History of the World, Part I (1981)

History of the World, Part I (1981)

starring Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman

directed by Mel Brooks

93 minutes

watched on Hulu

This movie is a compilation of skits set in different time periods. Some of the moments don't last very long and are little more than a series of gags. The movie as a whole doesn't hold together very well.

The time periods in which the movie is set are 

• The Stone Age
• The Old Testament
• The Roman Empire
• The Spanish Inquisition
• The French Revolution

Mel Brooks plays the lead character in all but the Stone Age segment of the movie, where Sid Ceaser plays the lead character. The Roman Empire and French Revolution are the longest segments in the movie. The other three segments combined don't account for more than 30 minutes of the movie.

I saw this movie for the first time in the early to mid-1980s, probably on VHS. I don't recall being terribly impressed back then. My impression of this movie hasn't changed much. There are a few good jokes but for the most part it doesn't do it for me. There are some jokes which would probably not make it into the movie if it was made today because they would be deemed too offensive. 

The end of the movie promises that there will be a sequel, History of the World, Part II. Earlier this month, more than 40 years after Part 1 was released, History of the World, Part II has finally come out. It is an 8-part mini-series on Hulu.

Am I glad that I watched this movie again? Not really. It's still not great or even all that good. I chuckled a few times but I rolled by eyes considerably more than I laughed.