It's 1927 Soviet Union. Ippolit Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody) is a poor Russian aristocrat who is told by his dying mother-in-law that she hid her jewels in one of her twelve chairs which are now gone. Ostap Bender (Frank Langella) is a con-man from the streets. He befriends Tikon (Mel Brooks) and then bullies his master Ippolit into joining him in his search. The priest Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) brought in to give the Last Rites also tries to find the chairs.
It's a satire based on Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs". The film has a bit of slapstick and a bit of stinging rebuke of the communist system. It's not as vulgar as his later works. That's probably due to the need to follow the source material. It does lack a good rooting interest. Frank Langella is not a fun con-man. His intensity doesn't allow the comedy to flow easily. He's a serious actor and not really a comedian. This is interesting with a few good chuckles.
It's a satire based on Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs". The film has a bit of slapstick and a bit of stinging rebuke of the communist system. It's not as vulgar as his later works. That's probably due to the need to follow the source material. It does lack a good rooting interest. Frank Langella is not a fun con-man. His intensity doesn't allow the comedy to flow easily. He's a serious actor and not really a comedian. This is interesting with a few good chuckles.