#140RVW
It’s been over 50 years & there still hasn’t been an ensemble comedy to match this in scope or quality. Who’s who of comedy is a big “W”…
What’s more:
Epic in every sense of the word. Shot in Ultra Panavision 70 with a ridiculously wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1 that was projected on Cinerama screens. The cut-down edition of this movie that was shipped to theaters in 1963 (and Stanley Kramer was unhappy with) was 154 minutes. The original was over 3 hours. That’s for a comedy…
And what a comedy. You’d think this is too basic of a story to remain interesting for anything near that run-time, but you’d be wrong. The brilliance of this movie lies in its simplicity; gather a phenomenal cast and then let them do their jobs.
The story is told easily enough: a bunch of random motorists pull over to investigate an accident and are told of a buried treasure by a dying thief; they spend the rest of the film racing for the treasure. Perfect. It’s tight, it’s straightforward, and it leaves all the room in the world for some of Hollywood’s best comics to run wild.
It’s not just the listed cast, either, which is already quite impressive. (Jonathan Winters’ first role, believe it or not.) It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World sports the largest collection of cameos possibly ever assembled for one movie. Basically anyone in comedy in 1963 who wasn’t in this picture was ill or wanted too much money.
It’s just a great picture, from the Saul Bass titles to the last laugh.
Note: This review was written on February 12, 2014, hours after the death of Sid Caesar. What an amazing talent. Interestingly enough, Caesar’s part was initially to be filled by Ernie Kovacs, who died shortly before filming began.
Another note: This was the last public film screening attended by John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated five days later.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
| Main Cast | Spencer Tracy Capt. T. G. Culpepper, Milton Berle J. Russell Finch, Ethel Merman Mrs. Marcus, Mickey Rooney Ding Bell |
| Rating | Approved |
| Release Date | Mon 02 Dec 1963 UTC |
| Director | Stanley Kramer |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime |
| Plot | The dying words of a thief spark a madcap cross-country rush to find some treasure. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 154 |
| Tagline | If ever this mad, mad, mad, mad world needed “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world” it’s now! (1970 re-release) |
| Writers | William Rose (as William) (story) &, Tania Rose (story) |
| Year | 1963 |