It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Directed by

Stanley Kramer

Genre

screwball comedy film, heist film, treasure hunt film, action-adventure film

Country

United States

Runtime

3h 22m

Rated

G

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 697 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A group of strangers learn about a suitcase full of stolen cash hidden under a big W. They race each other to find it leading to a series of wild and comic events.

fast-pacedmadcapchaoticcomedicenergeticzanyfreneticplayful

What happens

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast composed largely of comedians, is about the madcap pursuit of a suitcase full of stolen cash by a colorful group of strangers. The principal cast features Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters. The film marked the first time Kramer directed a comedy, though he had produced the comedy So This Is New York in 1948. He is best known for producing and directing, in his own words, "heavy drama" about social problems. His first attempt at directing a comedy film paid off immensely as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World became a commercial success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning for Best Sound Editing, and two Golden Globe Awards. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World premiered on November 7, 1963, at the Cinerama Dome with a running time of 192 minutes. However, against Kramer's wishes, the film was cut by its distributor United Artists to reduce the film's running time to 163 minutes for its general release. In 2014, the Criterion Collection released a restored version that is closer to the original 202-minute cut envisioned by Kramer. The film ranked at number 40 in the American Film Institute's list 100 Years...100 Laughs. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Charade (1963)
• Carom Shots (1963)
• Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)
• Dime with a Halo (1963)
• Inside Information (1934)
• The Great Escape (1963)
• Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963)
• For Love or Money (1963)