RIP Gene Wilder, 1933-2016

I haven’t thought about Gene Wilder in a long time. In part because he has been out of the public eye for quite awhile. The last movie he was in came out in 1991. He belongs to a different time. But when I heard about his death (as 2016 continues to be The Year of Celebrity Deaths), the memories of his greatest performances brought a big smile to my face and a chuckle. That is what he seemed to be about, bringing laughs and smiles to people in tough times (his best films came out in the 1970’s).

One of the more unique things about his performances for me was that he was able to present characters that have a bland, surface normalcy but just under the surface is an unstable volcano that will occasionally erupt onscreen, and he was never afraid to take it there when need be. Willy Wonka may be his most memorable role, and as sweet as he is in the film, there is still something a bit sinister too, just under the surface. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my kids with him on a tour of his factory.

But for me, his greatest role is Victor Frankenstein in Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Young Frankenstein. Most of Brooks’ films I find irritating (although Blazing Saddles is great in spots, featuring another iconic Wilder role), but YF hits all the right notes and tone and is both a loving homage to the classic era of Universal Horror films and also a masterful comedy. Wilder co-wrote the script. His performance is a master class in comedic acting. How he so desperately wants to be taken seriously and escape the “Frankenstein” name, then gets pulled into his grandfather’s work and legacy. His performance moves across the entire spectrum, from subtle, wry humor to raging, manic tantrums. So many scenes (the spinning bookcase – “put the candle back!”) have entered the collective comedy consciousness of a generation of moviegoers.

RIP Gene Wilder