The Twelve Chairs

1970
PG
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

7.3K

YOUR RATING

Dom DeLuise and Ron Moody in The Twelve Chairs (1970)

Play trailer1:30

1 Video

45 Photos

Farce Satire Screwball Comedy Comedy Drama

In 1920s Soviet Russia, a fallen aristocrat, a priest and a con artist search for a treasure of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs, lost during the revolution.In 1920s Soviet Russia, a fallen aristocrat, a priest and a con artist search for a treasure of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs, lost during the revolution.In 1920s Soviet Russia, a fallen aristocrat, a priest and a con artist search for a treasure of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs, lost during the revolution.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

7.3K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Videos1

Trailer 1:30

The Twelve Chairs

Photos45

+ 39

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Mel Brooks had problems with Yugoslavian extras who didn't speak English. In one scene, extras playing museum guards were supposed to walk through a museum, ringing hand bells and shouting, "Closing time! Closing time!" Instead, the extras misunderstood and shouted, "Cloakie Bye! Cloakie Bye!" Brooks decided "Cloakie Bye" was funnier, so he left it in the movie.

Goofs
In the bureau of housing Ostap Bender, disguised as a soviet official, is writing with his left hand. However in the Soviet union, especially in the time the movie is set, left hand writing was not tolerated by the state and would be hardly accepted in public, as Bender is writing not only hidden behind the shelfs but was also about to write in front of Father Fyodor. Left hand writing was accepted in USSR only in 1985-1986.

Quotes
Ostap Bender: [after yet another failure] Remember the famous Russian proverb: "The hungrier you get, the tastier the meal." On the other hand, the French have a proverb: merde!

Crazy credits
In the opening credits the title of the movie is showed in Russian first (even with a typographic error 'Dvenadzat' stchlyev'), then it changes into the english title. The same happened at the end of the credits with the words "The end" (Konez), first cames the Russian word, than the english translation.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Take 2: Who's Funnier: Mel Brooks or Woody Allen? (1980)

Soundtracks
Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst
Music by Johannes Brahms ("Hungarian Dance No. 4 in F# minor") and lyrics by Mel Brooks

User reviews57

Review

Featured review

6/10

A Typical Mel Brooks' Comedy

The Twelve Chairs Years after the Russian Revolution in 1917, the former aristocrat Ippolit Matveevich Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody) is informed by his terminal mother-in- law that she has hidden her jewels in a the upholstery of chair from a set of twelve chairs. The Orthodox Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) also hears and leaves the Church to seek out the treasure. Vorobyaninov travels to his old house and meets his former servant Tikon (Mel Brooks) that adores him. He learns that the chairs had been expropriated by the new government and sent to another place. However the con artist Ostap Bender (Frank Langella) convinces Vorobyaninov to be his partner. They travel to Moscow where Ostap succeeds in luring Father Fyodor, telling that the chairs belong to the Engineer Bruns (David Lander), who has very similar chairs and lives with his wife in Siberia. Will Vorobyaninov and Ostap find the twelve chairs?

"The Twelve Chairs" is a typical Mel Brooks' comedy with the usual type of humor with a satire to the Russian Revolution. This comedy is also the debut of Frank Langella in the cinema. Fans of Mel Brooks will certainly like it, but who is not his fan may not find this comedy entertaining. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Banzé na Rússia" ("Mess in Russia")