Monty-Python ____________ 1. The early days: How everything started Monty-Python did not do live shows in british pubs, as many other entertainers did, before TV producers give them a chance to make a TV show. They were too busy with individual television appearances. Monty Python, as a group, was most probably formed 11 May 1969. Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin were all involved with the second series of a television show called Do Not Adjust Your Set, when they were introduced to John Cleese and Graham Chapman, who had been writing a pilot episode together for another television series called Doctor in the House. However, the British members of Monty-Python had attended the same universities where they were involved with theatre-groups and performed together. Cleese, Chapman, and later Idle, were a part of the Footlights Club at Cambridge and Palin and Jones were involved with Oxford University's Dramatic Society and the Experimental Theatre Club. Remarkably, another great British author, Douglas Adams, had also come from Cambridge. Adams was about two years younger than the Pythons, and was quite possibly inspired by the work of the early Pythons. But the link had been established before they became famous, even if the contacts consisted mainly in the personal friendship between Graham Chapman and Douglas Adams in their projects like 'Out of the trees' (BBC2; Chapman stars, written by Chapman, Bernard McKenna (Note: in Adams' Book 'So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish' there is a trucker-rain-god named Rob McKenna) and Douglas Adams; Premiered 10th January, 1976) and 'A liar's Autobiography, Vol. VI' (1980, Eyre Methuen). However, it seems to be certain, that Douglas Adams wrote at least one sketch for Monty Python's Flying Circus: 'The Doctor's Office Sketch' (Fourth series, last episode, where the nurse stabs the patient). Douglas Adams and Monty Python influenced each other in some themes. The live lunch that sells itself (Adam's RATEOTU, and the Python sketch where the main course advocates himself, and warns about the vicar), or the chesterfield sofa, appearing on Lords' Cricket Ground, which reminds the commentators of a similar occurance in... 2. TV Series The first, and undisputed source of Pythonism are the legendary TV-Series: Monty Python's Flying Circus. Fortunately, they are easily accessable due to their frequent repetitions in various TV networks and widely spread videotapes. Monty Python's Flying Circus consisted of four subsequent sets of TV shows. The Circus ran from October 1969 - January 1970 (series one), September 1970 - December 1970 (series two), October 1972 - January 1973 (series three), and October 1974 - December 1974 (series four). All the series were a loose compilation of Monty Python sketches glued together by a running gag which often carried on into and beyond the credits. Although the different series are easy to tell apart, they are all of equal qualtity. Yet, the early broadcasts were obviously not produced to be repeated, as the reference to the Year 1970 in the Hungarian Phrasebook sketch shows. While most countries televise the Circus in their original form (i.e. produced by Monty Python), the American Broadcasting Corporation in the mid-seventies proved their own creativity. Cashing in on the current popularty of the Flying Circus episodes being shown on PBS, they aquired the rights to the fourth series from the BBC, cut some scenes, inserted adverts and made them into two, 90 minute specials. The Pythons didn't like what had been done after seeing the first special, and prompty filed an injunction against ABC, barring them from showing the second. (more info in 'Monty Python: The Case Against'). Another TV series to be mentioned in this context, though not really from Monty Python, was Whoops - Apocalypse of 1982 (LWT). The short series contained six parts and told the story of Lacrobat (John Cleese) stealing the quark-bomb. There were frequent references to the Shah of Persia who was kicked out of office during that time. Not Python, but very close, is the most highly successful sitcom that has ever been made: Fawlty Towers. It is very John Cleese, but not necessarily Python (written by John Cleese and Connie Booth). 3. Performances Unlike many other entertainers, Monty Python's humour was not taken from live performances and then made into TV adaptions, inorder to create a larger audience. The Pythons used first and formost TV to transport their art. Here is a list of their known performance dates: 1970 Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 1973 (May ?? - May 24) Monty Python's First Farewell Tour (A three week tour which began in Southampton) 1973 (Canadian tour-- Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver) 1974 (Feb ?? - ??) Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (Played for one season) 1976 (Apr 14 - May 2) City Center, New York 1980 (Sep 26 - Sep 29) Hollywood Bowl 4. The Movies Monty Python and its members have appeared a few times on the silver screen. Their first movie was an improved and enhanced compilation of their Flying Circus TV-Series. And now for something completely different was mainly a re-hash from the Circus. All the major sketches are in this 1972 movie (e.g. Parrot Sketch, Lumberjack-Song, Looney-Contest etc.). There is also a German version named Die wunderbare Welt der Schwerkraft. But the two most popular movies are The Life of Brian and the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail, in Germany aka Die Ritter der Kokosnuss (a reference to the very first scenes, where the horse-imposter/servant clapps the Kokusnuss to create am audible horse illusion), is a parody on the King Arthur tale. Life of Brian deals with Brian, a man that is a little, but not absolutely different from Jesus. There is a German version called Das Leben des Brian. One remarkable detail related to The Life of Brian: it is indexed in Germany (by the Roman-Catholic church) as a film not suitable for youth. The book 'Monty Python: The Case Against' also covers the controversy surrounding this film. Another main movie is The meaning of Life (ger: Sinn des Lebens), but it doesn't seem to be quite as popular as the other two. Maybe this is due to the lack of a story line. The Meaning of Life is more like the first film, And Now For Something CompletelyDifferent. There has always been a discussion about the best Python movie. Most hard core pythoneers will say Life of Brian, while those less familiar will say the Holy Grail. Since this is article is intended to be some sort of introduction, I'll practice judicial self restraint and won't give my personal view. Anyway, the films mentioned above are the only Python movies. This is an important but not so popular fact (which I didn't know either, when I wrote the first version of this article). Jabberwocky is not tremendouly great, but it is the closest thing to a Python film Terry Gilliam has done. Michael Palin was the main character and Terry Jones was also on it. It is sometimes labeled on the video tap as Monty Pythons's Jabberwocky which is inaccurate, of course. There were a few funny bits... A bunch of Knights in armour playing hide and go se comes to mind... Yellobeard is also often sold as a film of Monty Python but it isn't. It a lot of the Pythons on it and it has it's share of gags, but it has boring passages as well (so no true Python film - sorry). Time Bandits, with John Cleese and Michael Palin, as well as Sean Connery (won't happen to him too often to be mentioned after other actors), Ralph Richardson and a bunch of other famous people, was billed at the time as a children's movie. But it really wasn't: there were a number of cool [missing]. Another Python-dominated movie is Brazil (1985), although its prime aim is not entertainment (frankly, it's a rather serious film with parallels to Orwell's 1984), it is made in a way true pythoneers will recognize as Pythonesque. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) has not much to do with Monty Python except, that it was directed by Terry Gilliam. It turned out to be a flop and a financial desaster for the producer. Yet it has some of best non-computer-created (to exempt comparison with Terminator 2 and The Abyss) special effects ever put on screen. It has Eric Idle in it. The film tells the story of the Baron Munchausen leading an unbelievable adventurous life and doing so lost the studio something like 30 mio. Gilliam went way over budget. In fact, they really took the film away from him before he was finished, so it probably doesn't reflect entirely what he would have done if he had the time and the money. Fisher King has no Pythons whatsoever in it. It was a minor hit in the summer of 1991 and ended up winning Mercedes Ruehl a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It has a few funny parts, but really could have been directed by anybody. You wouldn't recognise it was Gilliam if it didn't say so in 20-foot letters at the beginning. The only place it was released in the U.S. theatrically was in L.A. and New York. There was some fight about editing it drastically (by 40 minutes or more) and adding a new ending, so it did not get a wide release. There was the same fight about editing it for television, and Gilliam lost this one, so that the Brazil that you see on television is hopelessly chopped up. This was true as of a couple of years ago, anyway. The situation may have been resolved since then. Recently it could be seen on the big screen down at The American Film Institute in D.C., because they were having a Tom Stoppard festival (he co-wrote it), and there is quite a difference between seeing it on the screen and seeing it on video tape. Yet the members of Monty Python, especially John Cleese, still carry on as stars in non- Python movies such as the remarkable Clockwise (in which he stars) and A Fish Called Wanda (with Cleese and Michael Palin). Eric the Viking, with John Cleese in it, must be rather funny. (I can't give any further comments on this subject because I've seen the film only once on a federal Pay-TV-Channel but without a decoder. * : ) 5. Audio The songs of Monty-Python are available on a CD called 'Monty-Python sings' plus all the original MP albums, most of which are still around.