Welcome back to Binge Safari, where we uncover cinematic treasures worth howling about. Today’s excavation? A comedy so unholy it might just get us struck by lightning: History of the World, Part I—Mel Brooks’ wildly irreverent, deeply quotable, and eternally hysterical 1981 sketch epic.
Streaming now on Hulu and Max, this cult classic is everything we love about Mel Brooks: fearless satire, musical chaos, and jokes that punch in every direction. Our resident fools—Ricky the Reel Raccoon and Fifi the Film Frenchie—are here to bow before the comedic altar and kiss the royal tuchus.
Ricky’s Review – A Raccoon in the Roman Orgy of His Dreams
If you’ve never seen History of the World, Part I, first of all: shame. Second of all: rectify that immediately. This isn’t a movie, it’s a fever dream written in fart jokes and classical references, and I worship at its bidet.
This thing is LOADED. Brooks plays everything from Moses to a French king with IBS. It’s like the man looked at the entirety of Western history and said, “What if we added tap dancing Inquisitors?” (Which he did.)
Let me scream about Gregory Hines for a second—his debut role as Josephus, the smart-mouthed slave who moonwalks through the Roman Empire, is comic perfection. He’s smooth, silly, and he doesn’t miss a single beat—even when juggling swords, sex jokes, and sandals.
Also: The Inquisition: The Musical Number? I blacked out from joy. “The Inquisition, what a show!” It’s a crime against decency AND cinema that this didn’t win all the Oscars.
And the caveman bit with the first stand-up comic? Genius. Fire? Meh. Jokes? Evolution.
This film doesn’t just poke fun at sacred cows—it tramples them, milks them, and uses the udders as a horn section. It’s anarchic, offensive, and so ahead of its time it still feels dangerous today.
🗑️ Ricky’s Rating: 5 Trash Cans
This movie gave me brain worms in the best way. I would happily be executed by guillotine if the punchline was written by Mel Brooks.
Fifi’s Review – The Snarky Cinephile Raises Her Chalice to the King of Satire
Darling, History of the World, Part I is the champagne of comedies—bubbly, subversive, and guaranteed to stain your silk gloves with wine and tears of laughter. Mel Brooks didn’t just write a movie—he staged a full-scale roast of human civilization, and every frame is a delight.
Let’s talk Madeline Kahn as Empress Nympho. The woman doesn’t deliver lines—she launches them from a velvet cannon. Her comic timing is flawless, her sensual absurdity legendary, and every scene she touches turns to naughty gold.
And Brooks himself as King Louis XVI? Chef’s kiss. “It’s good to be the king.” ICONIC. I say that at brunch. I say that in traffic. I say that during performance reviews.
The structure is intentionally chaotic—framing the film as a series of historical sketches, it jumps from the Stone Age to the French Revolution like a cinematic time traveler on laughing gas. It shouldn’t work. But under Brooks’ direction? It sings.
Also, can we praise the musical numbers again? The Spanish Inquisition bit deserves a Broadway revival. Seriously. This film does more in two minutes of musical blasphemy than most modern comedies do in two hours.
🐾 Fifi’s Rating: 5 Paw Prints
This is how you do parody—with bite, with brilliance, and with full theatrical flair. Mel Brooks, you magnificent beast.
Final Thoughts – This Film Deserves a Monument
From cavemen to conspiracies, kings to comedy clubs, History of the World, Part I is a fearless satire that still holds up today. It’s raunchy, ridiculous, and razor-sharp. Fifi and Ricky agree: Mel Brooks didn’t just spoof history—he rewrote it with punchlines.
📢 Stream History of the World, Part I now on Hulu or Max, and join us next time on Binge Safari, where every review is revoltingly honest—in a good way.
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