Dr. Thorndyke is the newly appointed head of the Psycho Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He also suffers from “high anxiety”: a strong fear of heights, making him almost as nervous as his patients. Upon arriving at the Psycho Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, Dr. Thorndyke notices strange disappearances occurring, and this leads him to begin an investigation that will unearth some secrets more disturbing that the Institute’s patients.
This film is dedicated the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
The opening statement of the film says it all really. High Anxiety is a Mel Brookes film dedicated to the genius Alfred Hitchcock and is filled with suspense, romance, mystery, and many, many Hitchcock samples. It’s really, really clever!
Dr. Richard Thorndyke is the newly appointed head of the Psycho Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. Upon arriving at his new post, he realises that he suffers from “high anxiety”: a strong fear of heights, making him just as nervous as his patients. Also upon arriving at the Psycho Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, Dr. Thorndyke notices that strange disappearances are happening at the institute and this leads him to begin an investigation that will unearth some secrets more disturbing than some of the institute’s patients.
Mel Brookes can be cheesy, but you’ve got to admit that he can be really clever when he sets his mind to it. The major appeal of this movie is the montage of Hitchcock references and re-enacted scenes that are subtly twisted the Mel Brookes way to bring the comedy to the picture.
Without a doubt, my favourite scene has to be the dining room scene where the camera slowly pans in towards the dining room window and then suddenly crashes it. The characters immediately turn around in alarm and the camera pauses for a minute and then slowly retreats. Words cannot recreate the hilarity of that scene!
The basic story of the movie is a mixture of Spellbound and Vertigo, but it also includes famous scenes from Frenzy, Psycho, The 39 Steps, and The Birds. There is even a subtle North By Northwest reference! Most of the jokes are visual or verbal and, therefore, cannot be recreated by mere words on a computer screen, but believe me when I say that High Anxiety is a wonderfully clever film, especially for those who know their Hitchcock films!
With memorable performances from Mel Brookes, Madeline Khan, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Howard Morris, and Dick Van Patten, High Anxiety is a wonderful comedy filled with romance, murder, samples, fruit cups, bondage, and everything in between. It’s a wonderfully clever film!
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