Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Orson Welles
- Narrator
- (voice)
Rudy De Luca
- Prehistoric Man
- (as Rudy DeLuca)
- …
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBeforehand, it was agreed that Orson Welles would receive $5,000 per day in exchange for his services. Figuring that he'd have to spend five eight-hour days recording and re-recording these lines with Welles, Mel Brooks paid him $25,000 up front. But by noon on the first day, Welles had recorded his lines to perfection. "Oh, my god, I could've paid you $5,000", Brooks lamented. After kicking himself for a few minutes, the funnyman asked Welles how he planned to spend the bounty. "Cuban cigars and Sevruga caviar", Welles replied.
- GoofsIn the beginning of the Roman Empire Segment, one of the running jokes was the use of a V in place of a U. It seems that great care was taken to do this on every sign. Except the Annual Orgy sign which has two Us on it that were not changed to Vs. U's are also visible on the "Equal Opportunity Employer" sign at the Unemployment Office.
- Crazy creditsVESTAL VIRGINS Portrayed by Playboy Playmates and Models
- Alternate versionsThe German TV version is missing the "Hitler on Ice" segment during the finale. Also, there is a small bit missing in the stone age segment, showing the invention of art (wall painting), and the first critic taking a leak on the masterpiece.
- ConnectionsEdited from The Vikings (1958)
- SoundtracksThe Inquisition
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks and Ronny Graham
Performed by Mel Brooks, Jackie Mason, and Ronny Graham
Original Music and Lyrics © 1981 Brooksfilms Music Limited
Featured review
Mel Brook's best film, yet.
Classical comedy satire..Mel Brook's best film. Once you've seen this film, you will not forgot it. The punchlines keep rolling from the beginning of the film, and even past "the big ending". There is not much of a plot, but that is to be expected in a movie that contains a bunch of skits. If you like Monty Python, then you should love this movie. This movie is not for everyone, especially if you are easily offended. However the opening scene should tell you if you would have a problem watching the rest of the movie. This movie does currently rank in my top 10 comedies of all time.
helpful•5225
- LisN2me
- Jun 21, 1999
- How long is History of the World: Part I?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $11,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $31,672,907
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,792,731
- Jun 14, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $31,672,907
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content