12 + 1

...in an incredibly goofy, obscure, guilty pleasure of a film! I must say I have been entranced by the beauty and mystery of the gorgeous Sharon Tate for a while now, so her presence was what initially led me to seeking out this rare gem. I saw it under the title "12+1", and I must say, if you are a Tate fan this is well worth seeking out. The movie itself is a fast-paced, slapstick comedy set in swinging London and various European countries. Vittorio Gassman plays Mario, a man who sells thirteen antique chairs bequeathed to him by his late aunt to an antique shop in London, where he meets the groovy, blonde-haired honey known as Sharon Tate. However, the catch is that Mario's aunt has hidden a fortune in one of the chairs, and he, along with Sharon Tate's Pat, sets off on journey throughout Europe to find the fortune, all the while a string of mishaps and misfortunes befalls him and his smashing partner in crime. The movie itself is interesting to watch, for its incredibly dated but very amusing sixties atmosphere, corny music, dialogue and the overall goofiness of what Mario and Pat experience while searching for the chairs. Miss Tate seems to be enjoying herself here, and I found her to be incredibly witty and sexy in what would sadly be her last motion picture appearance. Highlights, besides Miss Tate's delightfully comical performance: Miss Tate's breasts popping out unexpectedly in several scenes, Miss Tate having a wet t-shirt contest, a screeching uber-queen named Jackie frolicking through a field of flowers singing, "I've got the chairs, I've got the chairs!", the Jekyll and Hyde play sequence with Orson Welles as Markau, with Vittorio Gassman hamming it up while trying to get his hands on one of the chairs: "I'm JACK THE RIPPER!", plus, Mario paying money to "have sex" with one of the chairs, among numerous other moments of hilarity in this obscure classic. This is one of those numbers that is likely to never receive a DVD release, so get your hands on the ultra-rare VHS as soon as possible!

I found this film delightful. It is frantic and fun but somewhat uneven in it's pacing. Vittorio Gassman is quite good as the poor schmuck who unknowingly gives away a fortunate hidden in one of thirteen chairs, and Sharon Tate is delicious in her role as the antique dealer. Had she lived, she may well have made it as a light comedian. It was quite surprising to see Orson Welles in this light comedy. His performance is more understated than the other two stars, but still quite good.

December 2021

So this goes by several titles i know of, 12+1 being the one i call it, there is also twelve plus one and thirteen chairs.

It is in fact a European version of 12 chairs starring Sharon Tate, and features many popular British actors of the time including Terry Thomas and Lionel Jeffries.

I personally have seen 3 different film versions of this story, but not sure if there are anymore. There is this one from 1969, an American version starring Mel Brooks from 1970 and a subtitled version which was a lot newer.

Its been so long since i saw the one with Mel Brooks that i cannot remember for sure how good it was, but i remember liking it, and i do this.

They are in fact comedy treasure hunt films, so if you like things such as Rat Race and Its a mad mad world then this should be your cup of tea.

7.5 chairs out of 10.

This film was cruising along quite nicely with Sharon Tate providing the best acting and the glamour The moment Orson Wells arrived in the film .It suddenly lost its way . For me .You can clearly see Sharon was going to be massive in years to come I truly wish she had got the chance

Barber in New York City inherits his great aunt's estate in Europe, but arrives only to find a run-down residence and thirteen matching chairs. Upon selling the chairs to a local antique store, he finds a note telling him that one of the chairs holds $100K under the yellow upholstery. Would-be screwball farce is missing most of its screws, however the cast is intriguing. This served as the final film of actress Sharon Tate before her murder in August 1969; if the movie is no longer very funny, at least we get a good look at this beauty near the end of her life. Tossing off quips and jumping into pools and beds, Tate is very frisky and cute, but hasn't much of a character to play. The narrative is so gloppy, we can't even be sure how other mercenary players find out about the hidden treasure, and lead Vittorio Gassman doesn't have the loose body language needed for an arms-flailing farce. Portions of the film are well-directed, though with so much cutting, over-dubbing, and globe-trotting, it isn't any wonder the picture leaves viewers exhausted and unsatisfied. ** from ****