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History of the World: Part I

Play trailer Poster for History of the World: Part I R 1981 1h 33m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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61% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Human history is traced through a series of vignettes, beginning with cavemen awestruck by their own magnificence. Then Moses (Mel Brooks) receives the tablets containing the "15" commandments, and Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) presides over a madcap Rome with his wife, Nympho (Madeline Kahn). Jumping ahead, the Spanish Inquisition softens repression with song and dance, and a few centuries later Madame Defarge (Cloris Leachman) is fomenting revolution in France.
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History of the World: Part I

History of the World: Part I

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Critics Consensus

History of the World: Part I may not have enough comedic inspiration to merit a Part II, but the sporadic cleverness of these anachronistic skits are still a testament to Mel Brooks' gift for farce.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/12/2023
It’s Brooks’s audacity -- his treating cruelty and pain as a crazy joke, and doing it in a low-comedy context -- that gives History the kick that was missing from his last few films. Go to Full Review Matthew Rozsa Salon.com 06/14/2021
4/4
"History of the World, Part 1" is one of the all-time great spoof comedies. Its genius can be seen right there in its title. Go to Full Review David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture 12/31/2019
What [Brooks] takes to be the glorious folk humor that modern people have repressed looks to many of us like the tired jokes that were yawned off the burlesque stage 50 years ago. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 07/20/2024
5/10
As with many of the writer/director/producer’s works, not every gag lands (a couple actually fall quite flat), with a few portions meandering a touch, but several definitely stand out, sure to endure. Go to Full Review JoAnn Rhetts Charlotte Observer 05/03/2023
History of the World: Part I is Mel Brooks at his most appealing since The Producers and Young Frankenstein... This is just the sort of harmless, frequently hilarious summer movie that will appeal to adolescents of all ages. Go to Full Review Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News 05/26/2020
2/4
As written and directed by Brooks, the movie's overreliance on sex, scat and Semitic jokes wears painfully thin halfway through the picture. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vincent S. @Vin_E_At_The_Movies Jan 14 This Mel Brooks comedy hasn’t aged well but there are still some brilliantly funny moments and a raunchy energy that is pure Mel Brooks. Some great dialogue too. See more Mitch B Jul 1 The Stone Age was the highlight for me and I wish the movie had stayed in it a bit longer. It was the most fun sketch of the film if you ask me. The Old Testament and the Roman Empire and the Spanish Inquisition were all done well, but the French Revolution causes the film's charm to taper off a bit. See more Kyle M Jun 23 Mel Brooks’ parodic credibility gets disastrously questioned when finally catching up with the times then as this picture shows in sporadic amusement and few laughs but mainly cringes and flattens unfunnily when his co-stars overperform rather than following his executing style. (C) See more thiago s @Thiagostone 01/20/2025 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é mais ou menos, o começo do filme é bacana que faz um paródia do filme 2001 odisseia no espaço, depois depois o filme tenta ser engraçado e nao consegue muito, o filme tem poucas coisas engraçadas e interessantes no filme, o final dá um leve salvarlda com a paródia do star wars de resto meio fraco. See more tim s @TPSreport94 10/22/2024 "Mel Brooks' comedic crowning achievement. The humor is brash, ingenious, and clever. You'll laugh until it hurts. See more Rami A @Bunt101 02/06/2024 It's a Mel Brooks film that shouldn't be taken seriously. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. If I spent time analyzing this, I would've given this a lower rating. See more Read all reviews
History of the World: Part I

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Cast & Crew

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Mel Brooks

Director

Mel Brooks

Moses

Dom DeLuise

Emperor Nero

Madeline Kahn

Empress Nympho

Harvey Korman

Count de Monet

Cloris Leachman

Madame Defarge

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History of the World: Part I

History of the World: Part I (1981) History of the World: Part I (1981) History of the World: Part I (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Human history is traced through a series of vignettes, beginning with cavemen awestruck by their own magnificence. Then Moses (Mel Brooks) receives the tablets containing the "15" commandments, and Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) presides over a madcap Rome with his wife, Nympho (Madeline Kahn). Jumping ahead, the Spanish Inquisition softens repression with song and dance, and a few centuries later Madame Defarge (Cloris Leachman) is fomenting revolution in France.
Director
Mel Brooks
Producer
Mel Brooks
Screenwriter
Mel Brooks
Production Co
Brooksfilms
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 12, 1981, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 24, 2020
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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