THE GENE WILDER REVIEW

By Nate Lee 

BEST FILM: Young Frankenstein The best way to judge a Gene Wilder film is the amount of laughs. “Saddles” is a close second, but the difference is that Wilder is at the core of “Frankenstein,” as a professor and descendant of the famous “reanimator,” drawn back to the life and castle of his namesake.

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN:

Rhinoceros (opposite Zero Mostel)

Stir Crazy (with Richard Pryor)

Silver Streak (with Richard Pryor)

Start the Revolution Without Me

THE MEL BROOKS WILDER:

Blazing Saddles

Young Frankenstein

The Producers

BLOCKBUSTERS:

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Bonnie and Clyde

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (but were afraid to ask)

ACTING STYLE:

Over the top. He loved to go from the whisperingly calm, sweet little guy to the wild-eyed, insanely screaming, manic maniac in just seconds flat. Even when paired with other crazed dudes like Zero Mostel, Richard Pryor and Mary Feldman, he was right in there, going all the way.

THE REAL WILDER:

Willy Wonka ...

A stretch, but the gentle hidden Willy behind the manic candyman comes closest to the gentle guy who only lived up to his last name on screen.

BITS AND QUIRKS:

The famous blond Einstein hair helped him literally wig out. The pop eyes. The whisper to the scream. The paranoid look. The helpless child look. The eerie grin and the clenched lips surpressing a laugh.

GREAT SCENES:

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS - Falling in love with a sheep

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - “Put the candle back.” > Reacting to Eye-gore’s hump > Song and dance with “the monster”

THE PRODUCERS - Going crazy over his baby blanket > Trying to strangle Mostel

SILVER STREAK - Dressing up as a black and trying to “be cool” to get past police > Unhitching the train cars

STIR CRAZY - Dancing in the chicken suits

IF YOU LIKE HIM, YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T LIKE:

Another You

Funny About Love

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

GO TO THE... GENE WILDER BIO