Sunday, 28 June, in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore: a Video Greeting from the Master and a Screening of Young Frankenstein

Mel Brooks turns 100, and the Cineteca di Bologna is celebrating him in Piazza Maggiore. On Sunday, 28 June – his birthday – at 9:45 pm, Brooks will greet audiences at Il Cinema Ritrovato with a special video message, after the entire Piazza joins in singing the inevitable “Happy Birthday”.
The celebration will be followed by a screening of what is perhaps Mel Brooks’ most beloved film: Young Frankenstein.

“Mel Brooks is the funniest person who has ever lived,” filmmaker Judd Apatow has said. “I think we can all agree on that. There’s really nothing to debate. Anyone who wants to make comedy, as I do, already knows they’ll never be the greatest. Mel has already won. What we can debate is which of his films is the best. That’s entirely subjective. If you choose Blazing Saddles, The Producers, or High Anxiety, there’s no way to prove you’re wrong. But my vote goes to Young Frankenstein.
Young Frankenstein is perfect. It’s the comedy equivalent of Sgt. Pepper, The Great Gatsby, or the 1986 New York Mets. Its rhythm and the sheer density of its jokes are beyond measure. The laughs never stop. The gags come at you like a prizefighter’s punches, in relentless flurries from every possible angle, with the best ones catching you completely off guard. What modern comedy doesn’t owe a debt to Young Frankenstein? The physical comedy is at once exquisitely precise and utterly insane. Its parody of the horror genre is meticulous, loving, and pitch-perfect. Since then, countless spoof movies have been made, but none has come close to what Mel achieved.
And there’s one more thing to remember: Mel Brooks made Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles in the very same year. Has any director ever had a better year than Mel Brooks in 1974? Victor Fleming directed Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in 1939—but Gone with the Wind isn’t funny at all. So Mel wins again.
A few years ago, I saw Young Frankenstein at an art-house cinema, and I have never heard so much laughter in a movie theatre. I was jealous at first, but then I realised I’ll never fight like Ali, paint like Picasso, or be as funny as Mel Brooks. Still, being one-third as funny as Mel Brooks is more than enough to make a very good living.”