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| A wealth of elements are teased on this chaotic poster for Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I |
The history of the world, from Neanderthal man to the ardor of the Roman Empire: from the time of Christ to the French Revolution, covering the Spanish Inquisition and more!
History of the World, Part I is written, produced, starring and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker Mel Brooks (The Producers (1967)), whose 7th film it is.
Everything goes through Brooks' lewd, irreverent, often risible and continuously entertaining wringer in History of the World, Part I. The film is truly 'the Mel Brooks show', as it is wholly his making, while he also portrays Moses, King Louis XVI - and three other characters in it! Surrounding him are a gang of his 'usual suspects': Dom DeLuise (Always Greener (2001)) as Emperor Nero; Gregory Hines (Will & Grace (1999-00)) as the African slave in trouble; Madeline Kahn (Mixed Nuts (1994)) as Empress Nympho (the royal comedienne delivers a line as few others can) and many more.
With a considerable budget many of Brooks' outrageous ideas are possible here. History of the World, Part I is salutary, insanely silly - and very funny!
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Top 10: Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blazing Saddles (1974) or, The Black Sheriff of Rock Ridge
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 10-11 mil. $ (different reports)
Box office: 31.6 mil. $ (North America only); projected world gross 51.6 mil. $
= Big hit (projected return of 4.91 times its cost)
[History of the World, Part I was released 12 June (North America) and runs 92 minutes. The film was conceived as a reaction to a short studio backlot exchange between Brooks and a grip person. Orson Welles was paid 25k $ to record his narration for the film, which he did in a few hours instead of the 5 days that Brooks had thought it might take him. Richard Pryor was to play the slave part but had to bow out due to setting himself on fire while free-basing cocaine. Shooting took place from May 1980 - ? in France, England, California, including in Los Angeles, and in Las Vegas, Nevada. The film opened #4, behind Raiders of the Lost Ark, Clash of the Titans and Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams, to a 4.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 31.6 mil. $. Its foreign numbers are regrettably not public, as per studio policy at the time, but the film must have made a good deal of money internationally as well: In France it was the year's 13th highest-grossing film with more than 2.2 mil. admissions, totaling around 6.6 mil. $, and in Denmark 218k paid admission, totaling around 1.75 mil. $. With a conservative projected world gross of 25 mil. $, the world gross would be 51.6 mil. $, making the film a big hit. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to two notches under this one. A sequel series was made for Hulu as VoD, History of the World, Part II (2023), with Brooks co-writing and co-producing. Brooks returned with Spaceballs (1987); and as an actor in To Be Or Not To Be (1983). History of the World, Part I is fresh at 63 % with a 5.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
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