Zero Mostel shines in allegorical comedy
Adapting a satirical theater of the absurd political allegory into film is a challenging task. With “Rhinoceros,” one of the American Film Theatre productions of the early 1970s, director Tom O’’Horgan (Broadway’s “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”) captures the whimsy of the piece without losing the significance of its theme. O’Horgan assembled an excellent cast headed by Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder — their only screen pairing after “The Producers” — and opened the play slightly but well within the parameters of the original.<br /><br />The first half-hour is easily the best part of the film. Friends Stanley (Wilder) and John (Mostel) meet at a crowded diner on Sunday morning. John, fastidious and formal in attire and manner, is the complete opposite of sloppy drunkard Stanley. The self-satisfied, punctilious John repeatedly criticizes Stanley, ostensibly for his friend’s own good, while the hapless and hopeless Stanley tolerates the veiled abuse. An employee in a small, bleak accounting firm, Stanley mopes, disengaged from the repetitiveness of his interchangeable days and his few, insufferable coworkers. The only exception is the company’s cheerful secretary, Daisy (Karen Black), but Stanley is so consumed with self-contempt that he buries his feelings for her in ledgers, memos, and mounds of reports.<br /><br />In the diner, a violent rumbling outside brings everyone rushing to the window, where they see a herd of rhinoceroses (not shown) running down the street. No one appears unusually surprised and the customers go back to their tables.<br /><br />Eventually we discover that human beings are gradually being transformed into rhinos. Though some hold out and resist, they eventually succumb.<br /><br />O’Horgan successfully exploits the great screen chemistry between Mostel and Wilder, which makes the first half-hour so alive and the rest of the movie so pale by comparison. Generous helpings of slapstick enliven this section and tap into Mostel’s and Wilder’s strengths, but this makes for a different tone completely from the rest of the film.<br /><br />O’Horgan, to his credit, compensates for the lack of live rhinos with sound effects, dust clouds, shaking walls, and actors’ reactions to the pachyderm chaos. He also opens up the play with a scene on a beach, a few street scenes, and a climactic scene on a rooftop. The location has been changed from a French town to Anywhere, USA.<br /><br />Mostel, whose role is not the major one in the play, dominates the film with his imposing physical presence, larger-than-life performance, improvisational touches, and flair for comedy. He gets laughs with the slightest gesture and by giving the dialogue his unique interpretation. Because he’s so good, he’s sorely missed when Wilder has to carry on without him. He simply doesn’t hold the viewer the way Mostel can.<br /><br />The theme of “Rhinoceros” is that conformity can be dangerous when people go along mindlessly. Written in 1960, 15 years after the end of World War II, the play allegorically comments on the rise of Hitler, though its message is sadly relevant in today’s political climate. The latter part of the movie underscores this theme as Stanley stays determined not to succumb to rapidly encroaching societal pressure.<br /><br />Bonus features on the PG-rated Blu-ray release include an interview with director Tom O’Horgan, interview with Edie Landau, promotional film for the American Film Theatre, and gallery of trailers for the American Film Theatre.
The movie title "Rhinoceros," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 3.8 from 121 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Featured Categories, Blu-ray and Comedy. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Comedy", "Format": "NTSC, Subtitled", "Contributor": "Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Karen Black, Tom O'Horgan", "Language": "English (Dolby Digital 2.0)", "Runtime": "1 hour and 44 minutes", "Aspect Ratio": "1.78:1", "MPAA rating": "PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)", "Product Dimensions": "7 x 5 x 0.75 inches; 2.43 Ounces", "Director": "Tom O'Horgan", "Media Format": "NTSC, Subtitled", "Run time": "1 hour and 44 minutes", "Release date": "May 7, 2019", "Actors": "Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Karen Black", "Subtitles": "English", "Studio": "Kino Lorber", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Reunited for the first and only time after their triumph in Mel Brooks’s The Producers, Gene Wilder and Zero Mostrel push their shared genius for physical slapstick, manic wit, and sly satire to a level of fearless absurdity that virtually no other comedy team would dare approach. Director Tom O’Horgan, originator of the Broadway smash Hair, transforms Eugene Ionesco’s Theater of the Absurd curio Rhinoceros into a fluid, character-rich screen comedy that The Hollywood Reporter deemed, “an excellent film.”Special Features: Interview with director Tom O’Horgan / Interview with Edie Landau / “Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera,” a promotional film for the American Film Theatre / Gallery of trailers for the American Film Theatre / English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.