History of the World, part I

release year: 1981
genre: sci-fi/action/adventure
viewing setting: home Bluray 11/11/22 and home VHS 8/29/97

synopsis: Mel Brooks and (most of) his usual gang take us through different periods in the world's history, in a series of loosely connected skits.

impressions: This film is like a bunch of little plays/shows/whatever strung together end-to-end. There's something for everyone, and possibly something to offend everyone. It's also got a lot of good sets and costumes, not to mention the dance routines (e.g. the Inquisition.) The main thing I noticed while watching this for the first time in a quarter-century was that it just wasn't funny anymore, at least not to me. While I'm no fan of political correctness or woke-ism, I still realized that much of the humor here has passed its prime and is now dated. To be fair, I've noticed this with several other movies from the same time period which I've recently re-watched, e.g. Cannonball Run and Stripes.

acting: Mel Brooks is the main character(s) and he does a good job with the various personas. Supporting roles from Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, and others add to the fun.

final word: While funny in the early 1980s, this - like many things from that era - has not aged well.

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