Customer Reviews

Monty Python: The Other British Invasion

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A&E has seen fit to finally release the only true "bonus" material from the last iteration of the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" Megaset in a stand-alone version. This allows those of us who already own one of the previous Megasets to pick up this material without a somewhat expensive double-dip.

This release contains two documentaries:

"Before the Flying Circus": Rare vintage footage and interviews trace the pre-Monty Python influences that honed the wit of the future Pythons and shaped their destinies as the world's most innovative comedy partnership.

"Monty Python Conquers America": The story of the OTHER British invasion - the funny one. Monty Python's astonishing American success was due as much to the passion of well-placed fans as it was to a string of absurdly lucky breaks. Being really, REALLY funny helped some, too. Featuring interviews with the Pythons, Hank Azaria, Jimmy Fallon, David Hyde Pierce, and others.

These were previously available only as part of the "Collector's Edition Megaset" which included the somewhat redundant "The Personal Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus".

A&E *finally* does something right for the fans!

4 stars *only* because it's documentary material and not sketches.

As with most documentaries on Monty Python , they tend to drone on too long , or just repititiously cover the same old garbage. ( Yes, we get it , "Dead Parrot" inspired by "Automobile Sketch" from "How To Irritate People"...now,move on. )

Apparently this affordably priced , double DVD , was part of the most recent A&E rip-off of a "Complete" Monty Python box set. ( More the fool you who bought it a Second time! ). So, it's nice to buy it seperately.

Disc. 1 is a pretty good, black and white documentary on the "Pre-Python" era.It has some additional , "unseen" ( well by most U.S. viewers , and certainly not on previous DVDs ), footage from things like "The Complete & Utter History of Britain" , and Michael Palin's earliest television pantomime items. ( It would be nice to have these full items on DVD! < HINT HINT > ). It also has some good interviews with folks like Ronnie Corbett , Robert Hewison ,and others of their ilk. This disc. features the BEST Bonus materials I've seen in a long time! First there is Terry Gilliam going over the opening credits animations for all 4 Series , and it's quite amusing to have his imput. ( Even if he's forgotten some of the inspirations.) Second is a MISSING SKETCH! Yes! Though broadcast on KQED every showing , and long denied as existing by A&E ( Thus missing from the above mentioned "Incomplete" Mega-Set. ) , "A Party Political Broadcast For The Conservative Party" - featuring John Cleese in a choreographed announcement.Originally shown in the "A Book At Bedtime / Penguins / Kamikaze Highlanders" episode , it is presented here in a scratchy form , but it's the only officially relased version - so that's good to have.

Disc.2 is in Colour. And follows the Canadian & American invasion , with informed interviews by Nancy Lewis ,Ron DeVellier , Tony Smith , Carl Reiner , and more current American comedians. Featuring a lot of Python home videos , and some rarely seen appearances on 1975/76 US television shows ( Sadly NOT "The Tonight Show" or "The Midnight Special" appearances.). This is a well done documentary , that doesn't beat anything to death too much. Now if A&E would release Python's promotional films , ( Birdseye Frozen Foods , Hairspray , etc. ), and short films ( A History of Flight , The Box , etc. ), we'd all be happy little completists!

I'm not a Python completist, but I do have the DVDs, the 40th anniversary Almost the Truth, the 30th anniversary Life of Python, and a few other things. For some reason, I found this to be the most entertaining and understandable. Disc 1 clearly lays out the origins of the group, telling the story more clearly than the other works. It doesn't get bogged down in the movies or the various solo careers. The second disc is a good retelling of their success in America, a story which does not seem to be told in any of the other discs I have seen (though, like I said, I'm not a completist).

Even though it seems to be cut from interviews done for the 40th anniversary set, there doesn't seem to be too much overlap. For my money, this is the best intro to the group's history, with something to interest newcomers and long-time fans alike.

This was exactly what I was looking for - a documentary about the origins of Monty Python and a behind-the-scenes look at their gradual success in America and the things that led to it. For those disappointed that there wasn't sketch material - there are more than enough compilations of that, some with material cut out to make them fit a particular format or time block. I am pretty knowledgeable about most things Python, and I found a number of things in this set that I didn't know or hadn't seen. Python fanatics should definitely pick this up.

The actual contents of this disc consist of interviews with the Pythons and their associates and material relating to their American tour. Its well done, and I especially enjoyed seeing what the late middle-aged Pythons look like now. But the title of the album does not make it clear that this is a documentary about the Pythons and not a compilation of their performances. It therefore is for some people not what they expected, and hence disappointing.