Probably the most brilliant free-style comedy series of all time. The satire was sharp and went against the conventions of not just comedy but of television fare of the time in general. I remember being exposed to it for the first time many years ago when I caught a E!-type documentary on John Cleese. They showed the “The Ministry of Silly Walks” skit and bits of Terry Gilliam’s animation. It was brilliant as it was retarded. Soon I was scampering for videos and checking out channels that showed reruns from the 70’s. And suddenly the actor I knew as “Mr.Fawtly from that old comedy” was the actor in my mind. I always had their tapes handy for rainy days and repeated viewings only brought more satisfaction. This was not just slapstick humor, it was a revolution. The content was always designed to be disconcerting to its viewers, who expected to see typical television spam.
Influence has reached far and wide since then, and those who have been fortunate to appreciate it for what it provided and brought to the screen have certainly been blessed. In fact, I’m pretty sure there are quite a few python fans right here on GupShup; among others a resident Pir Sahib. Although there are many, one of the strongest influences in the media today has to be the inimitable Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) – which is another piece of genius by itself. Traces of Python-style satire are littered all over, from abrupt cutaways to completely non-sensical yet fitting scenes to the tribute of the foot quashing the family in one episode’s opening sequence.
A tribute to the 6-tet (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). Thanks for everything. Long live the Circus!
monty python rocks. I just saw life of brian again and had a blast. the flying circus was a good series, but the movies should not be overlooked. the holy grail, meaning of life, and the stage based secret policeman's ball also.
Indeed, the movies were an integral part of the carnival. The Holy grrraaiil was extremely well done, considering the troubles that were surrounding the actors the time it was made. Life of Brian is just classic, blessed are the cheese makers.
But it was the nuttiness of the Circus series that still stands above 'em all for me. Even Monty Python (after Cleese left) was not of equal par.
Tekken Zaibatsu for life Fraudia. You might want to reconsider your silly walks in some parts Ananova News
by the by, anyone know if BBC ever released a 'complete season n ' on DVD this side of the pond? Even a 'best of' would be kewl if the compliation's big enough.