Review of History of the World: Part I (1981) by Tristan G — 16 Sep 2009

In another Mel Brooks classic, many important historical moments of this world are captured by Mel Brooks and presented to us in the most slapstick of ways humanely possibly. As the film opens, we are greeted with the deadpan seriousness of Orson Welles' monotone narration, that somehow works in this over-the-top hilarious film, on the dawning of man, followed by a few quirky moments involving the homosapiens and cavemen.

Then, in the films longest segment, the Roman Empire is taken by storm by Comicus (Brooks), a stand up philosopher and former slave Gregory Hines who work in Cesar's Palace until they both manage to piss off Cesar (Dom DeLuise in a funny role).

After this, we are treated to my personal favorite, the Spanish Inquisition bit, which is pretty much all musical and dance number in the most entertaining of ways (I thought, especially being a fan of old school musicals).

After that, the final segment involves the French Revolution where the devious Count de Monet (Brooks film regular Harvey Korman) concocts a plan to have the sexually mischievous King Louis XVI (Brooks again) replaced with a look-alike in order to save him from the inevitable revolution and hanging by the peasants.

The entire film is really a comical farce that hits on all the right levels, especially if you are a Brooks fan and not a moron who likes today's horrid slapstick films (Epic Movie, Meet the Shitans, etc).

The huge cast of Brooks regulars, as well as then-new faces, manage to keep the comedy running and make this an admirable film in Brooks catalog of comedies, especially since its the OTHER R-rated movie Brooks ever did.

Fun movie!