The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Director: Mel Brooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
I’m part way through Mel Brooks’ 2021 showbiz autobiography ‘All about Me!’ (perhaps the most accurate autobiography title of all time). Brooks is a genuine comic genius and it’s been fun to share in his recollection of a life working with Carl Reiner on the 2000 Year Old Man skit and Don Adams in Get Smart, not to mention his brilliant filmography - which helped me unearth this little gem - his sophomore picture The Twelve Chairs.
Ron Moody is a fallen Russian aristocrat who teams up with a con man (Frank Langella) in search of a treasure of jewels that is hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs. The duo must find their prize before it falls into the hands of shifty priest (Don Deluise) who is also on the trial.
Full of genuinely brilliant and madcap performances, comic gold one liners, laugh out loud slapstick sequences and an overall sense of fun, this is often overlooked in Brooks oeuvre, but genuinely worth seeking out if in need of a laugh. It’s not carried by any of the streaming services here in Australia, but some creative thinking (cough YouTube cough) will help you find a surprisingly high quality print.
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Director: Mel Brooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
I’m part way through Mel Brooks’ 2021 showbiz autobiography ‘All about Me!’ (perhaps the most accurate autobiography title of all time). Brooks is a genuine comic genius and it’s been fun to share in his recollection of a life working with Carl Reiner on the 2000 Year Old Man skit and Don Adams in Get Smart, not to mention his brilliant filmography - which helped me unearth this little gem - his sophomore picture The Twelve Chairs.
Ron Moody is a fallen Russian aristocrat who teams up with a con man (Frank Langella) in search of a treasure of jewels that is hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs. The duo must find their prize before it falls into the hands of shifty priest (Don Deluise) who is also on the trial.
Full of genuinely brilliant and madcap performances, comic gold one liners, laugh out loud slapstick sequences and an overall sense of fun, this is often overlooked in Brooks oeuvre, but genuinely worth seeking out if in need of a laugh. It’s not carried by any of the streaming services here in Australia, but some creative thinking (cough YouTube cough) will help you find a surprisingly high quality print.