Review - History of the World, Part I (1981)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and with the recent release of the Mel Brooks streaming series History of the World, Part II on Hulu, I recently sat down and watched Mel Brooks' 1981 comedy film History of the World, Part I. Narrated by Orson Welles, this movie starred Mel Brooks, Dom Deluise, Madeline Khan, Sid Caesar, Cloris Leachman, and a slew of others. 

        So, History of the World, Part I follows a series of historical sketches and segments that are highly exaggerated and extremely hilarious. Among the eras that are satirized include the Stone Age, where many firsts are seen, the Old Testament, where Moses accidentally shatters a tablet with five additional Commandments, leaving only the Ten Commandments, the Spanish Inquisition, which portrays Torquemada and his torture of prisoners (primarily Jews) in a Busby Berkeley-style musical number, which includes an Esther Williams-style Aquatic Ballet, and both the Roman Empire and the French Revolution. 

       The Roman Empire centers on a stand-up philosopher named Comicus, who has a gig at Caesar's Palace, and he becomes friends with a palace maiden named Miriam and an Ethiopian slave named Josephus. And after his performance for Emperor Nero and his wife goes awry, Comicus and Josephus are forced to escape, joined by Comicus' agent, Swiftus, and Miriam. The four uses local plants and a scroll to create a massive blunt, which is lit and leaves a trail of smoke, which renders the Roman soldiers trailing them to be incapacitated, all of them high as a kite. Comicus, Swiftus, Josephus, and Miriam eventually find their way to Judea, where Comicus becomes a waiter, servicing the Last Supper, which is painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. 

       Lastly, we have the French Revolution, where the commoners of France are looking to rise up against King Louis XVI. To save the life of the King, and thus securing the Aristocracy, the King's main advisor Count de Monet (which is jokingly mispronounced as Count de Money) suggests using a lowly servant as a double for the King, who can take the fall for the King should Revolution begin. The ruse works, and the double signs a pardon for a prisoner, as the prisoner's daughter had asked the King for one earlier that day. The three are captured, and the double is set to be executed, only to be saved by Josephus, along with the prisoner and his daughter, and the four ride off into the end of the movie. Mel Brooks then shows a sneak peek at History of the World, Part II, with segments including "Hitler on Ice," "A Viking Funeral," and "Jews in Space." 

        Okay, so in terms of the Mel Brooks films I've seen, History of the World, Part I was pretty middle of the road for me. I think that what kind of took me out of the movie was the fact that it was a series of sketches put together in a single movie. However, each individual sketch works as separate parts of a whole that just doesn't gel together. However, the sketches themselves are hilarious. And not just hilarious, but Mel Brooks hilarious, which is the best kind of hilarious. 

        The various performances throughout the movie,. including the likes of Mel Brooks, Madeline Khan, Sid Caesar, Dom Deluise, Cloris Leachman, John Hurt, Harvey Korman, and so forth are fantastic. Mel is definitely the most prominent, as he appears in a good majority of the sketches throughout the movie, and he is absolutely hysterical. Lastly, the narrations by Orson Welles are amazing, as they play completely straight and serious, which really adds to the comedy. 

       Honestly, I had fun watching this movie. Is it Mel Brooks' best? Not really, because movies like Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs are definitely better in terms of storytelling. But is it hilarious? Definitely. So,. I'm giving History of the World, Part I a rating of 4.15/5. Now, the major reason that I've sat down and watched this movie, and am giving my review of it, is because Mel Brooks has returned with the recent limited event miniseries History of the World, Part II, which is streaming now on Hulu. And, as a treat, I will give you guys my full review of the series tomorrow, along with my long overdue review of the Star Wars streaming series The Book of Boba Fett. 

       Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you tomorrow with The Book of Boba Fett and History of the World, Part II.