Customer Reviews

2000 Year Old Man [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Get tapes or CDs of this fabulous material. Forget the VHS/animation; it severely distracts from the great comedy. The extra touches and music on the VHS are downright annoying.

Mel Brooks' classic comedy skit, the 2000 Year Old Man, is a fine example of humor. However, this DVD was most definitely NOT worth the twenty bucks I had to shell out for it. The animation quality was horrible by any standards, and it distracted from the quality humor of the skit. In addition, several parts were left out of the movie. In conclusion, you would be far better off buying a CD collection.

Mel Brooks' and Carl Reiner's 2000-year-old-man routine (circa 1961) is animated by Leo Salkin in the 1975 made-for-television special, THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN.

The animation is functionally un-ambitious. Reiner's character becomes a gentle caricature of the comedian, Brooks's a cute little fellow in the Mr. Magoo mold. The animation compliments the soundtrack, making the transition from Reiner fed straight lines to Brooksian fanciful answers smoothly seamless. Ranging from the discovery of women to Robin Hood to Joan of Arc, mostly ad-libbed, the 2000 YOM was pure Brooks, spontaneous and constantly churning, a hit-or-miss style that could overwhelm by the sheer volume of invention.

A charming half-hour of fluff that provides a chuckle or two, worth a look, but a little too short and shallow to consider as a candidate for the permanent collection unless you're a Brooks completist.

12/26/99 I HAVE BEEN A MEL BROOKS / CARL REINER FAN SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER (60's) TODAY 12/26/99 I LISTENED TO THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN FOR THE FIRST TIME I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE I HAVE NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD IN MY LIFE. IT IS THE EPITOME OF HUMOR. ENJOY !

Unfortunately, I can not recommend this film for the public in general. Low cost production and the script is poor.I admire Mel Brooks and he did much better in " History of the world." As Mel Brooks is a legend of comedy, I suggest this film for those interested in American movie history. In fact there is an explanation for this poor and evasive production.

My son was performing in a show this summer and he was looking for examples of a particular cultural accent for one of the show's songs. I immediately thought of the amazing Mel Brooks, and I started looking for a DVD of The 2000 Year Old Man, which I thought was perfect for what he was searching for. I found it at Amazon, briefly looked at the various editions, and quickly picked the one I purchased. It arrived almost overnight, and I occasionally stopped by my son's room to watch the DVD, and enjoy his reaction to this timeless comedy piece. We were surpised and delighted to see that I had chosen the animated version, and I found it added a wonderful new dimension to the original recording I had heard as a young girl. My son thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned a great deal from it. It also gave him a new appreciation of the genius of Mel Brooks, and, thanks to the DVD, he performed the song brilliantly -- he actually exceeded my expectations, if that's indeed possible. I would wholeheartedly recommend The 2000 Year Old Man as an example of brilliant timeless comedy at its best.

The 'Two- Thousand Year Old Man' record was one of the funniest comic recordings of all time. My high- school friends and I listened to it over and over again. We would go into uncontrollable wild laughter over it , laughter which ended in total exhaustion and a sense of emptiness. I at the time had a very uneasy feeling about 'laughing so much' in this way.

Reiner asks Brooks, the two- thousand year old man how old he feels and Brooks says 'Old very very old'. Their conversation in which Reiner is the straight- man interviewer and Brooks has ninety- percent of the funny lines is a crazily inventive and unpredictable one. One reviewer has quoted a line from it, " A lion is eating my forearm, will somebody call a cop?' This line gives the real spirit of it. Brooks had a bit of a Yiddishy accent and his asides and banter add laughter to the laughter.

The record is better than the DVD simply because it leaves more to the imagination.

I saw it when it aired originally aired but I thought it was longer than 30 minutes.

I HAVE ALL THE 2000 YR OLD MAN'S. BROOKS IS A NUT. WE ENJOY THEM ON OUR ROAD TRIPS.

Fun to see again and to share with a new generation.