The location is ancient Rome beautify recreated.

This movie is one of those farces where several overlapping stories are made coherent by one main character Pseudolus (Zero Mostel). He plays a mischievous slave who would do just about anything for his freedom.

Naturally the names reflect the character of the named.

Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) is a slave that wants his freedom at any cost.
Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers) is in trouble for selling dud eunuchs and dud virgins.
Erronius (Buster Keaton) lost is kids to pirates years ago and is looking for them.
Hero (Michael Crawford) is in love with something called a virgin in the house of Lycus. (A place of dubious reputation).
Hysterium (Jack Gilford) is winsome.
Captain Miles Gloriosus (Leon Greene) is coming to claim his bride.
Somewhere in all this is a gaggle of geese.

If I were to describe all the great actors and plots this review would be pages long. So I will just say that this movie is "Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone: a comedy tonight!"

A Funny Thing
Review date: 2004-03-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

An excellent film. It was a shock to see Micheal Crawford as a romantic lead rather than Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Have Em.
Phil Silvers plays another Bilko type character.
Zero Mostell far funnier here than in the producers

In the best tradition of Carry On and Frankie Howard...
Review date: 2002-01-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

A Funny Thing Happened is a thoroughly enjoyable farcical comedy set in ancient Rome. The main protagonist is a loyal and long-serving slave who seeks his freedom from the eccentric Roman family he serves. Though frequently saucy, the film is family-suitable (definitely milder than Frankie Howard's "Up Pompeii"!), contains several good songs, and is definitely laugh-a-minute material. The plot follows the well-known principle that the only way to solve a knotty situation is to fabricate two more even knottier situations, all with the promise of Certain Death should anything go awry:)

Not as good as the stage show, but...
Review date: 2001-10-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

In this musical the narrator is called Prologus.
The main character is called Pseudolus.
They are played by the same actor.

This is my favourite musical, because it's hilarious. Really. One has to see the stage show to appreciate the amazing comic quality that leaps out of it at you.
Unfortunately, this CD is from the film cast. Now the cast in themselves are fine, they're pretty good performers actually, but the film just doesn't compare to the musical in any way. The songs sound a tad muffled, and therefore there is more of a 'manufactured' feel to it, whereas the CD I have of the Broadway cast is much better.

Still, the songs are bright, cheerful, bouncy, airy, sing-along and very often hilarious... well, what more could you ask for from a comedy?

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