Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks
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2,831 ( 1,742)
1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Woman
Richard Karron Richard Karron ... Prehistoric Man
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Storyline

From the dawn of man to the distant future, mankind's evolution (or lack thereof) is traced. Often ridiculous but never serious, we learn the truth behind the Roman Emperor, we learn what really happened at the Last Supper, the circumstances that surrounded the French Revolution, how to test eunuchs, and what kind of shoes the Spanish Inquisitor wore. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A little something to offend everyone... See more »


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Parents Guide:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This is probably the silliest movie Orson Welles ever performed in. See more »

Goofs

In the beginning of the Roman Empire Segment, one of the running jokes was the use of a V in place of a U. It seems that great care was taken to do this on every sign. Except the Annual Orgy sign which has two Us on it that were not changed to Vs. U's are also visible on the "Equal Opportunity Employer" sign at the Unemployment Office. See more »

Quotes

Comicus: Have you heard of this new sect, the Christians? They are a laugh riot! First of all, they are so poor...
Swiftus: How poor are they?
Comicus: Thank you! They are so poor... that they only have *one* God!
[drumbeat, everyone laughs]
Comicus: But we Romans are rich. We've got a lot of gods. We've got a god for everything. The only thing we don't have a god for is premature ejaculation... but I hear that's coming quickly.
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Crazy Credits

VESTAL VIRGINS Portrayed by Playboy Playmates and Models See more »

Alternate Versions

The Spanish Castilian video version didn't had the "critic scene" on the Stone Age segment. But it appeared on the DVD edition with subtitles. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Timmy ja haltijakummit: Boys in the Band/Hex Games (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

Jews In Space
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Original Music & Lyrics © 1981 Brooksfilms Music Limited
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User Reviews

A Little Something to Offend Everyone...
4 December 1999 | by CHARLIE-89See all my reviews

There's a little something to offend everyone in this hilarious history lesson, with some personal research by Mel Brooks. To me, it's funnier than, say SILENT MOVIE or HIGH ANXIETY, but not as good as BLAZING SADDLES or maybe YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. My personal feeling is that HISTORY OF THE WORLD-PART 1 succeeds as being so hilarious due to the fact that it is so incredibly crude. It's a miracle that it gets shown on TV (even in a censored version). I own the book written by Mel Brooks in 1981. It is a telling of the movie complete with MANY photographs taken from the film. Sometimes, I think that the film gets mean-spirited, and that is when it isn't funny anymore. Mel Brooks is the undisputed comedy genius of the latter half of this century. Without a doubt, he has made more people laugh than any one else. His comedy is unique because while it is in bad taste, he somehow makes us feel good. Even in his first film, he makes us laugh at something in bad taste. This is where he is different from other, run-of-the-mill comics like Adam Sandler or Eddie Murphy, or SNL or anything like that- because Brooks' really knows what is funny. From his earliest effort to his latest, he remains a genius. But as for HISTORY OF THE WORLD. It seems to be his most popular movie with today's generation. BLAZING SADDLES is still popular, though. Of course, THE PRODUCERS, THE TWELVE CHAIRS, SILENT MOVIE, HIGH ANXIETY, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, and LIFE STINKS were all aimed at older audiences, his films like BLAZING SADDLES,YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, HISTORY OF THE WORLD, SPACEBALLS, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS and DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT will always be popular with the younger audiences.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin | French

Release Date:

13 November 1981 (Finland) See more »

Also Known As:

Mieletön maailmanhistoria See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,792,731, 14 June 1981

Gross USA:

$31,672,907

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,672,907
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms See more »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
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