Synopsis
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) is a Roman-farce musical comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Richard Lester directs, and the whole thing runs on one slave's single obsession: buying his way to freedom.
That slave is Pseudolus, played by Zero Mostel at full bluster. When his young master falls for a girl trapped in the brothel next door, Pseudolus strikes a bargain — deliver the romance and earn his liberty. From there it's a chain of disguises, mistaken identities and lies stacked one atop the next, each ready to topple at the worst possible second. Phil Silvers schemes, Michael Crawford pines, and a frail but still-brilliant Buster Keaton turns up for one of his final screen roles.
The script came from the Broadway hit scored by Stephen Sondheim, yet Lester shoots it like silent-era slapstick: pratfalls, foot chases, doors slamming on cue. If your taste runs to broad, unapologetic vaudeville rather than clever subtext, this one lands. Stream A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) online on iFILM.
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