History of the World: Part I (1981)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

IN MEL WE TRVST

Plot:

From the dawn of man to the distant future, mankind's evolution (or lack thereof) is traced. Often ridiculous but never serious...

Plot Keywords:

French Revolution | Alternative History | Spanish Inquisition | Hit In Crotch | Reverse Footage

Cast

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 (as Rudy DeLuca)
Leigh French	...	Prehistoric Man
Richard Karron	...	Prehistoric Man

Also Known As:

Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part 1 (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

92 min | Argentina:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:MG6 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R (Approved No. 26348) | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | France:U

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

John Hurt did this movie because he had just gotten through doing two seriously dramatic films, and said that he wanted to have some fun and do a comedy.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Comicus and Swiftus are watching Josephus performing on the slave auction block, there's a girl standing behind them in some shots and not in other shots.

Quotes:

Mademoiselle Rimbaud: Your Majesty! I was raised in a convent. I don't indulge in pleasures of the flesh.
King Louis XVI: You don't put out, he don't get out.
Mademoiselle Rimbaud: Your Majesty, I simply don't do it.
King Louis XVI: Come on, you do it. You love to do it. We all do it. You do it...
Mademoiselle Rimbaud: No, I don't!
King Louis XVI: I do it, I love to do it. I just did it and I'm ready to do it again, don't tell me you don't do it!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Come Away Home (2005)

Soundtrack:

Jews In Space

Great movie? No. Great laughs? YES!

If you're trying to kill time on a Sunday, watch this movie. It's the perfect example of Mel Brooks comedy.

Everyone has their favorite and least favorite part. My favorite was "The Inquisition" song. My least favorite? Probably the French Revolution part, which dragged out for a while.

Hey, Mel, do your audience a favor and make "History of the World: Part II". I can just see him harassing Thomas Edison, Jimi Hendrix, Ed Sullivan, Adolph Hitler, and others.