History of the World, Part I is a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also 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 , Charlie Callas; and Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Andreas Voutsinas and Spike Milligan. The film also has cameo appearances by Royce D. Applegate, Bea Arthur, Hugh Hefner, John Hurt , Barry Levinson,... Jackie Mason, Paul Mazursky, Andrew Sachs and Henny Youngman, among others. Orson Welles narrates each story. Despite carrying the title Part 1, there was no sequel; the title is a play on The Historie of the World, Volume 1 by Sir Walter Raleigh, as detailed below. The film is a parody of the historical spectacular film genre, including the sword and sandal epic and the period costume drama sub-genres. The four main segments consist of stories set during the Dawn of Man, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition, and the French Revolution.
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| Release date: | June 12, 1981 |
| Directed by: | Mel Brooks |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 92 Minutes |
| Producer: | Mel Brooks |
| Music by: | John Morris |
| Screenplay by: | Mel Brooks |
| Estimated budget: | $11,000,000 |
| Genre: | Comedy |