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Chapter 6 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Something for everyone . . . a comedy tonight! Director: Richard Lester <strong>Screen</strong>play: Melvin Frank and Michael Pertwee Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart (play/book) Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) Produced by: Melvin Frank for Quadrangle Films Running Time: 100 minutes Cast Pseudolus Zero Mostel Lycus Phil Silvers Hysterium Jack Gilford Erronius Buster Keaton Hero Michael Crawford Senex Michael Hordern Miles Gloriosus Leon Greene Domina Patricia Jessel Philia Annette Andre Plot Outline Pseudolus, the household slave of an upper-class Roman family, is a wily, clever fellow always looking for ways to obtain his freedom, even if it involves lying, cheating, and gambling. His master is the noble Senex, a A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (1966) 159
kind and rather dim-witted gentleman who is dominated by his wife, perplexed by his young son, and bamboozled by his slaves. The lady of the house is Domina, daughter of a great Roman general, rich, smart, and tough, who commands all around her and goads everyone with the fear of her wrath. Her personal slave, Hysterium, who “lives to grovel,” tries to stay out of trouble, but is swept up in Pseudolus’ convoluted devices. Next door is the house of Lycus, a successful panderer, who has just relocated his prosperous business and its assorted female inventory next door. When Hero, Pseudolus’ innocent young master, peaks inside the brothel window, he falls desperately in love with one of the courtesans. Just then, his parents set off to the country on a family visit, leaving Hysterium in charge and instructing him to keep Hero away from the ladies next door, on pain of death. But Hero wants the girl, Philia, and strikes a deal with Pseudolus: if he can get Hero his true love, Pseudolus will win what he most desires, his freedom. Pseudolus comes up with a scheme to enter the House of Lycus by pretending to be buyers. When they discover that Philia is a virgin and has been sold to a great captain, who comes to claim her that very day, Pseudolus fabricates a story about a plague in Crete and tricks Lycus into believing the girl is ill, while generously offering to keep her in the House of Senex until the captain arrives. Pseudolus hopes to buy enough time to allow Hero to elope with Philia, and he blackmails Hysterium into helping him with his dangerous scheme. Things begin to get complicated when Philia refuses to break her contract with the captain and run away with Hero (“an honest virgin . . . what a horrible combination!”), forcing Pseudolus to come up with another plan. Meanwhile, Senex has contrived to return home early, only to find Philia in his house. She believes that he is the captain coming to claim her as his property, so she offers herself to him. Pseudolus explains that Philia is the new household maid. With Hysterium’s help, they shuffle Senex into the empty house of another neighbor, Erronius, an elderly citizen. But Erronius wanders home unexpectedly, having failed in his long search for his two children “who were stolen in infancy by pirates.” Erronius wears a ring embossed with a gaggle of geese, and declares both of his children wear the same ring. To keep Erronius from entering his house and finding Senex, Pseudolus pretends to be a soothsayer and tells him his house is haunted; to buy time, he orders Erronius to run circles around the city to get rid of the fabricated ghost. Lycus, fearing the fatal consequences of selling a sick virgin to the captain, persuades Pseudolus to switch identities with him. Pseudolus accepts the deal, and moves all the courtesans into the House of Senex. 160 A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (1966)
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Big Screen Rome
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BIG SCREEN ROME Monica Silveira Cyr
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Contents List of Illustrations vi A
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11 A Funny Thing Happened on the Wa
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permissions were secured in part wi
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Map 1 The city of Rome in the imper
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R P I D A C I A M O Sarmizegetusa C
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provocative combination of dignity
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chapters examine how both films use
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duty and desire set against the mon
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Plot Outline It is the summer of ad
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Plate 1 Quo Vadis. Petronius (Leo G
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a soldier kills Tigellinus, calling
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of Rome. Their obstinate refusal to
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he was also condemned to death. The
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associated with the Catholic Polish
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ambivalent one, given the glitterin
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This is the Appian Way, the most fa
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suggestive of the illumination she
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in historical epic films (Winkler,
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narrative and thematic focus also s
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later decades evolved into the Amer
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Peter. Eunice is the slave of Petro
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Chapter 2 The Robe (1953) The great
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Plate 3 The Robe. Marcellus (Richar
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on the command of the new emperor,
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him to retire to the island of Rhod
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of the Senate, the institution was
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of Caesarea, the prefect would spen
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of the changes in Catholicism that
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of showing off the enduring power,
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have made a great empress, thus hig
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would also play Odysseus in Helen o
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crime as a Roman citizen who has jo
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Hollywood artists who sold out duri
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Demetrius, and his jealous rage whe
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Plot Outline In the Roman province
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Judah, his mother and sister are le
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farewell: they embrace and kiss, an
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voice take the sword out of my hand
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throughout the countryside around G
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of people during its twenty-year ru
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Since Ben-Hur was in preparation lo
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technology, in particular the newly
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forceful, almost fanatical, speeche
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emperor’s offer of Roman citizens
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Messala, as Esther recounts her mem
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The appearances of Jesus are few an
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War to condemn oppressive foreign t
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poisoned by Rome, as he tells Pilat
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CORE ISSUES 1 How does the film por
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Plot Outline In the mines of North
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Plate 7 Spartacus. Draba (Woody Str
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army, losing nineteen thousand men
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second broke out in 104 and was que
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At this time, gladiatorial combat w
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Senate had no choice but to yield.
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the Communist Party of the United S
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the first time in thirteen years. T
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the slave movement with the migrati
Page 123 and 124: From this point, the film divides i
Page 125 and 126: At the heart of the new slave famil
Page 127 and 128: Antoninus dies in the arms of Spart
Page 129 and 130: Plate 8 Spartacus. Varinia (Jean Si
Page 131 and 132: learning from their mistakes; Gracc
Page 133 and 134: complaint.” As Gracchus observes
Page 135 and 136: Spartacus continues the epic cinema
Page 137 and 138: Plot Outline Part 1. On the battlef
Page 139 and 140: Plate 9 Cleopatra. Cleopatra (Eliza
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Page 145 and 146: Later, Ptolemy XIII fled and was fo
Page 147 and 148: Antony came to Tarsus in Cilicia wh
Page 149 and 150: for future campaigns. Early in 34 b
Page 151 and 152: honored her request for burial with
Page 153 and 154: Extra-cinematic commentary also sug
Page 155 and 156: The script, based on C. M. Franzero
Page 157 and 158: Plate 10 Cleopatra. Mark Antony (Ri
Page 159 and 160: as Caesar, but is best known for hi
Page 161 and 162: eginning of the second half after t
Page 163 and 164: desertion: I from myself.” As he
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Page 167 and 168: the United Nations was composed lar
Page 169 and 170: modern sex scandal. When Cleopatra
Page 171 and 172: desire for sons, as she articulates
Page 173: 4 How does the film use the spectac
Page 177 and 178: Plate 11 A Funny Thing Happened on
Page 179 and 180: productions, and often acted in the
Page 181 and 182: shared experience of every society
Page 183 and 184: 1996, with Nathan Lane, who also wo
Page 185 and 186: In A Funny Thing Happened on the Wa
Page 187 and 188: series of preposterous sight gags,
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Page 191 and 192: Chapter 7 Monty Python’s Life of
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Page 207 and 208: The cartoon construction during the
Page 209 and 210: Chapter 8 History of the World, Par
Page 211 and 212: Ancient Background The Roman Empire
Page 213 and 214: was the protagonist’s inability t
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Page 217 and 218: 202 HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART I (1
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Page 221 and 222: 3 How does the sequence incorporate
Page 223 and 224: Plot Outline In the year ad 180, th
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vets them with color codes. Maximus
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from the upper stands. Commodus inf
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to 98. Nerva’s most significant a
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most of the last decade of his reig
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morale of Roman legionaries on long
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unit known for their courage, high
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38). Although dismayed by the games
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In contrast to earlier epics like Q
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gladiator epic that would reflect c
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$3 million. A dedication in the clo
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soft, admiring light of nostalgia.
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The film hinges almost completely o
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with the reluctance of Maximus to a
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attitudes about female political sk
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hero Maximus, an event that leaves
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Earlier epic films traditionally si
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laughs bitterly through tears when
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his new gladiator idol, as he waits
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246 GLADIATOR (2000) Plate 15 Gladi
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“Fear and wonder,” Senator Grac
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the provincial arena in Zucchabar,
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the words of Maximus’ prayer in a
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The field of wheat is thus a symbol
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city, Maximus becomes a symbol both
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2 Reference Maltin, Leonard, et al.
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Killed Spartacus? How Studio Censor
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Index Page numbers in italic refer
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Caesar, Sid 166, 197 Caesarea 44, 6
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Falco (Gladiator) 208, 210, 212 The
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Jackson, Peter 83 Jacoby, Georg 18
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musical scores A Funny Thing Happen
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The Road Warrior 230 The Robe 3, 22
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Via Appia 11, 12, 21, 24, 95, 99, 1
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