IMDb > The Twelve Chairs (1970)
The Twelve Chairs
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The Twelve Chairs (1970) More at IMDbPro »

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The Twelve Chairs (1970) -- Open-ended Trailer from CBS/fox

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   1,658 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Ilya Ilf (novel) and
Yevgeni Petrov (novel) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Twelve Chairs on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 October 1970 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A wild and hilarious chase for a fortune in jewels. more
Plot:
A treasure hunt. An aging ex-nobleman of the Czarist regime has finally adjusted to life under the commisars in Russia... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
MovieWeb's 2009 DVD Holiday Gift Guide
 (From MovieWeb. 20 November 2009, 12:55 PM, PST)

November 6: DVD alternatives to this weekend’s multiplex offerings
 (From FlickFilosopher. 7 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Expect the worst more (31 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Ron Moody ... Ippolit Vorobyaninov

Frank Langella ... Ostap Bender

Dom DeLuise ... Father Fyodor
Andréas Voutsinas ... Nikolai Sestrin
Diana Coupland ... Madame Bruns
David Lander ... Engineer Bruns
Vlada Petric ... Sevitsky
Elaine Garreau ... Claudia Ivanovna
Robert Bernal ... Curator
Will Stampe ... Night Watchman
Bridget Brice ... Young Woman
Nicholas Smith ... Actor in play
Rada Djuricin ... Actress in play
Branka Veselinovic ... Natasha
Miodrag 'Mladja' Veselinovic ... Peasant (as Mladja Veselinovic)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The 12 Chairs (USA) (alternative spelling)
more
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Finland:K-3 (cinema release) (1983) | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:G
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Anne Bancroft encouraged Mel Brooks to write the music as well as the lyrics for "Hope for the best, expect the worst" and subsequently at least one song for all of his movies. She was 'like an angel on his shoulder' when it came to songwriting. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The chairs are supposed to be walnut which is a medium to dark-brown wood, but when they're broken a very pale wood is exposed. more
Quotes:
Ippolit Vorobyaninov: You're not worth spitting on!
Father Fyodor: Oh yeah? Well, you are!
[spits]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Spaceballs: The Documentary (2005) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Hope for the best, expect the worst more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 25 people found the following comment useful.
Expect the worst, 15 July 2003
Author: bigbeat_66 from somewhere in cyberspace

"Hope for the best, expect the worst", as the title song goes, is exactly how I felt when I picked up my copy. Having read the original Russian novel and being a fan of Mel Brooks, I was curious how the two would come together. I was rather apprehensive, knowing how Russian literature usually suffers in translation, but hopeful that Brooks would somehow make something of it anyway. The film disappoints on both counts - there's precious little of the original in it, and Brooks isn't at his best here either. Moody is actually OK as Vorobyaninov, but the casting of Langella as Bender is just plain wrong, as he cannot possibly convey the depth and subtlety of the original character. Langella alone is enough to kill this film for anyone familiar with the book. None of the uproarious humor of the novel is anywhere to be found, while the few semi-funny visual gags are merely typical Brooks slapstick and have nothing to do with the source material. And even those aren't among Brooks' best. However, having expected the worst, I wasn't exactly disappointed. An OK little comedy, if you don't expect too much. If you want more, read the book.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Frank Langella valjeanlover
An undiscovered trasure. stalzz64
Hope for the best expect the worst losun
completely forgotten stevfins13
Is this the movie where... harrybon92
One of the best comedies! hari_krhs
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