History of the World, Part I

History of the World, Part I is a 1981 film directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks wrote the screenplay and stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques le garçon de pisse. The large ensemble cast also features Sid Caesar, Shecky Greene, Gregory Hines, and Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman among many others, including cameo appearances by Bea Arthur, Hugh Hefner, John Hurt, Jackie Mason, Paul Mazursky and Henny Youngman, and narration by Orson Welles.

Related Topics:
1981 - Film - Mel Brooks - Moses - Tomás de Torquemada - King Louis XVI - Ensemble cast - Sid Caesar - Shecky Greene - Gregory Hines - Dom DeLuise - Madeline Kahn - Harvey Korman - Cloris Leachman - Cameo appearance - Bea Arthur - Hugh Hefner - John Hurt - Jackie Mason - Paul Mazursky - Henny Youngman - Orson Welles

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The film's story, such as it is, is a parody of "historical spectacular" cinematic genre, including the "sword and sandal epic" and the "period costume drama" subgenres. The four main segments of the film consist of stories set during the Dawn of Man, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition (as a Busby Berkeley-esque song-and-dance number) and the French Revolution. Between the Dawn of Man and the Roman Empire sequences there is also a very short clip called "The Old Testament," which shows Moses receiving fifteen commandments from God, then dropping a tablet and declaring them to be only Ten Commandments.

Related Topics:
Parody - Cinematic genre - Sword and sandal - Period costume drama - Roman Empire - Spanish Inquisition - Busby Berkeley - French Revolution - Old Testament - Moses - Ten Commandments

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At the very end of the film there is a teaser-trailer for History of the World: Part II, which promises to feature a Viking funeral, Hitler on Ice, and Jews in Space. As of 2005, no release date has been set for this proposed sequel. It was most likely a joke, since most of the "trailer" featured visual gags. The melody for the "Jews in Space" song was later recycled by Brooks for the "Men in Tights" musical number in '. The music that underscores the Viking Funeral segment is Vorybraninov's Theme, composed for an earlier Brooks film The Twelve Chairs.

Related Topics:
Viking - Hitler - Jew - As of 2005 - Sequel

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On several occasions in the film, a character exclaims that "only a miracle can save us now!" At which point a white stallion gallops in (apparently named "miracle") and carries off the characters to safety.

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