History of the World Part 1 (1981)

"...contains plenty of belly-shaking laughs...  Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice
"...contains plenty of belly-shaking laughs...  "Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice"
"...plenty of belly-shaking laughs.  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Editor's Note In this spoof of great moments in history from the dawn of humanity through the French Revolution, director Mel Brooks delivers a twisted history lesson through his signature satirical, madcap humor. Funny, vulgar, and narrated by the great Orson Welles, HISTORY OF THE WORLD - PART I tells the progress of humankind as cave dweller, tap-dancing slave, and biblical hero. The most famous bit in the film features Moses coming down from Mount Sinai. Other highlights include a hilarious "Hitler on Ice" sequence and other outrageous comic situations, unbelievably silly jokes, and inspired casting (Sid Caesar, Gregory Hines, and Madeline Kahn included), with the film itself mimicking several historical Hollywood epics, most notably THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, as well as a brilliant parody of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

	Dom DeLuise
	Gregory Hines
	Mary-Margaret Humes
	Mel Brooks
	John C. Howard - Editor
	John Morris - Original Music By
	Mel Brooks - Director
	Mel Brooks - Writer
	Mel Brooks - Producer
	Woody Omens - Cinematographer

Variety
"...Chock full of amusing cameos..." 06/10/1981

The Onion A.V. Club 8 of 10
For much of his career, Mel Brooks has had the peculiar distinction of being simultaneously ahead of and behind the times...But Brooks' reputation largely rests on his genre parodies. Young Frankenstein (1974) and High Anxiety (1977) are as much loving homage as irreverent spoof. Anxiety is nearly as obsessive in recreating Alfred Hitchcock's visual style as Gus Van Sant's Psycho was, but to much greater effect... - Nathan Rabin

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
History of the World: Part I was fairly expensive to produce, but it exists on the level of quick, disposable, television. It thumbs its nose at icons that have lost their taboo value for most of us, and between the occasional good laughs, we're a little embarrassed that the movie is so dumb and predictable. - Roger Ebert