History of the World, Part 1 (1981): Mel Brooks Period Comedy

Mel brooks, Dom DeLuise and Madeline Kahn in "History of the World, Part 1."

Photo : Everett

One chapter of Mel Brooks’ historical anthology-comedy, History of the World, Part 1 (1981), is a sporadically funny period piecve.

Brooks stars as Moses (one of the five roles he plays in the film) carrying several stone tablets down from Mount Sinai, only to accidentally drop one of them and trim his Commandments from 15 to 10.

Brooks as Comicus, a stand-up comic in the Roman Empire who gets mixed up with Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise), Empress Nympho (Madeline Kahn) and Jesus (John Hurt).

This is historical comedy at its crudest whose reputation has only improved with age.

History of the World, Part 1 (1981): Mel Brooks Period Comedy

History of the World, Part 1 (1981)

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