Diesal to the fumbling nice-but-dim chauffer Brofy - the film just gives laugh after laugh - you just never want this film to end! It really does put the Leslie Nielson spoofs to shame. It is the funniest film I have ever seen.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Nobody is safe from satire, not even Alfred Hitchcock. But Mel Brooks straddles the line between parody and affectionate homage in "High Anxiety," a hysterical psychiatric comedy that deftly references all sorts of Hitch films -- while keeping in Brooks' trademark slapstick, hilarious dialogue, and weird characters.
Dr. Richard Thorndyke (Brooks) has just been hired as the director of Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous, after the sudden death of the previous administrator. Something odd seems to be going on -- screams are heard, a patient signals Thorndyke with a mirror, and Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) frightens a patient into fits. Then one of the doctors dies mysteriously, while trying to leave the conspiracy.
And when Thorndyke is lecturing at a psychiatry convention, the evil Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) sends a hired killer (wearing a Thorndyke mask) to frame the doctor for murder. Now Thorndyke must elude the police and the killer, clear his name with the help of a mysterious blonde heiress (Madeleine Kahn), and overcome his crippling "high anxiety."
As a homage/spoof, this is gold. Brooks deftly weaves together elements and storylines from various Hitchock movies, including "Vertigo" and "Spellbound," with some nods to "Psycho," "North By Northwest" and "The Birds." There's dizzying looks down a wooden tower, newspaper "stabbings" in the shower, and Madeleine Kahn's strange not-so-icy blonde.
But it's also a great movie in its own right. Rather than outright slapstick as in some of his movies, Brooks instead crafts a clever thriller framed with delicious comedy -- he even makes fun of some standard filmmaking devices. For example, Thorndyke's hotel suite is switched for a top-floor room because of a call from... "a Mr.... Read more ›
Dr. Richard Thorndyke (Brooks) has just been hired as the director of Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous, after the sudden death of the previous administrator. Something odd seems to be going on -- screams are heard, a patient signals Thorndyke with a mirror, and Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) frightens a patient into fits. Then one of the doctors dies mysteriously, while trying to leave the conspiracy.
And when Thorndyke is lecturing at a psychiatry convention, the evil Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) sends a hired killer (wearing a Thorndyke mask) to frame the doctor for murder. Now Thorndyke must elude the police and the killer, clear his name with the help of a mysterious blonde heiress (Madeleine Kahn), and overcome his crippling "high anxiety."
As a homage/spoof, this is gold. Brooks deftly weaves together elements and storylines from various Hitchock movies, including "Vertigo" and "Spellbound," with some nods to "Psycho," "North By Northwest" and "The Birds." There's dizzying looks down a wooden tower, newspaper "stabbings" in the shower, and Madeleine Kahn's strange not-so-icy blonde.
But it's also a great movie in its own right. Rather than outright slapstick as in some of his movies, Brooks instead crafts a clever thriller framed with delicious comedy -- he even makes fun of some standard filmmaking devices. For example, Thorndyke's hotel suite is switched for a top-floor room because of a call from... "a Mr.... Read more ›
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup!" Trying to explain why you like one Mel Brooks film and have no particular feeling for another is like trying to explain why one guy slipping on a banana peel is funny and another guy doing the same is a medical emergency. All I know is that I think that line, especially as stated by Nurse Diesel, is uproarious and that High Anxiety is one of my favorite Mel Brooks films. Some say it's a take-off on Hitchcock, or even a satire. Far from it, in my view. I think it's an affectionate, good-natured hug from Brooks for a director he respects. So, on one level, we can sit back and enjoy the Hitchcockian references, some of which are very clever. On another level, we still can enjoy the famous Brooksian low comedy that sends one gag after another almost as fast as we can blink. When the two come together...when the birds splatter a fleeing Dr. Thorndyke, for instance...it's a match made in heaven. Besides, anyone who can turn a man being strangled in a telephone booth into a coy phone sex scene has my vote.
Sure, the movie is erratic, but that's Brooks. What makes so many of the gags work, I think, is that Brooks, as the dignified, mystified Dr. Thorndyke, is an observer. Brooks in this movie reacts to things far more often than he instigates. And if you enjoy the Hitchcock films that flash by -- Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, Spellbound, Under Capricorn, Notorious, The Birds and such -- there is a built-in level of affectionate amusement. High Anxiety, for all it's imperfections, is funny. This is no criticism of many of Brooks' other films, but I also think High Anxiety has a lot of charm, more than any of his except Young Frankenstein and The Producers (the first version).... Read more ›
Sure, the movie is erratic, but that's Brooks. What makes so many of the gags work, I think, is that Brooks, as the dignified, mystified Dr. Thorndyke, is an observer. Brooks in this movie reacts to things far more often than he instigates. And if you enjoy the Hitchcock films that flash by -- Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, Spellbound, Under Capricorn, Notorious, The Birds and such -- there is a built-in level of affectionate amusement. High Anxiety, for all it's imperfections, is funny. This is no criticism of many of Brooks' other films, but I also think High Anxiety has a lot of charm, more than any of his except Young Frankenstein and The Producers (the first version).... Read more ›
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is one of mel brooks best films, second only to Young Frankenstein. Lots of jokes at hitchcocks expense but, mel makes up for it by giving him an on screen dedication!
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As someone who has been a Mel Brooks fan since my early teens, it's difficult to be entirely objective about this somewhat forgotten gem. True, it wasn't groundbreaking like Blazing Saddles or as obvious a labour of love as Young Frankenstein, but it's still up there with the very best of Mel's work. It feels less dated than Silent Movie, which came before it (VERY seventies) and afterwards...well, it was all downhill really until he had the idea of turning The Producers into a stage musical.
To really enjoy this film, you do have to be fond of Alfred Hitchcock's work and critics have often felt Brooks didn't do it justice. I disagree. As well as the blatant and hilarious scenes parodying Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo, the more devoted fan will spot references to Spellbound, Dial M for Murder, Suspicion, Rebecca and many more, right back to The Lodger. Furthermore, the music, colourschemes, even angles echo The Master of Suspense's innovative work.
I loved the camera crashing through the French windows or being trapped looking upwards through a glass table, the dissolve where Nurse Diesel's glaring eyes become the headlamps of a car at night, the fact that 'a Mr McGuffin phoned and asked me to change your room to the seventeenth floor' (a McGuffin was Hitchcock's pet name for an irrelevant plot device).
Of course, if you're not a Hitchcock fan (or at least familiar with his work), you're unlikely to be particularly amused by most of this, but unlike today's tendency to ape films everyone will have seen with so little creativity that there is nothing to laugh at at all, this movie rewards a little intelligence with a lot of laughs.
To really enjoy this film, you do have to be fond of Alfred Hitchcock's work and critics have often felt Brooks didn't do it justice. I disagree. As well as the blatant and hilarious scenes parodying Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo, the more devoted fan will spot references to Spellbound, Dial M for Murder, Suspicion, Rebecca and many more, right back to The Lodger. Furthermore, the music, colourschemes, even angles echo The Master of Suspense's innovative work.
I loved the camera crashing through the French windows or being trapped looking upwards through a glass table, the dissolve where Nurse Diesel's glaring eyes become the headlamps of a car at night, the fact that 'a Mr McGuffin phoned and asked me to change your room to the seventeenth floor' (a McGuffin was Hitchcock's pet name for an irrelevant plot device).
Of course, if you're not a Hitchcock fan (or at least familiar with his work), you're unlikely to be particularly amused by most of this, but unlike today's tendency to ape films everyone will have seen with so little creativity that there is nothing to laugh at at all, this movie rewards a little intelligence with a lot of laughs.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 543 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
High Anxiety
You either love Mel Brooks's form of comedy or you hate it. There's no middle path. If you're in the former camp, I think you'll find this is among his best.
Published 2 months ago by Henry
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mel Brookes
Mel Brookes playing a psychiatrist with a fear of heights. Add a hospital where dodgy goings on are taking place, a weak willed Doctor and an evil looking Nurse and you have High... Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Rainy day video
Can't help but laugh out loud with this film, one of Mel Brookes best. Had this on video years ago so decided to get the DVD.A must see for those who like slapstick humour!!
Published 3 months ago by Lees J
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mel Brooks Comedy
Mel takes you on a journey through satirical parodies of most of Alfred Hitchcock's best known movies as he weaves a tale of deceit and deception, not to mention personal phobias,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by lost coloradoan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madcap Mel
Nice homage to Hitchcock, and some good gags, especially the orchestra and bus scene. All the usual group of players that you associate with Mel Brooks are present, sometimes a bit... Read more
Published 11 months ago by G. R. Wheatstone
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very underrated film these days
This has some hilarious moments in it even if it is a bit dated by today's standards. Brooks stars in the central role as a professor suffering from a chronic medical condition,... Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2011 by Patrick D. Carey
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointing
One of my brothers recommended this to us as very funny. We don't see him very often and hadn't realised how far our senses of humour had diverged. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2011 by Lorna Meier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for the feint-hearted
M Brooks, a psychiatrist comes to a psychiatric hospital only to find out a conspiracy between the staff, and he finds help from the resident doctor for his fear of heights, in... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2010 by Martin Jackson
3.0 out of 5 stars
it was the thriller/suspense moments that worked the most for me
this comedy/thriller actually works for me to a certain degree.it's a
spoof of Hitchcock films,and some of the comedic moments work well. Read more
spoof of Hitchcock films,and some of the comedic moments work well. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2010 by falcon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Probably Clever in Bits
I must admit that this didn't have me rolling with laughter. There were a few quite funny scenes, but it seemed pretty dated to me. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by E. Smith
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
