History of the World: Part I is one of those movies that I have been meaning to get around to upgrading on Blu-Ray for quite some time. I have been planning on reviewing it for ages, but wanted to wait until I had the Blu-Ray to watch it again as I am pretty sure the old DVD I have is just the VHS slapped onto a disc! Anyway, I found it cheap on Amazon, watched it, and I had a pretty fun time with it. The Blu-Ray is a pretty solid upgrade from my old DVD so I am very happy with the purchase.
How to Download History of the World: Part I
History of the World: Part I was released on June 12, 1981. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
This is brought to us by the comedic talents of Mel Brooks. Not only does Mel Brooks write and direct this movie, but he plays five of the roles as well! This movie has a stacked cast that is nearly impossible for me to mention as there are so many iconic names of the ’70s and 80s here some in featured roles and others in small cameos that make you wonder “Was that who I think it was?” in the short time they are on the screen.
As you are probably already aware, History of the World: Part I is a comedy and this is the story of man! The movie has six segments that take us through some of mankind’s most interesting eras. The six eras are the Stone Age, the Old Testament, the Roman Empire, The Spanish Inquisition, The French Revolution, and Coming Attractions which is a hint at History of the World: Part II.
The Legacy of History of the World: Part I
By the way, History of the World: Part II is a gag, Mel Brooks never intended on making it, but the joke was kind of on him as 40 years later in 2023, History of the World: Part II would come out as a series on Hulu which is actually not bad at all and very fitting and similar to what was done here. Although, it does kind of make the gag of the Part I in the title here lose all meaning now.
The Best and Worst Parts of History of the World: Part I
Like any other comedy that is made up of segments or any kind of sketch show, things here are a bit hit and miss. When the hits come they are hilarious and the movie opens very strongly as I think that The Stone Age and The Old Testament are the best parts of what this movie has to offer. The reason that we have 10 commandments instead of 15 always gets a chuckle out of me. The thing is, after this, things kind of come to a screaming halt.
After a strong opening, we have the segment based on The Roman Empire. Not only is the Roman Empire section my least-liked part of this movie, but it goes on for what feels like forever. The pacing of the other segments, especially the first two is so much better, here things just last too long and I found that most of the humor here did not click with me at all.
I do feel that things pick up a bit after this and while it is short the Coming Attractions section with stuff like Jews in Space and Hitler on Ice had me cracking up big time and was a great way to bring the movie to a close and leave me with a smile on my face. You know, I wonder if next time I watch this if I just skip the entire Roman Empire section I will like the movie even more than I already do? If you want some classic early 80s and Mel Brooks comedy, give this a try. Also, give the Hulu series (History of the World: Part II) a try too as that has some really fun stuff.
