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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

Zero Mostel , Phil Silvers , Richard Lester  |  NR |  DVD
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)

Price: $44.94 & FREE Shipping. Details
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum + The Producers (Deluxe Edition)
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Product Details

  • Actors: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford, Jack Gilford
  • Directors: Richard Lester
  • Writers: Melvin Frank, Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart, Michael Pertwee, Titus Maccius Plautus
  • Producers: Melvin Frank
  • Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Subtitles: Spanish, French
  • Dubbed: Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
  • DVD Release Date: April 18, 2000
  • Run Time: 99 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: 0792844815
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,782 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on IMDb

Special Features

  • Collectible Trivia Booklet

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone: a comedy tonight!" Those words from the opening song pretty much describe the menu in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a frantic adaptation of the stage musical by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove. The wild story, set in ancient Rome, follows a slave named Pseudolus (Zero Mostel, snorting and gibbering) as he tries to extricate himself from an increasingly farcical situation; Mostel and a bevy of inspired clowns, including Phil Silvers, Jack Gilford, and Buster Keaton, keep the slapstick and the patter perking. The cast also includes the young Michael Crawford as a love-struck innocent. This project landed in the lap of Richard Lester, then one of the hottest directors in the world after his success with the Beatles' films. Lester telescoped the material through his own joke-a-second sensibility, and also ripped out some of the songs from Stephen Sondheim's Broadway score. The result is a pixilated romp and very close to the vaudeville spirit suggested by the title--though anyone with a low tolerance for Zero Mostel's overbearing buffoonery may be in trouble. Oddly enough, amidst all the frenzy, Lester creates a grungy, earthy Rome that seems closer to the real thing than countless respectable historical films on the subject. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Something appealing. Something appalling. Something for everyone a comedy tonight! "One ofthe hottest burlesque shows that ever hit Broadway" (Time) comes to the screen showcasing the enormous talents of Tony AwardÂ(r) winner Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Jack Gilford (Cocoon), Buster Keaton and Michael Crawford (Broadway's "The Phantom of the Opera"). Featuring keenly clever tunes like "Comedy Tonight" and "Lovely," this wild Stephen Sondheim musical about a raucous gaggle of ancient Romans is a "flip, glib and sophisticated, yet rump-slapping bawdy and fast-paced look at the seamy underside of classical Rome through hipster's shades" (Variety).When a wily, witty, lying, lazy, cheating slave discovers that his master's son is in love with thegirl next doora virgin courtesanhe promises to help win her heart in exchange for his freedom. But the road to romance is blocked with stunning surprises, cunning disguisesand the wildest chariot race ever!

Customer Reviews

This movie is extremely funny, that is if you like Zero mostel or old slapstick comedies(ex. "braintoad"  |  18 reviewers made a similar statement
The DVD sent was in the wrong format for USA DVD players. Indie54  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Even Better Than I Remembered It To Be April 8, 2003
Format:DVD
Great fun musical comedy loosely based on T. Maccius Plautus' 2nd century B.C. comedy "Miles Gloriosus" ("Braggart Warrior").
The widescreen format lets you see pratfalls and edge-of-scene antics that are missing in the pan and scan version. Zero Mostel was a comic genius; it's a pity that he didn't leave us more movies to enjoy. Michael Hordern is superb as Senex, as are Jack Gilford and Phil Silvers as Hysterium and Lycus. When I was a child I didn't enjoy the musical numbers, I remember fast- forwarding through to get back to the comedy. I now appreciate the songs as well; they are genuinely funny and full of double-entendres that you have to hear repeatedly to fully enjoy. The entire movie, despite its classical setting, has a swinging-sixties feel that you'll have to watch a Rat Pack film to match. You almost expect Frank Sinatra to walk into a scene, singing a song in between drags on his cigarette.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent DVD - Hilarious Movie August 16, 2004
Format:DVD
Not having seen the play, I am able to enjoy the film without comparison to other formats. It is hilarious, frantic and a perfect example of Richard Lester's early work.

The DVD transfer is crisp and colorful with very clear audio - way better than the version shown on TCM. Artifacting is barely existent. The transfer is anamorphic widescreen though the description provided by Amazon does not note this.

For a good, though bawdy, burlesque played broadly and strictly for laughs, you can't go wrong.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Something appealing,something appalling!! January 6, 2003
By ellafan
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you cherish the memories of Zero,Phil,Jack,and Buster...you must get this very funny and very well-presented DVD.It's a great mixture of slapstick;burlesque;hamming it up for the camera;and silliness that makes you long for the days when these wonderful ,almost obscenely talented, and always hilarious men were making movies.It's a delight.Hopefully,if this is your first exposure to the likes of these fellas,you will be compelled to investigate more of their screen work.One of my friends who watched the movie with me when I received it commented that "they surely had a ball making this movie,didn't they?" That's what you'll have when you watch it! I really miss these guys.If you don't laugh out loud as Zero plays the "soothsayer," check your pulse!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Humor somewhat dated
I remember seeing this in the theater many moons ago. It was a fair price for the DVD. It was not as good as I remembered, but perhaps better than I expected!
Published 1 day ago by Mike Butler
4.0 out of 5 stars WORTH WATCHING IF JUST TO SEE GREAT ACTORS TOGETHER
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM may not have stood the test of time very well but it sure is fun to see some long gone movie and TV greats working together. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Jack E. Levic
1.0 out of 5 stars Really...
Sorry...just failed to see the humor in this..I was really expecting some good old fashion slap-stick but this movie never made the grade. Really disappointed....
Published 17 days ago by rinpa357
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious old movie - a classic!
If you love funny, ribald old classic movies, this is for you. Full of lowbrow humor and sexual innuendo without being *too* nasty, this is suitable for kids over 12 and adults as... Read more
Published 27 days ago by S. ALLEN
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced and Funny
Wonderful and wacky comedy! Cast of hundreds. Well known stars. Fabulous costumes and great songs. One of my all time favorite movies. Stage play is even funnier!
Published 1 month ago by Mary Anne Trailor
5.0 out of 5 stars Comedy and Freedom
Comedy based on a human's basic need to be free is both hilarious and inspiring. As it is not always being staged in a nearby location with an all star comedy cast, this film is... Read more
Published 1 month ago by MAry Wermuth
3.0 out of 5 stars Better on the stage
I first saw this on stage at a local theater in the 1960's or 1970's. There were not any "stars" trying to outdo each other.
Published 1 month ago by GREG A WARNER
4.0 out of 5 stars Classically Hilarious
An enjoyable slapstick that stays in your head and gets funnier the more you remember and quote it; a Roman Monty Python.
Published 1 month ago by Christopher J. Yarsawich
5.0 out of 5 stars Be sure to get this one!
One of the best, and funniest movies around. The music was great! We watched it multiple times ever since we got it a few weeks ago. One you don't want to miss.
Published 1 month ago by Ganny H
5.0 out of 5 stars laughter is good
I have always loved this musical with Zero Mostel and the rest of the cast. When I was looking for this from our local library it was not there anymore. Read more
Published 2 months ago by n.landry
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