History of the World Part 1
| Year: | 1981 |
| Production Co: | Brooksfilms Ltd |
| Studio: | 20th Century Fox |
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
| Producer: | Mel Brooks |
| Writer: | Mel Brooks |
| Cast: | Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Madeline Kahn, Dom Deluise, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Pamela Stephenson, Sid Caeser, Orson Wlles |
I always consider Mel Brooks separate from the Zucker brothers, and the background of his projects is different. Where the Flying High creators isolate an institution (World War II spy movies in Naked Gun, airport disaster movies in Flying High, scary movies in... Scary Movie), Brooks will just make a straight-aiming comedy.
Where they are similar however is in their comic style. Some - not many, mind - jokes are as subtle as Woody Allen ('seize this honkus') and some are as broad as a Saturday morning cartoon ('they shove a living snake up your ass').
But all are funny. Picking and choosing his historical eras - from the ascension of man ancient Rome and the French Revolution - Brooks partly lampoons the times for his comedy, sometimes just writes gags.
Classic but not perfect comedy, and what a shame we never had part 2 with Jews in Space.
Where they are similar however is in their comic style. Some - not many, mind - jokes are as subtle as Woody Allen ('seize this honkus') and some are as broad as a Saturday morning cartoon ('they shove a living snake up your ass').
But all are funny. Picking and choosing his historical eras - from the ascension of man ancient Rome and the French Revolution - Brooks partly lampoons the times for his comedy, sometimes just writes gags.
Classic but not perfect comedy, and what a shame we never had part 2 with Jews in Space.