The Twelve Chairs (1970)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Ilya Ilf (novel) and
Yevgeni Petrov (novel) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A wild and hilarious chase for a fortune in jewels.

Plot:

A treasure hunt. An aging ex-nobleman of the Czarist regime has finally adjusted to life under the commisars in Russia...

Plot Keywords:

Hidden Fortune | Russia | Remake | Hidden Treasure | Furniture

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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)
Mel Brooks	...	Tikon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Radomir Popovic
Petar Banicevic	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Dejan Cavic	...	Orator (uncredited)
Ljubomir Cipranic	...	Extra (uncredited)
Radmilo Curcic	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
Rasa Djukin	...	Extra (uncredited)
Bogdan Jakus	...	Extra (uncredited)
Vojislav Micovic	...	Confused Man (uncredited)
Milivoje Popovic-Mavid	...	Makko (uncredited)
Aleksandar Stojkovic	...	Capt. Scriabin (uncredited)
Paul Wheeler	...	Kolya (uncredited)

Directed by
Mel Brooks

Writing credits
Ilya Ilf		(novel "Dvenadtsat stulyev") (as Ilf) and
Yevgeni Petrov		(novel "Dvenadtsat stulyev") (as Petrov)
Doris Mudie		(English translation)
Mel Brooks		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ronald H. Gilbert	....	producer (as Ron Gilbert)
Sidney Glazier	....	executive producer
Michael Hertzberg	....	producer

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
Djordje Nikolic

Film Editing by
Alan Heim

Production Design by
Miodrag Nikolic

Art Direction by
Milan Todorovic

Costume Design by
Ruth Myers

Makeup Department
Saveta Kovac	....	makeup artist
George Partleton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fred T. Gallo	....	production supervisor
Velimir Jakovljevic	....	unit manager (as Veua Jakovuevic)
Ante Milic	....	production manager
Moma Pesic	....	unit manager
Momcilo Pesic	....	unit manager (as Moma Pesic)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Anderson	....	second assistant director
Mhalo Cain	....	second assistant director
Bahrudin 'Bato' Cengic	....	first assistant director
Radavore Visoluvek	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Milan Coric	....	property master

Sound Department
Thomas Halpin	....	sound editor
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Ken Reynolds	....	boom operator
Peter Sutton	....	production sound mixer
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Han Fudak	....	key grip
Dragan Pavasovic	....	gaffer
Eric Van Haren Noman	....	camera operator
Eric Van Haren Noman	....	camera operator: second unit

Editorial Department
Richard S. Goldberg	....	assistant editor
Walter Rappeport	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Morris	....	musical director
Jonathan Tunick	....	musical director
Jonathan Tunick	....	orchestrator

Other crew
William A. Berns	....	production executive
Arthur Eckstein	....	title designer
Ann Edwards	....	continuity
Elizabeth Hill	....	translator: English

Production Companies

• Crossbow Productions
• The Twelve Chairs Company
• Twelve Chairs Company

Distributors

• Universal Marion Corporation (UMC) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Brooksfilms (1983) (worldwide) (all media) (re-release)
• United Artists Classics (1983) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Gaumont (1983) (France) (theatrical)
• Alianza Cinematográfica Española (1975) (Spain)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1986) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)

Other Companies

• Film Opticals  opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (cinema release) (1983) | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | UK:U | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Adriatic Sea

Company:

Crossbow Productions

Trivia:

Mel Brooks had problems with Yugoslavian extras who did not speak English. Some extras playing museum guards were to walk through the museum ringing a bell and shouting, "Closing time! Closing time!" The extras misunderstood and walked through the scene shouting "Cloakie Bye! Cloakie Bye!" Brooks decided "Cloakie Bye" was funnier, so he left it in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The title of the movie is displayed in Russian (Cyrillic) before it transitions to English. If you look closely however, the Russian spelling for the movie's title is incorrect. The title is misspelled as the Cyrillic equivalent of "Dvenadtsat Stchlev" instead of the proper spelling, "Dvenadtsat Stulev".

Quotes:

Ippolit Vorobyaninov:Why are you after my chair?
Father Fyodor:It's not yours.
Ippolit Vorobyaninov:Then whose is it?
Father Fyodor:It's nationalized property. It belongs to the workers
Ippolit Vorobyaninov:Did you said the workers?
Father Fyodor:Yes, the workers.
Ippolit Vorobyaninov:Maybe the holy father is a member of the communist party.
Father Fyodor:Maybe.
Ippolit Vorobyaninov:But the party is for atheists. How can a priest join the party?
Father Fyodor:The church must keep up with the times.

Movie Connections:

Version of 12 stulyev (1966) (TV)

Soundtrack:

L'Internationale

Expect the worst

"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.