Is High Anxiety woke?
High Anxiety (1977)
Movie
Released: January 1, 1977
Wokeness Score
0/10
Not woke
No political or woke messaging whatsoever. Focuses entirely on story, characters, fun, or escapism.
Key Summary Points
- Pure parody of Hitchcock films and 1970s psychoanalysis with no social messaging.
- Plot and humor revolve around mental institution scam and acrophobia without ideological elements.
- Cast and story serve comedy and suspense spoofs exclusively, no diversity or inclusion focus.
Wokeness Analysis
High Anxiety is a 1977 Mel Brooks comedy that parodies Alfred Hitchcock films and the growing popularity of psychoanalysis in the era. The plot centers on a psychiatrist with acrophobia taking over a mental institution run by corrupt staff who murder to protect their scam of overcharging wealthy patients. The film delivers slapstick humor, visual gags, and direct spoofs of movies like Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds, along with jabs at Freudian concepts such as penis envy. There are no references to identity politics, systemic oppression, diversity quotas, gender ideology, racial grievance, or any other progressive social agendas. The cast features a mix of male and female performers in comedic roles without any emphasis on representation or messaging. The story prioritizes entertainment through absurdity, physical comedy, and affectionate mockery of classic cinema tropes. Released well before the modern wave of ideological content in entertainment, the movie focuses entirely on story, characters, and laughs with zero intrusion of contemporary political or social commentary. Viewers seeking pure escapism and parody will find nothing here that aligns with or promotes woke themes.
Plot
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, a Harvard psychiatrist suffering from severe acrophobia, arrives to become the new director of the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He quickly discovers that the previous director was murdered and that the staff, including the domineering Nurse Diesel and scheming Dr. Montague, are running a criminal operation that involves committing wealthy patients and extracting exorbitant fees. As Thorndyke investigates, he faces assassination attempts, must confront his fear of heights in a climactic tower scene, and navigates romantic interest with patient Victoria Brisbane. The film spoofs classic Hitchcock thrillers through exaggerated set pieces, mistaken identities, and visual gags while poking fun at psychiatric jargon and theories popular at the time.