An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
History of the World: Part I (1981) Movie Review
There are a lot of amusing scenes in History of the World Part I, as well as some parts that aren’t quite funny. It is rife with the slapstick, double entendres, puns, and raunch that characterises Brooks’ humour. No of the outcome, Brooks puts in a lot of effort. He strives more than almost any other comedic director in history to make people laugh.
Stone Age, Roman Empire, Inquisition, and French Revolution are the four eras that make up the film’s four portions. While the other portions awkwardly fit in musical numbers, the Roman and French segments really have stories. Three of the pieces feature Brooks himself, with the remaining portions starring actors from other Brooks films (Korman, Ron Carey, Leachman, Kahn, and DeLuise).
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss opens the chapter on the Stone Age (also featured in the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey.) The subtitle is “Our Forefathers,” and the men rise with the sun and start jerking off right away. really humorous I enjoy how the reviewer reacts to a cave picture, but the remainder of the part is hit or miss.
In the movie The Roman Empire, Brooks plays a jobless “stand-up philosopher” who gets in trouble with a pig-headed Roman emperor (DeLuise) and flees. The longest and funniest of the parts, it stars Madeline Kahn as Empress Nympho, a woman who holds orgies with the sign “First Serve, First Come,” and Gregory Hines in his film debut as a fugitive slave who can dance. Even Moses and the Red Sea dividing make an appearance. Despite the fact that this is anachronistic, it makes for a nice chuckle.
The Inquisition, a tedious musical piece starring Brooks as the notorious Torquemada, is the poorest section. The Inquisition makes the fatal error of believing that having dancing nuns and priests is hilarious in and of itself, aside from an early giggle. It seeks to downplay the Catholics’ torturing of non-Christians but fails. It never stood a chance, in my opinion.
A scenario in The French Revolution had King Louis XVI being replaced by a lookalike “piss kid” in order to flee Paris on the eve of the French Revolution in 1789. Brooks played both roles. The scheme is conceived by the snobbish nobleman Count DeMoney (Korman), who frequently corrects individuals who pronounce his name incorrectly. (“Dee-Mo-Nay”). You look like the piss boy, he tells the king. And you look like a bucket of excrement, the king retorts. This inspired hilarity was fun to see.
The bogus trailer for “History of the World, Part II” is shown in the epilogue, however this was only a joke. A Part II was never in the works. What else can I say about Part I other the fact that I occasionally laughed? Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety by Brooks were funnier and more creative on a regular basis. Part I of History of the World has both effective passages and unpleasant ones.
History of the World: Part I (1981) Movie Cast & Crew
La loca historia del mundo
A História do Mundo – Parte I
Det våras för världshistorien, del 1
História do Mundo – Parte I
Historia swiata, czesc I
I trelli istoria tou kosmou
La folle histoire du monde
La pazza storia del mondo
Mel Brooks – Die verrückte Geschichte der Welt
Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part 1
Mel Brooks’ skøre verdenshistorie
Mieletön maailmanhistoria
Smesna strana istorije
Uma Louca História do Mundo
Mel Brooks … Moses / Comicus / Torquemada / Jacques / King Louis XVI
Dom DeLuise … Emperor Nero
Madeline Kahn … Empress Nympho
Harvey Korman … Count de Monet
Cloris Leachman … Madame Defarge
Ron Carey … Swiftus
Gregory Hines … Josephus
Pamela Stephenson … Mademoiselle Rimbaud
Shecky Greene … Marcus Vindictus
Sid Caesar … Chief Caveman
Mary-Margaret Humes … Miriam
Orson Welles … Narrator (voice)
Rudy De Luca … Prehistoric Man / Captain Mucus – The Roman Empire
Leigh French … Prehistoric Man
Richard Karron … Prehistoric Man
Susette Carroll … Prehistoric Man
Sammy Shore … Prehistoric Man
J.J. Barry … Prehistoric Man
Earl Finn … Prehistoric Man / Disciple – The Roman Empire
Suzanne Kent … Prehistoric Man
Michael Champion … Prehistoric Man
Howard Morris … Court Spokesman – The Roman Empire
Charlie Callas … Soothsayer – The Roman Empire
Dena Dietrich … Competence – The Roman Empire
Paul Mazursky … Roman Officer – The Roman Empire
Ron Clark … Stoned Soldier #1 – The Roman Empire
Jack Riley … Stoned Soldier #2 – The Roman Empire
Art Metrano … Leonardo DaVinci – The Roman Empire
Diane Day … Caladonia – The Roman Empire
Henny Youngman … Chemist – The Roman Empire
Hunter von Leer … Lt. Bob – The Roman Empire
Fritz Feld … Maitre ‘D – The Roman Empire
Hugh M. Hefner … Entrepreneur – The Roman Empire (as Hugh Hefner)
Pat McCormick … Plumbing Salesman – The Roman Empire
Barry Levinson … Column Salesman – The Roman Empire
Sid Gould … Barber-Bloodletter – The Roman Empire
Ronny Graham … Oedipus – The Roman Empire / Jew #2 – The Spanish Inquisition
Jim Steck … Gladiator – The Roman Empire
John Myhers … Leader of Senate – The Roman Empire
Lee Delano … Wagon Driver – The Roman Empire
Robert Goldberg … Senator #1 – The Roman Empire (as Robert B. Goldberg)
Alan U. Schwartz … Senator #2 – The Roman Empire
Jay Burton … Senator #3 – The Roman Empire
Robert Zappy … Roman Citizen – The Roman Empire
Ira Miller … Roman Citizen – The Roman Empire
Milt Freedman … Roman Citizen – The Roman Empire
Johnny Silver … Small Liar – The Roman Empire
Charles Thomas Murphy … Auctioneer – The Roman Empire
Rod Haase … Roman Officer – The Roman Empire
Eileen Saki … Slave – The Roman Empire
John Hurt … Jesus – The Roman Empire
Henry Kaiser … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Zale Kessler … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Anthony Messina … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Howard Mann … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Sandy Helberg … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Mitchell Bock … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Gilbert Lee … Disciple – The Roman Empire
Molly Basler … Game Show Girl – The Roman Empire
Deborah Dawes … Game Show Girl – The Roman Empire
Christine Dickinson … Game Show Girl – The Roman Empire
Lisa Sohm … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Michele Drake … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Jeana Tomasina … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire (as Jeana Tomasino)
Lisa Welch … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Janis Schmitt … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Heidi Sorenson … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Karen Morton … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Kathy Collins … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Lori Sutton … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Lou Mulford … Vestal Virgin – The Roman Empire
Jackie Mason … Jew #1 – The Spanish Inquisition
Phil Leeds … Chief Monk – The Spanish Inquisition
Jack Carter … Rat Vendor – The French Revolution
Jan Murray … Nothing Vendor – The French Revolution
Andréas Voutsinas … Bearnaise – The French Revolution (as Andreas Voutsinas)
Spike Milligan … Monsieur Rimbaud – The French Revolution
John Hillerman … Rich Man – The French Revolution
Sydney Lassick … Applecore Vendor – The French Revolution (as Sidney Lassick)
Jonathan Cecil … Poppinjay – The French Revolution
Andrew Sachs … Gerard – The French Revolution
Fiona Richmond … Queen – The French Revolution
Nigel Hawthorne … Citizen Official – The French Revolution
Bella Emberg … Baguette – The French Revolution
Geoffrey Larder … Footman – The French Revolution
George Lane Cooper … Executioner – The French Revolution
Stephanie Marrian … Lady Marie – The French Revolution
Royce Mills … Duke D’Honnefleur – The French Revolution
Mike Cottrell … Tartuffe – The French Revolution
Gerald Staddon … Le Fevre – The French Revolution (as Gerald Stadden)
John Ghavan … Marche – The French Revolution (as John Gavin)
Rusty Goffe … Le Muff – The French Revolution (as Rusty Goff)
Scott Henderson … Coming Attractions
Michael Miller … Coming Attractions
Royce D. Applegate … Coming Attractions
Bea Arthur … Dole office clerk
Sean Barry-Weske … Insolent Flunkey
Ava Cadell … Bit Part
Harry Fielder … Prison Guard
Rod Haask … Prehistoric Man
Linda Hoxit … Swimming Nun
Denise McKenna … Nun
Cleo Rocos … Slave
Dom Salinaro … Dancer
Albert Whitlock … Used Chariot Salesman