* Amazon are not included in Price Watch

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum DVD

| DVD

The words of the opening song pretty much describe the menu in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum--"Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone: a comedy tonight!"--a frantic adaptation of the stage musical by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove. The wild story, based on the Latin comedies of Plautus and 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 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, amid all the frenzy, Lester creates a grungy, earthy Rome that seems closer to the real thing than countless respectable historical films on the subject. Frankie Howerd, who played Pseudolus on the London stage, kept the tradition going with his Up Pompeii TV series. --Robert Horton [show more]

Read More

buy new from £999,999.00 | RRP: £12.99
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.
Searching retailers...
  • DVD Details
  • Reviews (0)
  • Descriptions
    abc...
  • Price History
  • Watch Trailer
Released
12 January 2004
Directors
Actors
Format
DVD 
Publisher
MGM Home Ent. (Europe) Ltd. 
Classification
Runtime
93 minutes 
Features
PAL 
Barcode
5050070020137 
  • Title not yet reviewed...

  • Please review this title

    We will publish your review of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum [1966] on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
    None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

    Thank you - we will review and publish your review shortly.

Richard Lester directs this farcical musical comedy. Set in ancient Rome, it tells the story of Pseudolus (Zero Mostel), an idle slave who has made a deal to win his freedom if he can procure for his master (Michael Crawford) the beautiful virgin slave, Philia (Annette André), who lives in the house next door. Pseudolus does his best, but the forces of farce are against him and his efforts soon come up against a series of bizarre complications involving mistaken identites, sly tricks, comic chases, unexpected arrivals and narrow escapes. Phil Silvers, Michael Horden, Roy Kinnear and Buster Keaton also star.

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play Richard Lester directs this farcical musical comedy Set in ancient Rome it tells the story of Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) an idle slave who has made a deal to win his freedom if he can procure for his master (Michael Crawford) the beautiful virgin slave Philia (Annette André) who lives in the house next door Pseudolus does his best but the forces of farce are against him and his efforts soon come up against a series of bizarre complications involving mistaken identites sly tricks comic chases unexpected arrivals and narrow escapes Phil Silvers Michael Horden Roy Kinnear and Buster Keaton also star

More Titles Starring Zero Mostel

More Titles Starring Phil Silvers

More Titles Starring Buster Keaton

More Titles Starring Michael Crawford

More Titles Starring Jack Gilford

More Titles Starring Annette Andre

More Titles Starring Michael Hordern

More Titles Starring Leon Greene

More Titles Starring Roy Kinnear

More Titles Starring Alfie Bass

More Titles Starring John Bluthal

More Titles Starring Pamela Brown

More Titles Starring Patricia Jessel

More Titles Starring Beatrix Lehmann

More Titles Starring Frank Thornton

More Titles Starring Peter Butterworth

More Titles Starring John Bennett