High Anxiety

views updated

High Anxiety ★★ 1977 (PG)

Brooks tries hard to please in this lowbrow parody of Hitchcock films employing dozens of references to films like “Psycho,” “Spellbound,” “The Birds,” and “Vertigo.” Tells the tale of a height-fearing psychiatrist caught up in a murder mystery. The title song performed a la Sinatra by Brooks is one of the film's high moments. Brooks also has a lot of fun with Hitchcockian camera movements. Uneven (What? Brooks?) but amusing tribute. 92m/ C VHS, DVD . Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Howard Morris, Dick Van Patten; D: Mel Brooks; W: Mel Brooks, Ron Clark, Barry Levinson, Rudy DeLuca.