Synopsis
Ten million years in the making. The truth, the whole truth, and everything, but the truth!
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
1981 Directed by Mel Brooks
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
Mel Brooks Dom DeLuise Madeline Kahn Harvey Korman Cloris Leachman Ron Carey Gregory Hines Pamela Stephenson Shecky Greene Sid Caesar Mary-Margaret Humes Orson Welles Rudy De Luca Leigh French Richard Karron Susette Carroll Sammy Shore J.J. Barry Earl Finn Suzanne Kent Michael Champion Howard Morris Charlie Callas Dena Dietrich Paul Mazursky Jack Riley Art Metrano Diane Day Henny Youngman Show All…
Gilbert B. Combs Dick Durock William Hobbs Phil Adams Ted White Ray Bickel Gary Combs James M. Halty George Lane Cooper Jack Tyree Cha Cha Sandoval-McMahon Philip Romano Desiree Ayres William Hobbs Sandi Gross
Samuel C. Crutcher Scott A. Hecker Gary A. Hecker Les Fresholtz Arthur Piantadosi Sandy Berman Robert R. Rutledge Steve Cantamessa Gene S. Cantamessa Tex Rudloff Michael Sale
History of the World Part I, La folle histoire du Monde, History of the World Part I (1981), Mel Brooks' verrückte Geschichte der Welt, La pazza storia del mondo parte 1, Historia Świata: Część I, Mel Brooks - Die verrückte Geschichte der Welt, La Folle Histoire du monde, Всемирная история: Часть I, La pazza storia del mondo, Mel Brooksin mieletön maailmanhistoria, La loca historia del mundo, Dünyanın Tarihi, Uma Louca História do Mundo, 帝国时代, Det våras för världshistorien, del 1, Mel Brooks skøre verdenshistorie, Világtörténelem - 1. rész, Η Τρελή Ιστορία του Κόσμου: Μέρος 1, ההיסטוריה המטורפת של העולם, 멜 브룩스의 세계사, История на света: Част І, Історія світу. Частина перша, 帝國時代, A História do Mundo: Parte I, La Loca Historia del Mundo, Smiješna strana povijesti 1, メル・ブルックス/珍説世界史PART I, La boja història del món: Part I, Lịch Sử Thế Giới: Phần 1, Smešna plat zgodovine
Never made it more than a few minutes into this one before, and now I remember why: it's horrible. Just one terrible gag after another. Brooks is very transparently trying to be Monty Python here, but the thing is, Monty Python was six guys with very different sensibilities, so there's a system of checks and balances in place, and you're only seeing everyone's best stuff. This plays like if Monty Python was just Eric Idle's bits. That said, I think it's nice that all the famous Gen-Xers who grew up watching this on TV got together to make a sequel miniseries with Mel. I like it when people respect their elders. I hate thinking about grandpa feeling lonely at the nursing home.
Mel Brooks will do his thing,
Whether its dance or sing.
From Rome to France,
If given the chance,
He'll say, "It's good to be king".
How does the Senate vote?
Fuck the poor!
--
Prurient, excessive, ingratiating, overly phallic, and really pissed off.
Livid about wealth and pomp and subjugation. Most of all: after countless advancements and millennia of lessons, we haven't changed in any way.
We're still stupid, horny beasts willing to ignore cruelty in our quest to devour anything that fits in our mouths.
--
[muttering in Yiddish]
Much hornier than I was expecting, somehow the Spanish Inquisition musical number carried the whole movie.
A hilarious romp through history ... Mel Brooks style!
"It's good to be the king."
(My tour through Mel Brooks' filmography recap)
So after confirming that 'Spaceballs' was just not for me, I followed that up by revisiting what I remember being my favorite Mel Brooks comedy, History of the World: Part I. And I must say when a comedy works for you it is a glorious thing, because even after a couple of watches this movie still had me cracking up laughing throughout.
"Give to Oedipus! Give to Oedipus! Hey, Josephus! ... Hey, motherfucker!"
History of the World: Part I, is Mel Brook's anthology comedy that pokes fun at both the history books and a handful of period dramas…
From a production standpoint this is one of the more impressive Mel Brooks pictures, lots of those gorgeous matte paintings that would come up later in Spaceballs, and big set-pieces like the "Spanish Inquisition" musical number. Comedically, though, this is Mel's "drunk dad" period, and while it's often very funny, it also feels a little too mean-spirited in parts. Probably not any more offensive than Blazing Saddles on paper, but where that movie had a very sturdy satirical framework for most of its vulgarity, this feels more like spitballs. Dad comedy legends like Jackie Mason and Henny Youngman get cameos, just in case there was any doubt on this point.
John Hurt belongs in the running for greatest screen Jesus though, no question.
Cinematic Time Capsule
1981 Marathon - Film #68
”It’s good to be the king.”
Goodbye head! Hello balls! It’s Mel Brooks’ low brow revisionist history skit show.
Featuring Gregory Hines’ fantastic Ethiopian Shim-Sham, a wonderfully bawdy Madeline Kahn, and a show stopping Spanish Inquisition that’s complete with swimming nuns.
Sure, it’s hit and miss with several poorly aged jokes, and yes, it fizzles out towards the end, but don’t be square, mon cher. Movies is magic!
🎶How we doin’ any converts today?
Not a one. Nay, nay, nay.🎶
1981 In Review - June
#6
Human history is traced through a series of vignettes, beginning with cavemen awestruck by their own magnificence. Then Moses (Mel Brooks) receives the tablets containing the "15" commandments, and Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) presides over a madcap Rome with his wife, Nympho (Madeline Kahn). Jumping ahead, the Spanish Inquisition softens repression with song and dance, and a few centuries later Madame Defarge (Cloris Leachman) is fomenting revolution in France.
Definitely not in the same league as Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein or even Spaceballs. This comedy is very broad and by setting it mostly in Roman times it begs comparison to Life of Brian.
Very disappointing and very not funny, although the highlight is the Spanish Inquisition part, all set to a Busby Berkeley themed musical, which is wonderful.
This was terrible…I may have cracked a smile three times tops. Nothing resembling a laugh or even a titter escaped my lips.
Mel Brooks is like an Adam Sandler precursor…he has a couple of beloved classics, but more often than not his output is straight trash!