The familiar and oft-filmed story of Lieutenant Bligh (Anthony Hopkins - The Elephant Man; Silence of the Lambs; The Remains of the Day; The World's Fastest Indian), whose zest for discipline bordering on brutality leads to a mutiny on board his ship, H.M.S. Bounty. This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson - Mad Max; Lethal Weapon; Braveheart; Ransom) to get his men beyond the reach of the inevitable British retribution, and the epic voyage of Lieutenant Bligh to get his loyalists safely to East Timor in a tiny lifeboat. The stellar supporting cast includes Bernard Hill (Shirley Valentine; Tv's- Boys from the Blackstuff), Edward Fox (Day of The Jackal; Force 10 from Navarone); Wild Geese II), Laurence Olivier (Henry V; The Entertainer, Wild Geese II) & in early roles, Daniel Day-Lewis (My Beautiful Laundrette; My Left Foot; Last of the Mohicans: Gangs of New York) and Liam Neeson (Nell; Loch Ness; Rob Roy; The A-Team).

If you were to argue Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-10 funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks' previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks recreated the Frankenstein laboratory using the equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for non-stop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--it's pronounced "Fronkensteen". --Jeff Shannon