The Thirteen Chairs (also known by its original title 12 + 1; Italian: Una su 13; French: 12 + 1) is a 1969 comedy film directed by Nicolas Gessner and Luciano Lucignani. It is an adaptation of the 1928 satirical novel The Twelve Chairs by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov.
Plot Summary
The film follows Mario (played by Vittorio Gassman), a young philanderer who inherits thirteen antique chairs in poor condition. He decides to sell them off to raise money, but later learns that one of the chairs contains hidden documents or valuables. He then embarks on a quest to recover the chairs and find the hidden fortune.
Cast
- Vittorio Gassman as Mario
- Sharon Tate (in her final film appearance before her murder)
- Orson Welles
- Vittorio De Sica
- Tim Brooke-Taylor
- Terry-Thomas
- Mylène Demongeot
- Grégoire Aslan
- Lionel Jeffries
Production Details
- Directors: Nicolas Gessner and Luciano Lucignani
- Producers: Claude Giroux, Edward J. Pope
- Writers: Antonio Altoviti, Marc Behm, Nicolas Gessner
- Music: Stelvio Cipriani, Carlo Rustichelli
- Cinematography: Giuseppe Ruzzolini
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Language: English
- Release Year: 1969
- Country: Italy / France (co-production)
Background
The film is one of several cinematic adaptations of Ilf and Petrov's classic Russian satirical novel The Twelve Chairs. Other notable adaptations include the 1945 film It's in the Bag (starring Fred Allen) and Mel Brooks' 1970 film The Twelve Chairs. The Thirteen Chairs was released the year before Mel Brooks' version and presents a distinct interpretation of the source material. Most of the filming took place in Italy.
Release History
The film was released in 1969 by AVCO. In 1986, it was released on rental-only VHS by Force Video under the title The Thirteen Chairs, and again in 1987 by Continental Video under its original title 12 + 1. A DVD release followed in Italy on March 12, 2008, by 01 Distribution, though that version is in Italian without English subtitles or an English audio track.
