The Mel Brooks Collection (Blazing Saddles / Young Frankenstein / Silent Movie / Robin Hood: Men in Tights / To Be or Not to Be / History of the World, Part 1 / The Twelve Chairs / High Anxiety)

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There are plenty of belly laughs in The Mel Brooks Collection, an eight-disc set of most of the director-writer-actor's best-known films. Four of them--Silent Movie, High Anxiety, To Be or Not to Be, and Robin Hood: Men with Tights--are making their debut on DVD, while a fifth, The Twelve Chairs, was briefly available as a non-anamorphic DVD from Image Entertainment (all the DVDs in this set are anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs). That means you can sample a 23-year stretch of Brooks's outrageous and affectionate spoofing of everything from movies to popular legends to movies to historical figures to, hey! more movies.

The earliest film, The Twelve Chairs (1970), is the least known, but is one of the funniest, helped greatly by a good story (adapted from a 1920s Russian tale) and the casting of Ron Moody and Frank Langella as treasure hunters. Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles followed in 1974. The former, a spoof of horror films, is easily one of the top two or three funniest movies of all time, and the latter is justly famous for its often-tasteless send-up of Western cliches. Silent Movie (1976) is just what the title describes, with its only word of dialogue spoken from the least-likely source, and High Anxiety (1977) pays tribute to the work of Alfred Hitchcock. History of the World, Part 1 (1981) mocks historical events and epics, and To Be or Not to Be (1983) is a remake of Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 classic of the same name (it's also the only film in the set for which Brooks didn't receive writing and directing credit). By this time, Brooks was more actively taking the leading roles himself (rather than the bit parts), and unfortunately relying less on his topnotch ensemble of recurring players, which included Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, and Dom Deluise. But he does use a new ensemble (including Cary Elwes and, in his film debut, Dave Chappelle), for Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), the feature-length spin on the same hero Brooks had spoofed in his short-lived 1975 television series When Things Were Rotten.

Bonus features are minor. In addition to an HBO featurette on Men in Tights, there's a featurette and interviews on To Be or Not to Be and all the features (Brooks commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, etc.) that were on the original release of Young Frankenstein. Note that while rights issues kept The Producers, Spaceballs, and other films out of this set, 20th Century Fox was able to use Warner Bros.' Blazing Saddles. The features on that disc, however, are the ones that were on the 1997 DVD release, not the 2004 anniversary reissue. Regardless, the set's price for this many films is low, and because it has so many films new to DVD, Brooks fans will want to pick this up faster than they can say... "Frau Blücher!" --David Horiuchi

Description

This 8 disc boxset includes Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part I, Robinhood Men in Tights, Silent Movie, To Be or Not to Be, Twelve Chairs, Young Frankenstein.

Customer Reviews:

Great collection from the greatest Mel.......2007-09-16

Mel Brooks is to me the most greatest comediant of the last 40 years. From the creation of "Get Smart", till the great Broadway "The Producers", Mel's work has been magnificent. From the collection, I should have changed "Robin Hood" for "Spaceballs". But even this doesn't change my rate. Enjoy an have lots of fun.

Mel...Mel...Mel.......2007-08-29

Includes 8 of Mel Brooks Classics in this Collection. Each Movie is a true classic and is a good addition to anyones DVD Movie collection. We purchased these for our Homeowners Association Library so that we can show them on the weekly movie night by the pool or in the clubhouse. Everyone enjoys them too.

Surprisingly good.......2007-08-14

I acquired this collection in order to acquaint the kids with the Mel Brooks style of humor. His ideas hold up to the test of time remarkably well. We were especially surprised by To Be or Not to Be - a film we were not aware of, and one which every theatre lover will enjoy. Mel is particularly good in this story about a couple of Polish actors surviving the Nazi occupation. In other films, Mel's subversive ironies still sound fresh. Ignore the puerile jokes and the way the pacing drags at times. In the history of cinematic comedy, Mel ranks way up there.

mel brooks.......2007-07-13

I found that some of the scenes were missing from some of the movies...seem like a cheap bootleg copy...very disappointed.

Classic Comedy.......2007-06-15

These movies are non-stop fun. If you like classic, musical style comedy then these are the films for you. I have seen quite a few of the Mel Brooks movies before I bought this set, but what surprised me were the entertainment value of the movies that I hadn't watched before. High Anxiety and To Be or Not to Be are more coherent than the famous Mel Brooks movies and that makes them great films if you want some light comedy. Enjoy!

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Early Mel has a few funny moments . . .
Confused with a few good scenes
A film with heart
A Delightful Surprise in Many Ways!
Not Mel's Best---but right up there

Twelve Chairs
Starring: Mel Brooks
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G6BLT2
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com

Mel Brooks's 1970 comedy (his second work as a film director) is based on an old Russian folktale, and was first filmed in Yugoslavia in 1927. The story concerns an old woman who reveals on her deathbed that she has hidden jewels inside one of 12 chairs that were formerly in her home but are now scattered. Ron Moody plays the poor Russian nobleman seeking them, and Dom DeLuise is his rival. After Brooks's wild and even controversial first film, The Producers, The Twelve Chairs seems relatively tame; but it is still a funny and slightly exotic work owing to its director's longtime interest in classic cinema. --Tom Keogh

Description

Set in 1920's Russia, this much-loved, hilarious Mel Brooks comedy classic is the tale of a former aristocrat (Ron Moody) who is now a Russian clerk under the new Soviet regime. When he learns that his dying mother-in-law sewed a fortune of family jewels into one of the twelve dining room chairs, he sets off across Russia to find it, with an opportunist (Frank Langella), priest (Dom DeLuise) and his former servant (Mel Brooks) all in equal pursuit.

Customer Reviews:

Early Mel has a few funny moments . . ........2007-09-06

But overall this film is a bit of a disappointment--especially if you're a big Mel Brooks fan. It's just not all that funny--when you compare it to all of his other great films. But I did enjoy Frank Langella's performance--he was quite a handsome young guy back then and already showing us all what a wonderful actor he is. And Dom DeLuise has some nice comic scenes. Unfortunately, Mel Brooks is wasted in a small role--and I couldn't help thinking as I watched the movie how much better it probably would be if only Mr. Brooks had played the lead role instead of Ron Moody. I didn't care for Mr. Moody's performance--he's just not that funny. I probably won't ever watch "The Twelve Chairs" again, but it's worth watching once just to say you've seen all of Mr. Brooks' work.

Confused with a few good scenes.......2007-04-28

I really expected to enjoy this movie more than I did, but it seemed confused. With only a handful of really amusing scenes, a strange relationship between the main characters, and a thin plot, the movie seemed confused: not a spoof, not really a satire of Soviet life, not quite a buddy picture. The humor bounced between understated to the point of boredom, mild satire, and slapstick which frequently stumbled past funny to merely manic.

On the plus side, Dom Delouise produced some good laughs as the greedy priest. Mel Brooks was funny as Tikon the ex-servant who fawns over his old master. Also a young Frank Langella looks great for the ladies.

Overall, not Brooks' best movie.

A film with heart.......2007-02-14

The Twelve Chairs is one of those quiet little movie gems that is well worth seeking out. Starring Ron Moody as Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov a once Czarist noble who, after the revolution, is reduced to a registry clerk in the new Communist Russia. He learns from his dying mother-in-law about family jewels sewn in the seat of one of the twelve chairs in the families dining room suite. Teamed unwillingly and humorously with con artist Ostap Bender (Frank Langella) they set out on a journey to find the chairs and reclaim the jewels. Along the way they find a protagonist Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) who, after the hearing the mother-in-laws deathbed confession, is after the same thing. DeLuise has some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Filled with satire, humor, losses and gains this endearing movie is well worth adding to the collection.

A Delightful Surprise in Many Ways!.......2006-05-15

I've been a Mel Brooks fan for many years, and count "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" as two of the funniest movies I've ever seen, but I was unaware of "The Twelve Chairs" until the recent release of Brooks' box-set. My local library happened to have the video, so I picked it up out of curiosity, only to discover a real gem! As a precursor to the all-out wackiness of a few years later, and following the genius of "The Producers" before it, "The Twelve Chairs" is laugh-out-loud funny without the bodily functions humor and broad slapstick that would soon follow. How fun to see a (comparatively) thin Dom DeLuise as Father Fyodor; his scenes are some of the funniest in the movie ("Oh, Lord....you're so STRICT!!"), and Mel Brooks himself makes a really hilarious cameo appearance early on. But the real surprise of the movie, indeed nothing short of a revelation, is Frank Langella. Though he had been making a name for himself as a stage actor for most of the 1960s, this was his very first movie ("Diary of a Mad Housewife" was also released in 1970, but he filmed "The Twelve Chairs" first), and at 30 years old, he is impossibly, achingly, stunningly, devastatingly gorgeous. As he would soon do in "Diary of a Mad Housewife", and nine years later in "Dracula", every moment he is onscreen, you cannot take your eyes from him and he wipes every other character off the map. Back in those days, he exuded complete and utter sensuality in a way that few actors have ever come close to achieving, and in this movie it is in full and luscious flower. And yet, even apart from that, his performance itself is outstanding, running the gamut from coldly opportunistic, to cruel, to crafty, to playful (there's a wonderful scene between Frank and Ron Moody early on, when Frank tries to get Ron to tell him what is hidden in the chairs, that reveals a real gift for comedy), and ultimately even to kindness (the very last scene is a wonderful, real, emotional moment). It's a fully realized and nuanced performance, and a preview of the stellar actor he was on the way to becoming. A wonderful movie, a delight on many levels, and highly recommended!

Not Mel's Best---but right up there.......2005-06-22

Seeing the films Mel Brooks has directed in recent years, it is hard to understand where he lost his muse. His early works are full of genius and uniformly well-cast. The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein are all classics today. The Twelve Chairs should be, for it rates with those other three as a film of comic genius.

The plot is set in the 1920's USSR and does a masterful job of skewering the Soviet system while capturing the flavor of Russia. Ron Moody is a deposed nobleman whose dying mother tells him that she hid the family jewels in a set of dining room chairs. As Moody hunts them down, he inadvertently teams up with drifter and opportunist Frank Langella. The villain is Father Fyodor (Dom deLuise), an Orthodox priest who hears about the wealth in mama's deathbed confession, and then cuts off his whiskers and joins the scavenger hunt.

Moody is great in the madcap role he plays as former Marshal Vorobyaninov. His legs-all-akimbo, owlish countenance is ideal. Langella's character is a pathologically mendacious delight. Dom deLuise overacts a bit and is somewhat intrusive. Mel Brooks himself has a modest cameo as Tikhon, the Marshal's old servant, waxing nostalgic for the good ole days when he could enjoy being slapped around by the nobility.

There's sometimes touchingly artistic cinematography, good pacing, and a neat soundtrack combining everything from the Internationale to the Brooks-written title song "Hope for the Best."

If the film has a flaw, it's that towards the end it gets a bit too serious and loses the madcap edge that the jerkily-fast-photographed chase scenes gave it early on. But that's the only star off the top for this gem.

Well worth the price and a good addition to your collection!

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The Twelve Chairs
Starring: Enrique Santiesteban , Reynaldo Miravalles , René Sánchez , Pilín Vallejo , and Idalberto Delgado
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KP62LQ
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Description

This classic story, also adapted into a film by Mel Brooks, is part of The Cuban Masterworks Collection. Beautifully restored, the five films in the Collection reveal a unique perspective of Cuba - one Americans are unaccustomed to seeing. Directed by legendary filmmakers, each is a worthy addition to the canon of great world cinema.The Twelve Chairs takes place in the aftermath of Cuba's revolution, when property belonging to the rich is nationalized. On her deathbed, a wealthy woman reveals to her son-in-law, Hipólito, the hiding place of a fortune in jewels: inside one of twelve identical parlor chairs, taken by revolutionary authorities from her villa. Hipólito begins a comical hunt to find the treasure...but he's not the only one!

The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)

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The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)
Starring: César Évora , Raquel Revuelta , Daisy Granados , Jorge Trinchet , and Rubens de Falco
Director: Humberto Solás , Julio García Espinosa , and Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000KP62M0
Release Date: 2007-02-20

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Once upon a time, Cuban cinema in America began with I Am Cuba and ended with Buena Vista Social Club. Though stunning, neither film was made by a native Cubano. Cuban Masterworks presents five indigenous works that deserve wider exposure. Based on the 1928 book by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's The Twelve Chairs (1962) plays like a cross between an Ealing comedy (dark, yet loopy) and early Godard (he incorporates animation, inter-titles, and a jaunty score). In the prologue, a wealthy aristocrat dies before she can reveal which of twelve parlor chairs conceals her jewels. Together, her son-in-law, Hipólito (Enrique Santiesteban), representing the old Cuba, and his nephew, Oscar (Reinaldo Miravalles), representing the new, set out to recover the nationalized loot. Mel Brooks remade the satire in 1970, while Alea went on to direct the Oscar-nominated Strawberry and Chocolate (1994). Also in black and white, Julio García Espinosa's rousing multi-genre piece The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin (1967) makes use of physical comedy, thought balloons, and other forms of "tomfoolery." Adapted from Samuel Feijóo's 1964 novel, the narrative revolves around the restless Juan (Júlio Martínez), bullfighter, circus performer, and revolutionary. The trusty Jachero (Erdwin Fernández) is Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote, Teresa (Adelaida Raymat) is his leading lady, and Der Feind (Enrique Santiesteban) is his shape-shifting nemesis.

The collection is completed by three from Humberto Solás. Cecilia (1981), inspired by Cirilo Villaverde's 1882 classic Cecilia Valdés, looks at race relations in the 1830s. Starring Daisy Granados (A Successful Man) as a woman of mixed race, the operatic tragedy was nominated for the Palme d'Or. Set in 1914, Amada (1982) takes Miguel de Carrión's La Esfinge as source material. Amada (Eslinda Nuñéz, Cecilia), a woman of privilege, longs for more than a loveless marriage. A Successful Man (1986) traces the paths of brothers Javier (Amada's César Évora), a playboy, and Darío (Jorge Trinchet), a communist, in the pre-revolutionary era. As impressive as these melodramas may be, the absence of Lucia (1968), the director's masterpiece, is unfortunate. Of the extras, the highlight is The First Time (1967), which documents a rural community's introduction to the movies. Aside from The Twelve Chairs, the other four selections are exclusive to this long overdue introduction to Cuban cinema. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Now finally available in North America are five masterworks from revolutionary Cuba.Beautifully restored and directed by three legendary filmmakers, they reveal a unique perspective of their country - one which Americans are unaccustomed to seeing. Each film is a worthy addition to the canon of great world cinema, and rare bonus films and materials further enhance our understanding of the rich historical and cultural heritage from which they emerged. THE TWELVE CHAIRS A film by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea On her deathbed, a wealthy woman reveals the hiding place of a fortune in jewels: inside one of twelve identical parlor chairs, newly confiscated by revolutionary authorities. From the director of Death of a Bureaucrat and the Oscar nominated Strawberry & Chocolate.Approx. 90 minutes, b/w, 1962, In Spanish with English subtitles AVAILABLE INDIVIDUALLY & AS PART OF BOX SET CECILIA A film by Humberto Solás Cuba, 1830. A rich slave owner's son falls for a beautiful light-skinned courtesan. But his brutal father wants to force him into marrying a woman from his own social standing. Nominated for the Golden Palm - Cannes Festival.Approx. 127 minutes, color, 1981, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET AMADA A film by Humberto SolásIn 1914 Havana, the daughter of a recently deceased wealthy slave trader feels bound to her philandering husband, despite her passion for her cousin, an idealistic journalist. Featuring Cuban Screen Legend Eslinda Núñez.Approx. 105 minutes, color, 1982, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN QUIN QUINA film by Julio García Espinosa A `crazy' comedy with a touch of sex, devastating satire and revolutionary élan! Juan Quin Quin, a poor but shrewd farmer, lives on his wits in pre-revolutionary Cuba - as a church functionary, a circus performer, a bullfighter, a coffee planter, even playing the part of Christ with a traveling theatre company. Then he joins the Revolution...Approx. 104 minutes, b/w, 1967, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET A SUCCESSFUL MANA film by Humberto SolásCuba's history before the Revolution is chronicled through the story of two brothers, one a revolutionary man of action, the other a scrupulous politician trying to steer a treacherous middle path between opposing political ideas. Winner - Grand Prize - Havana Film Festival.Approx. 103 minutes, color, 1986, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET

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Twelve Chairs

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Russian language only.

Average customer rating:

Early Mel has a few funny moments . . .
Confused with a few good scenes
A film with heart
A Delightful Surprise in Many Ways!
Not Mel's Best---but right up there

The Twelve Chairs
Starring: Robert Bernal , Bridget Brice , Ljubomir Cipranic , Diana Coupland , and Dom DeLuise
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305836787
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Amazon.com

Description

Mel Brooks's zany comedy adventure. Although the plot of "The Twelve Chairs" is wild enough to have been created by Mel Brooks, it's actually based on a Russian story written by two Soviet journalists in the 1920s. Set in Russia in 1927, this much-loved, hilarious Mel Brooks comedy classic is the tale of a former aristocrat (Ron Moody) who is now a clerk under the new Soviet regime. When he learns that his dying mother-in-law sewed a fortune in family jewels into one of twelve dining room chairs, he sets off across Russia to find it with an opportunist (Frank Langella), a priest (Dom DeLuise) and his former servant (Mel Brooks) all in equal pursuit.

Customer Reviews:

Early Mel has a few funny moments . . ........2007-09-06

Confused with a few good scenes.......2007-04-28

A film with heart.......2007-02-14

A Delightful Surprise in Many Ways!.......2006-05-15

Not Mel's Best---but right up there.......2005-06-22

The Twelve Chairs [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]

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The Twelve Chairs [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
Director: Mel Brooks
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

***NON-USA FORMAT - WILL NOT PLAY ON A STANDARD USA DVD PLAYER***
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

ASIN: B000CQXHYI

Product Description

Germany released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: English Dolby Digital 2.0 German Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 English Subtitles German Subtitles Spanish Subtitles Swedish Subtitles Synopsis: A treasure hunt. An aging ex-nobleman of the Czarist regime has finally adjusted to life under the commisars in Russia. Both he and the local priest find that the family jewels were hidden in a chair, one of a set of twelve. They return separately to Moscow to find the hidden fortune. Extras: Interactive Menu Scene Access

Twelve Chairs / Twelve Stulyev - 12 Chairs / 12 Stulyev by Zaharov

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A masterpiece

Twelve Chairs / Twelve Stulyev - 12 Chairs / 12 Stulyev by Zaharov
Director: Mark Zaharov
Manufacturer: Krupny` Plan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Language: Russian ONLY. Subtitles: NON

ASIN: B000R2RHIY

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Andrej Mironov ("Brilliantovaja ruka", "Obyknovennoe chudo"), Anatolij Papanov ("Po semejnym obstojatel'stvam", "Beregis' avtomobilja"), Rolan Bykov ("Ajbolit 66"), Georgij Vicin ("ZHenit'ba Bal'zaminova") v fil'me Marka Zaharova po odnoimennomu romanu Il'i Il'fa i Evgenija Petrova "Dvenadcat' stul'ev". Ironichnoe i smeshnoe predstavlenie, v kotorom parochka avantjuristov ohotitsja za stul'jami raboty mastera Gambsa.

Customer Reviews:

A masterpiece.......2007-09-05

This film unites some of the best actors with a great, witty storyline. Mironov is irreplaceable in his role. Funny, adventurous, extremely enjoyable. Read the book and watch this film - five stars!

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