MEL BROOKS STARS IN AND DIRECTS 'HIGH ANXIETY'

Title: HIGH ANXIETY Year: 1977 Rating: ***

Mel Brooks sends-up all things Hitchcock in a film that's more entertaining than funny. You can't help but to get involved in the story of a new head shrink (Brooks) of a crooked insane asylum who has an extreme fear of heights: From one situation to the next, this parody encompasses "Vertigo", "Psycho", "The Birds", "Frenzy", and all the (other) Hitch-flicks that has the main character being falsely accused of murder...

Homage-driven jabs at Alfred H's signature camera shots and dramatic musical scores are the funniest. Somewhere between "Blazing Saddles" (as the high-point) and "History of the World" (as a semi low-point), this movie has a cozy place within the Mel Brooks canon. Nothing gained, nothing lost. But you'll enjoy the ride, especially with Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman going over-the-top, on purpose, like only they can.