Customer Reviews

Monty Python's Flying Circus, Set 4, Eps. 20-26

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dear Sir,

I wish to protest in thr strongest possible terms your inclusion of this DVD by this Monty Python chap. It is well known that he is considered quite silly and is rumored to have attempted to offend every one on the planet!

And another thing -- why can't you cover the good things on the Internet, like many of the wonderful sites containing the poems of Carlton Vladivostok?

Yours, etc. Brigadier General Sir Charles Uppington Smythe (Mrs.)

This 2-disc DVD contains some of the best moments in Monty Python (Spam, How Not To Be Seen, Atilla the Hun Show, Hungarian Phrase Book) as well as some that are lesser known (Communist Quiz, Poofy Judges, Crackprot Religions, The Idiot). The menus are very clever. They are a little tough to navigate through, but it's a change from other DVD menus. The extras are enormous! You get Lumberjack Kareoke, BBC sketches, quizes with video rewards, two Hollywood Bowl sketches, image gallery and tons more. However the only part that seems to suffer on this disc is the picture quality. There are tons of noticable fragements and rainbows. The VHS tapes might be a smarter buy in terms of quality, but for everlastingness (is that even a word?) choose the DVDs. So grab this DVD and order in some Egg and Spam, Egg Bacon and Spam, Egg Bacon Sausage and Spam, Spam Eggs Spam Spam and Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Baked Beans Spam Spam Spam and Spam.

There are two kinds of people: those who have seen Mo nty Python and liked it, and those who have seen Monty Python and disliked it, and those who...

There are three kinds of people: those who have seen Monty Python and liked it, those who have seen Monty Python and disliked it, those who haven't seen Monty Python, and those in comas...Four kinds of People

Amongst people, there are those have seen Monty...

Oh never mind, just see the bloody DVD

This is perhaps one of the best sets in the entire collection. Contains such classics as "How Not To Be Seen", "Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook", "Spam", "Scott of the Antarctic" and quirky one's like "French Subtitled Film", and a personal favorite "It All Happened on the 11:20 From Hainault" and an apperance from Mr. Luxary Yacht..(Throat wobbler mangrove!) If you don't have this set, you are missing a ton of the greatest sketches in MP History!

****Unfortunately, A &E thinks it has the right to censor things on this set, and other sets...they totally cut the sketch with Eric Idle and Michael Palin as judges in lingerie. If you've never seen the sketch, you can tell because it just fades out in the middle of the sketch.
The original full sketch can be seen on the Live at the Hollywood Bowl version. This is insanely irritating and makes me angry that A&E would make us pay full price for so called "originals" that aren't the full versions. however..these are the only one's available, but do what I did, and write A&E a complaint letter online..it might help..who knows..peace

If you like Python, you need this (and all the other episodes). If you don't know Python, try one of these sets of their episodes, you won't be sorry!

The very first episode of <Monty Python's Flying Circus> was telecast on BBC1 in 1969 and the very last one in 1974. And so it came to pass that the four series of MPFC shows became a legend--and a top money maker for all its spinoffs (LPs, live shows), and future efforts of its 6 lunatics (7, if you count Carol). True Believers can sing every note of the "Lumber Jack Song" and repeat with proper inflections every word of the "Dead Parrot Sketch"--although I doubt if anyone, including Cleese himself, could name all the cheeses in the "Cheese Shop Sketch." Never since "The Honeymooners" has a comedy series gathered such a fanatic following.

Well, by this time in history, A&E has released the first three seasons on tape and DVD. Having already reviewed the first season (which I have on tape), I want to say a few words about the 2nd and 3rd seasons, which I have on DVD. Of course you will find all those classic sketches you love so much (or why else would you be reading this?): Silly Walks, Piranha Brothers, Blackmail, Killer Sheep, Fish License, Travel Agent, Cheese Shop, Lupins, and of course Dirty Vicar. We have yet to have available the fourth, last, series without Cleese (who wanted to quit after the second and get on to other things).

The advantage of the DVD format over the tape is, of course, you can get direct access to almost any sketch you want. Now this is tricky. Each DVD holds three or four episodes. The main menu (which takes forever to set up) leads to a submenu that is quite confusing at first glance. Just keep hitting the select button on your remote and you will eventually see the episode. There is also a choice on the main menu to Play All. It is because of this feature, I am told, that your display will not show the time elapsed or the track you are on during each episode, nor will your on-screen display show the time. If you find how to bring it up, the submenu will give you a list of the major sketches, but you had better take notes.

In fact, I simply kept open my copy of Robert Ross's "Monty Python Encyclopedia" (TV Books, 1997) to keep track of where I was. Still, the format is a lot better than the tapes when it comes to timing but very difficult to fast forward to any desired sketch.

So if you have not yet decided on the format, I would suggest the DVD, especially with the extra bits of information they provide that are not found on the tapes.

Siht si os ynnuf. Ti sekam em tuohs ragluv sginht ot eht nerdlihc! Evig eht ecin elpoep ta nomaza ruoy yenom won! Knaht uoy! Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah (Sorry for that, you may understand it better with aid of a mirror.)

Although I am a huge Python fan, watching episodes 20-26 felt like a painful excersize in frustration. I waited to be blown away with the brilliant stupid sharp wit of the earlier episodes but instead was presented with -- gasp -- mediocre ideas and canned scripts, many of which went nowhere.

For the best laughs, go for the early stuff. You really can't go wrong with Sets 2 and 3.

You can't get much better than Monty Python the kings of sketch comedy. Yes some British humor is hard to get as an American but for the most part it is histerical. This set is just as good as the others and I recomend purchasing them all. I love Monty Python so much I named all my pets Eric.

BUY IT! BUY IT NOW! DON'T THINK! BUY! THIS IS **MONTHY PYTHON** DO YOU REQUIRE MEDICATION TO MAKE DECISIONS?!? YOU'RE STILL READING! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!? STOP READING NOW! TAKE YOUR MEDICATION, HIT "ONE-CLICK" AND GO TO BED!