June 1, 2006

Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part 1 Opens the Summer Film Season at MASS MoCA

(North Adams, Massachusetts) MASS MoCA kicks off a new season of outdoor cinema with Mel Brooks' history lesson to end all history lessons, History of the World, Part 1, featuring loony depictions of historical eras including the Dawn of Man, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution. History exhibits Brooks' multiple talents, as director, producer and actor and also stars Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar, Madeline Kahn, and creative genius, Orson Welles who narrates. History of the World, Part 1, will screen on the 50' screen in MASS MoCA's Cinema Courtyard C on Friday, June 30, at 9PM as part of the Ahistoric Occasion film line up.

Best known for his comic parodies, three of which are included on the American Film Institute's list of Funniest American Films, Brooks has directed the Academy Award-winning films The Producers (1968), Young Frankenstein (1974), and Blazing Saddles (1974), among many others. Brooks is widely regarded as the grand master of movie satire and one of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers.

"Along with Woody Allen, Mel Brooks has helped sustain the comedy genre in contemporary films… His elemental energies are unleashed in spades with the release of History of the World, Part 1," says the journal Spirituality & Practice.

History of the World, Part 1 will be shown outdoors, weather permitting, in Cinema Courtyard C, or inside the Hunter Center. Doors open at 8 PM, with food and drink from Lickety Split available before and during the screening. In typical Brooks style, the film has a little something to offend everyone and is rated R for mildly naughty content.

Tickets for History of the World, Part 1 are $7. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available in advance through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. (closed Tuesdays). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org