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Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead.--Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (630)

one of the best comedies ever and dvd extras to rave about!
This is what dvds were invented for -- there are so many great features here! So in addition to seeing one of the funniest movies ever made, you can be entertained for hours with the extras, and the extras are terrific: subtitles in English, French or Spanish; audio track choices -- English (the original mono or a brand new full stereo version), French, a directors' (Gilliam and Jones) track or a commentary track with Cleese, Idle and Palin; a copy of the script overlaid on the film; a painstaking, hilarious Henry the IV-ish subtitle for those who don't like the film; a hard-of-hearing feature; killer rabbit easter eggs; animated menus using Gilliam's original animation; karaoke renditions of 'Knights of the Round Table', 'Sir Robin' and the 'Monks Chant'; a delightful 45 minute visit to the locations with Jones and Palin; an educational film about the 'other' uses of coconuts; Japanese versions of the French Castle and Knights Who Say Ni scenes, including references to the 'holy sake cup'; a 1974 BBC Film Night visit to a location site during filming; photos of tickets, press releases, reviews, posters, production stills and original artwork; trailers; cast credits (Palin played over a dozen parts!) with pictures of each character; a Lego knights version of the Camelot scene; pictures of sketches that were never used (a killer snail?!); a web link.

A lot of effort went into this special edition dvd, and it shows. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jones and Palin visit locations. They were in a jolly mood, their comments are interspersed with film footage, and they meet affectionate and funny fans along the way.

If you like this film you will love this dvd version; if you love the film, you wil adore this two-dvd set. An essential item for your collection.

Highest recommendation.

I Never Thought Looking For A Shrubbery Would Be This Fun!!
In the early 1970's the Monty Python troop (Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones) stars from the immensely popular television series Monty Python's Flying Circus began producing, with the help of a fundraising concert headlined by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (You lie!! No, I didn't!), initial photography on what would later become (from all my extensive years of movie watching) the single most unforgivably sidesplitting, enormously irreverent, shrewdly perceptive, unremittingly uproariously aggressive, gruesomely hysterical, and endlessly quotable comedies EVER. Not even Mel Brooks's Best Efforts (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) comes very close to the revolutionary medieval merriment sustained in this royal purebred of cult classics. BAR NONE. No contest here.

Endlessly stockpiled with hauntingly hysterical sketches that will probably never leave your mind (no matter how hard you try) including, The Knights Who Say Nei, The Self-Abusing Monks (Eah aay ess eay dom eay nay), The Black Knight, The Trojan Rabbit, the Ever-Appearing Verbally Abusing French (I don't want to talk to you no more!!!), The Enchanter Named Tim, The Killer Bunny, The Bridge of Death (What is the capital of Hysteria?), The Old Woman Named Dennis, and so many countless more great sketches to include here that I'd die trying. Monty and Python and the Holy Grail remains an ever-enriching mirthful cult-classic that just seems to improve with age. Since Columbia has a bountifully hefty new special edition of the Holy Grail out now there should be no excuse, if you've never seen it (I think I'll go for a walk!!), just drop everything your doing (including Bringing Out Your Dead) and go experience this life changing movie today. You won't be disappointed, just tell them the Knight Not Appearing In This Film sent you, and they'll know what to do.

As for the options on the special edition here's a run-down:

Disc One: -"21st Anniversary" cut of the film running an extra 24 seconds; -Anamorphic Widescreen; -Dolby 5.1 track; -Original Mono Track; -Audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin; -subtitles "for people who don't like the film" (you get the text from Shakespeare's Henry IV instead); -an "on-screen screenplay" feature which lets you read the screenplay as you watch the film; -"Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature;

Disc Two: "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs"; -"The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette; -"How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film; -"Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles); -the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythons; -an interactive cast directory; -still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos; -"A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items; -unused ideas and other material; -two trailers
and web-links.

Both discs represent the absolute final word resource for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything you'd need to know about the Python's greatest film. An Absolute Necessity for any Python Fan!!

P.S. You can't base a system of government just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.

What are you going to do, bleed on me?
excellent. Possibly the funniest movie ever made. Who could forget such a line as "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of eldeberries." This is a great movie and a great dvd edition that gives it justice. This is completely worth the money. A comedy Classic.

This movie didn't make me Run Away! (or) Run away FASTER!!!
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail is, by far, my favorite movie -and I'm sure it always will be! Being a truly hilariously-random film, this DVD does an awesome job of showcasing this fact to the highest extent. The killer white "rrrrabit" will live on in my heart forever, and I will always be knowledgeable that African swallows are non-migratory. What other movie has a group of knights requesting shrubberies -from King Arthur, no less- to create a 'two-level effect with a path through the middle'? Only Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The movie might sound strange as I mention these things out of context, but I assure you it is much stranger when Monty Python says it!
So, to conclude this review, I definitely give "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail" DVD a 5 star rating, as I know it will entertain millions for years to come. Enjoy!

The Lego Camelot Number Alone is Worth the Price
Who would have thought that, after nearly 30 years, the world's goofiest movie could be made even moreso? Not only is this DVD a comedy triumph (it would be simply if it were the DVD version of the classic film, in which a crew too broke to afford horses for King Arthur and his Knights changed history and college kids' banter forever by introducing coconuts as migrating props). Oh, no, this DVD is one that may become a standard for other DVDs. Just look at this list of extras above! To be sure, some of them are fluff. The "load of rubbish" selection is simply some receipts and a few odd notes. But most of it is stupendous.

The first disc contains the movie itself, along with some choices of how to watch it.... subtitles, commentary by directors Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam or by John Cleese & Eric Idle & Michael Palin. Then "for people who don't like the film", there's subtitles from Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part II". Now, these do not faithfully follow Henry IV verse by verse, but they do come from the play, and it's hilarious how the phrases Shakespeare wrote do actually match up with the action on the screen.

Disc Two contains several mementoes: a film of John Cleese, Terry Jones, and "Grail" production manager John Young (who also played the hapless "Historian" towards the end of the film, and the "I'm not dead!" guy) paying a return visit to Castle Doune , in 2000. At first it's fun to hear them reminisce at the filming site, but since it's a very small spot with nothing but a wall and a bit of ground, they appear uncomfortable and that quickly gets old. More interesting is the home movie made by the two Terries when they looked for prospective film locations in the seventies. Their excitement is palpable.

A somewhat painful scene (except for the chance it gives us to watch Terry Jones in action as a director) is the BBC documentary made during filming. The interviewer seems more interested in trying to be funny himself than in the Pythons. But there are several great comic extras, including words to some songs, a coconut skit, two scenes dubbed in Japanese, and best of all, an animated feature of the "Camelot" scene and song done entirely in Lego...must be seen to be believed.

Finally, someone has made good use of the storage space on a DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Holy Hilarity!
Life of Brian is not as well known by the movie going public as Monty Python?s classic "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", but it is definitely is as, or maybe even funnier than Holy Grail. This is especially true for people who are familiar with the Biblical stories it pokes fun at. It is perfect satire, for nothing is sacred and everything is a joke.

The story revolves around Brian, a very unlucky resident of Judea who just happened to be born the same day the Christ child was born. Missing his chance at glory, Brian lives his life selling animal parts at the Coliseum, dominated by a violent mother who is very "friendly" to the Roman occupiers. The rest of Brian's environment is inhabited by a very wild bunch. The neo- or archo-Marxist group, the People's Front of Judea, battles the Romans daily by holding meeting after violent meeting, plotting against the legions and their arch rivals, the Judean People's Front. The Romans, on the other hand, are led by the Pontius Pilate, who, contrary to Biblical reports, has quite a lisp and an endearing sense of stupidity. When Brian rebels against his mother and joins up with the wild band of revolutionaries, his life is changed forever. Quite by accident, Brian is then thought to be the messiah, although he is quite reluctant in his leadership.

Satirically, this movie is absolutely ruthless. Everything is skewered, everything. The performances are all fantastic, especially that of John Cleese, who is just the man in this movie, playing about six separate characters. Joke after joke hits the viewer, which results in just non-stop humor. It's just a wonderful movie by the Python pioneers who really revolutionized comedy. The Criterion DVD edition is great, with tons of hilarious extras that are worth the price on their own. To the people that use this to either justify their atheism or believe it to be an attack on their religion, calm down. It's a comedy for God's sake, why do the opinions of some British comedians affect your outlook on life? Just laugh damn it!

Great extras on this Python DVD
THE LIFE OF BRIAN has remained one of my favorite Python flicks after the glow of the Holy Grail began to wear thin from overuse. If you're considering purchasing this movie, you've probably seen the movie already and are a Monty Python fan. If not, get ready for one of Python's most sacrilegious and hilarious movies of their collection! If you are easily offended, you might think twice. However, the satire here is equally distributed and is not aimed so much at religion itself but moreso at the amusing ways in which people can behave "under the influence" of zealotry.

I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching the movie, but it was a great surprise to find that this DVD comes packed with some great bonus materials. Several full-length, revealing interviews with the cast go into more Python history than just that surrounding this flick. And a rather large collection of scenes cut from the final release are also quite interesting.

The video and audio quality seem to be on par with most of the other DVD movies I've seen so far, despite the film's age.

All in all, a great addition to any Python collection.

Is nothing sacred? NO! And that's why this is a riot!
Irreverent, brilliant, ingenius... I'm getting all these words out of the way now before I forget them! Even though I'll probably use them a dozen times!

The funniest thing to come from England since The Stamp Act, Monty Python's Flying Circus could always be depended upon to provide the world with brilliantly twisted humor. The LIFE OF BRIAN is no less a comic masterpiece than anything else these boys have done. Ostensibly a parody of the life of Jesus, LIFE OF BRIAN is a hilarious attack on liberalism, conservatism, colonialism, individualism, communalism, organized religion, disorganized religion, fanaticism, feminism... take your pick of any of a hundred topics. It doesn't matter, it's still brilliant. And the script and direction holds it perfectly all together, even if there's a space ship chase sequence thrown in for the hell of it.

Once again, the members of MPFC each play several roles and every viewer has his or her favorites, so what the hell, I'll mention mine. Michael Palin, while playing a wonderfully foppy Pontius Pilate, is equally hilarious as a twitchy, hyperactive leper that Jesus had cured. Instead of being grateful, he complains that his rehabilitation has ruined his livelihood as a beggar. (Speaking of rehabilitation, Palin plays the part like a junkie in need of a fix.) John Cleese has several great moments, but his role as a Centurion turned sadistic Latin teacher is nothing short of genius. Everyone who has studied Latin will be beside themselves during this scene. And Terry Jones as Brian's mom still stuns me 25 years later. "My Brian is not the messiah! He's a very naughty, naughty boy."

Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN is irreverent, brilliant, and ingenius and this edition, complete with outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews make this package worth the price. Whether you are an individual or not, "Monty Python's Life of Brian - Criterion Collection" will save your comic soul.

a review of a movie
A brilliant movie with a brilliant finale.

funny but wheres Bodge?
This is a very funny movie. It takes place int he Stone Age. About a guy named Brian and this is his life. Most of the humor is because his name is brian and people confuse him for somebody else. "I'm not so anso I'm Brian." Also there is a very funny moment when a man says his wife is called Continual Buttocks (a butocks is a bottom) or soemthing. Some of the humor is called toilet humor that I'm not a fan of. My friends and I only thought that Bodge would have looked great in this film with his beard and BRITISH accent!!! Where was he? He would have been perfect! ... Read more

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If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--this is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. However, Brazil was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam sure captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek governmental clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. Not a software bug, a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets smooshed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr. Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro).When Sam becomes enmeshed in unraveling this bureaucratic glitch, he himself winds up labeled as a miscreant.

The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (302)

the definitive look at this masterpiece
Brazil is, arguably, Terry Gilliam's crowning achievement. Originally called 1984 1/2, this film was embroiled in an infamous battle to be distributed. The studio didn't like Gilliam's version and cut together one of their own. Gilliam went to the press and got the L.A. critics behind his movie and finally shamed the studio into releasing his version.

Criterion's 3-DVD set documents the struggle Gilliam went through to get his film shown. Disc One contains his cut of the film with an informative and entertaining commentary by the director. The second DVD contains the bulk of the extra material. Not only is Gilliam's struggle documented but also various aspects of the production are examined -- including the screenplay, costumes, art direction, etc. The final disc contains the studio's ....py cut with a film historian's audio commentary documenting why this version sucks.

Once again, Criterion comes through with an exhaustive look at an important film of modern cinema. Brazil is a brilliant satire of a dystopian society run amok by pointless bureaucracy. Anyone who has worked a souless job in an office will immediately empathise with the protagonist's plight. Like any great work of science fiction, Brazil offers more questions than answers -- not everything is wrapped up neatly, instead the viewer is left questioning certain aspects of our modern society. Great stuff.

Great movie about dreams and hope
Brazil, despite the science fiction, social commentary and surrealism, is at it's core a film about a man who trapped by the mundanity of life, imagines himself in a more fantastic world.

Jonathan Pryce stars as a tiny unimportant member of a vast hyper-capitalistic society. Life is cold and dreary for everyone. All his spare time is spent dreaming of magical romantic worlds and the beautiful woman who lives there. One day, a simple beaucratic mistake causes a monumental disaster. Not that anyone cares... they just don't want to be blamed. Sent to solve the problem, or maybe to be a scapegoat, Pryce accidentally meets the literal woman of his dreams. As he pursues her, he brings suspicion on himself of being a terrorist (the scourge of the government), and his dreams begin to invade his waking thoughts.

A suprising list of talent lend themselves to the film and is written, minus Kafka and Orwell themes, by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam so expect some obvious humor and much biting satire throughout. Depressing and magical without losing it's hope, any person who can identify with the main character should find themselves entranced.

Despite being made in 1985 the special effects prove to be suprisingly effective (although easily noticed). I personally think this movie is the second best Science Fiction film, 2001 being first, and the best 1984 type movie ever made.

Much loved, but I never got it ...
This is a cult classic, but I find it over-rated. It delivers the zaniness, surreality and crazy camera work, but the film has no interest in its characters -- you'll feel nothing for them, and for me that leaves a big hole in the center of the movie.

For a movie with a similar feel but considerably more heart, try Barton Fink instead. Or even Amelie.

Boring
This movie is really disappointing and boring.

a bizzare and frightening film
If you enjoy futuristic Sci-Films then I would heartily reccomend this, as it presents a number of interesting and imaginative concepts.
The setting is the far future.The world is a polluted wasteland. A strange network of wires covers the ceiling of every room.
A corporation-government, Central Services, controls all trade enterprises. Any who indulge in the businesses they control (which are almost everything) without the proper paperwork are labeled terrorists. So, unfortunately, are those who criticize Central Services' inane policies.
Their Cops, clad in spacesuits that look like they came straight out of David Lynch's adapatation of "DUNE", frequently capture these "terrorists" to be interrogated, tortured, and/or executed with bizarre devices.
The "food" eaten by the characters in this film is premasticated garbage, into which are stuck pictures of what the characters believe they are eating.
The rich and powerful under Central Services rule get daily facelifts and parties,
and they strike the viewer as stupid and frightening.
The plot of the film concerns a daydreaming young paper-pusher (Jonathan Pryce) for Central Services' Ministry of Information who discovers a glitch in some paperwork that led to the wrongful arrest and unfortunate execution of Archibald Tuttle, who was mistaken for Archibald "Harry" Tuttle (Robert DeNiro), who has fallen out with the law because of his entrepeneurial fix-it man services.
Soon, a truck-drivin' gal(Kim Greist) who witnessed Archibald Buttle's wrongful arrest pleads for his release to the Ministry of Information, who label her a terrorist.
Later, The young MOI employee notices her picture in the lobby of his workplace, and decides to pursue her. He saves her from being arrested, and, in doing so, is labeled an enemy of society, which eventually leads to his tragic end at the hands of his friends(Ian Holm and John Palin).
This frightening look at the evils of technology, corporations,wrongful arrests, and totalitarian governments is not to be missed by any except the very young(if it gave ME nightmares, imagine the effect it would have on a seven-year old boy!) . ... Read more

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Kevin Kline took home an Oscar for his performance as a self-absorbed lothario who prepares for lovemaking by drinking in his own "manly" musk, but it would be hard to single him out as the best thing about the film. The fact is, the entire cast of this hilarious comedy is perfect: John Cleese as the conservative barrister defending a member of sexy Jamie Lee Curtis's gang, Ms. Curtis as the conniving crook out to grab the haul for herself, and Michael Palin as the stuttering, animal-loving hit man whose attempts to murder a little old lady only decrease the size of her poodle pack. Cleese cowrote the zingy script with British comedy veteran Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob), whose smooth direction balances Monty Python farce, hysterically tasteless gags, and an unexpectedly romantic subplot with style and confidence. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (81)

An Classic Comedy.
When a British Man by the name of George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) came up with the Perfect Crime with his Friend (Micheal Palin), George's Girlfriend-Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her another lover passing as her Brother-Otto (Kevin Kline) to steal a Fortune in Jewels. When his girlfriend and her lover-Otto double cross-George, who came up for the Idea. But when George is being sent to Prison and Keeping a secret, when he hide the Jewels. Then Wanda is trying to seduced George's Lawyer-Archie Leech (John Clesse) to find out, if he knows about the Jewels but Archie ended up falling in love with Wanda.

Directed by Charles Chichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) made a Clever, Outragerous comedy that become a Contemporary Classic. Written by Clesse and Director:Chichton came up with a sure winner, that never seems to run out of energy from the talented cast. Kevin Kline steals the film with his flamboyant Comic Performance that win him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This was a Box Office Hit in the Summer of 1988. This film might offend some people. This is one of the most funniest movie, ever made. Clesse and Palin re-team together again from thier glory comedy days from the Monty Python's group. Clesse, Curtis, Kline, Palin, Maria Aitken & Cynthia Clesse re-team together again in the Uneven but Funny-Firece Creatures:(1997). Grade:A.

British humor for the American palate
Charles Chrichton's hiatus from the big screen had been interspersed with The Avengers after his direction of The Lavender Hill Mob. John Cleese in fact sought out Chrichton in hopes of a collaboration for A Fish Called Wanda. Starting out with only a rudimentary idea of the story, and Chrichton's request that he wanted "...to see someone steamrolled", the final result was a film that somehow struck a humorous chord all over the world. The film just somehow "worked", and it's been a cherished classic ever sense.

Kevin Kline as the violent, idiotic, and egotistic Otto indirectly steals the film, but it is John Cleese who is the genius behind the scenes. Utilizing the dry absurd whit perfected in Monty Python with co-star Michael Palin, the duo alongside sultry Jamie Lee Curtis evoke a dysfunctional yet harmonistic world of laughs, slaptstick, and that oh so familiar English congeniality that "bloody well works" in comedy.

For those longing for the complicit, balanced, and tight-fitting humor of the older English comedies, such as Alec Guinness in Our Man In Havana, and Alec again in Lavender Hill Mob, A Fish Called Wanda is a must-see. If only Hollywood knew what it was missing too.

Quite simply the best comedy film in decades.
This movie is, in a word, hilarious. I defy anyone to watch it and not have tears streaming down their face from laughter. It's one of those classic, uproariously insane comedies in the Monty Python style, just plain crazy funny. I am an animal lover but even the part where the poodles that get annihilated was hilarious and Michael Palin's reactions to that are beyond funny. This is one movie that is guaranteed to make you scream with laughter. I have seen it about a dozen times and it still makes me laugh till I cry.

Not Monty Python, but funny
I LOVE Monty Python AND John Cleese teaches part-time here at Cornell, so when he gave a talk and mentioned the plot of AFCW, I thought I'd check it out. It was great seeing a couple of the Python troup in a non-Python role. Be warned, although the movie is very funny (7.8 out of 10) it's not at all the same type of humour as Python.

My absolute favorite part, which doesn't give anything about the movie away, is near the end when John Cleese imitates an American accent. Usually we see comedians here making fun of British, French, and other foreign accents, so it was fun to see someone try to imitate us here in the States.

I'd say this is a MUST RENT no matter what and a MUST BUY for anyone who likes British humour and/or wants to see Cleese do something different.

Stands the test of time
I still remember the first time I saw that crazy heist caper called A Fish Called Wanda. My high school drama class went to see a sneak preview double feature of Wanda and Monkey Shines (which I will only go as far as to say that it was pretty awful) and I was floored.

I knew about Monty Python and has all the episodes that my PBS affiliate would broadcast, but was relatively unfamiliar with any work the troupe's members had done outside of the series (I don't even think I had seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail yet), except for a late-night cable run-in with Michael Palin's The Missionary, a mild sex comedy about a missionary and a home for fallen women.

I had no idea what to expect. Palin had always been my favorite Python (and still is), so I was very curious to see what he would do outside the Python realm. I got more than I bargained for.

Written by John Cleese from a story by Cleese and director Charles Crichton (various Ealing comedies including The Lavender Hill Mob), A Fish Called Wanda is a comedy about four crooks (Jamie Lee Curtis: Wanda, Kevin Kline: Otto, Tom Georgeson: George, and Michael Palin: Ken) who are all trying to double-cross each other by linking with other members of the group. Wanda in particular has the cards stacked in her favor, as she is--in one way or another--attempting to seduce all three men.

The humor comes from several directions. As the old lady is the only one who can ID any of them, George asks Ken to eliminate her. Unfortunately, he keeps killing her pet dogs instead--one at a time. As an animal lover, this leaves Ken in no end of distress. Very black humor, indeed. Meanwhile, Otto is trying to get information from Ken by pretending to be gay. Ken isn't either, but Otto doesn't seem to care. He continues to come on to him. (Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year for his performance as Otto.)

Surprisingly, A Fish Called Wanda has stood up well over time. It is still one of the films that I continue to return to for dependable belly laughs. The promotional short for the film was one of the funniest things I saw that year and Wanda deserves a full DVD treatment. Until then, though, I guess I'll have to make do. ... Read more

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Michael Palin, star of Monty Python's Flying Circus and A Fish Called Wanda, is in a comic race against time to get from the North Pole to the South Pole. Palin balks at nothing, tries just about anything, and always finds time for a spot of tea. En route Palin stars in a crayfish documentary in Novgorod, attends a baby-rolling ceremony at a Cypriot wedding, gets stuck in a Nile traffic jam, buys chicken in Wadi Halfa, goes camel shopping in Khartoum, and is prescribed tree bark by a Mpulugu witch doctor to get rid of his evil shadow. Even when things go according to plan, Palin travels in unusual ways--by dogsled on Spitsbergen, barge down the Dnieper, train roof across the Nubian desert, van through the Sudan, hot-air balloon over Kenya, and down Lake Tanganyika on the "African Queen." With curiosity, courage, and his standard aplomb, Palin plunges himself into the local cultures, beating himself with birch branches in a Finnish sauna and wallowing in mud in an Odessa sanatorium. Reminiscent of his Around the World in 80 Days, Palin once again brings some of the world's most inaccessible cities right into your home. An armchair traveler's delight, this collectors' edition of Pole to Pole is ideal for anyone interested in the funny world we live in. --Tara Chace ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Great Travel Book
In this, the best of his travel works (see also Around the World in 80 Days and Full Circle), Palin travels along the 30 degree longitude line, which takes him to many rarely-travelled places, including Chernobyl and parts of Africa where there simply are no roads to travel.

Throughout, Palin is witty and insightful, and one wishes they were with him (except for the scene with the maggots). While travel writing might seem boring, Palin makes it interesting, and exciting. I devoured all his travel books within a very short period of time, and was left wanting more.

They should have called it a day after "80 days"!
This is another of those programmes that has, and will be, repeated ad nauseam on UK TV, but why, I can only put down to the popularity of Michael Palin and the fact that there's a lot of air time to fill, so repeats are a cheap alternative to new programmes! Following the success of "Aroung the world in 80 days" they decided to send Palin on another gimmick travelogue on celluloid. Unfortunately, "Pole to Pole" pales by comparison. Although it sets out rather well, when Palin gets to Africa - and there is an awful lot of Africa in "Pole to Pole", things get very dull, and you get the feeling that Palin is also bored by the experience a little too. Once you have crossed the deserts of North Africa, from there down, everything looks pretty much the same. One mud hut looks like another; one smiling black face looks like any other smiling black face; you've seen one elephant and you've seen them all and when the jeeps get stuck in the mud yet again, you can but roll your eyes and look at the clock to see when the net programme begins!
Finally, to cap it all, "Pole" ends with an anticlimax, much as "80 days" did, with Palin not being able to finish his journey at the Reform Club in London. This time, however, Palin is no where near the South Pole, as someone at the BBC did not make sure that the supply boat which only sails once a year from the Cape to the South Pole had room for the expedition team! It just ends with the feeling that there should be one more episode - Palin sits on the dock with his back to the camera and just says something on the lines of "That's all folks". I expected more. I mean, couldn't they have layed on a jet or something, even just to complete the journey. They could have lied, even, and said that he had made the boat aafter all. We wouldn't have minded, would we?
This expedition was poorly planned by the BBC and incompleted as it was, it should not have been aired in the first place!

Best of the series
This time, avoiding the obvious too-much-time-at-sea problems of "Around the World in 80 days", Palin's team becomes a marvel of light travel and problem-solving in this somewhat dangerous, honest and good-natured tour of 1990 Eastern Europe and Africa. The music's better too. The best of his series, without a doubt, and possibly the best of this genre of travelogue.

It's like I was there, but in book form!
I actually purchased the book before seeing the series, noting the name Michael Palin on the cover, and remembering his adventures around the world in 80 days. The fact that I did not see the show somehow made the book more enjoyable to read. Palin has a very descriptive, yet easy-to-follow writing style, which helped me vividly imagine the exotic locales & various personalities. Of course, the photos by Basil Pao helped a lot. All in all, great work, so much so that it doesn't feel like a TV companion, but a travelogue that can stand strongly on its own.

An unique Travelogue
An unique journey from the North Pole to the South. Along the 30 degree East line of the longitude. Palin recorded all his exciting encounters and experiences in this remarkable travelogue.Provided great entertainment for arm-chair travellers. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Monty Python's first feature is essentially a reworking of their best skits from the first two seasons of their cult TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus, shot on film outside the usual studio sets (Nudge Nudge, for example, is set in a tavern filled with passersby). As the TV series was as yet unseen in the U.S. at the time of this feature, And Now for Something Completely Different became for many Americans their first taste of the Pythons' brand of surreal, silly humor and remains a fond favorite. The writing and performances are fine and the film is packed with some of their best bits: How to Avoid Being Seen, Hell's Grannies, Blackmail, The Lumberjack Song, and The Upper Class Twit of the Year, among others. Many of the sketches have been shortened, however, and the loss of the overbright video sheen (the film has a muddy, dull look to it) and the invigorating presence of a live audience leaves the film sluggish at times. They're still feeling out the possibilities of the feature-length, which they finally conquer with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, still their finest hour and a half. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Clean, Clear, and Funny
This movie introduces no new material to Monty Python's body of work. It selects several key routines from the first two series of Monty Python's Flying Circus and reshoots them. So why bother?

Because this is easier to watch.

This film was shot as part of an abortive attempt to introduce Monty Python to an American audience (which wouldn't actually be accopmlished for another three years). Where the original series suffered from a low budget and spotty production values, this film has high-end production quality, including clean sound, a single variable-angle 35mm camera, and the exclusion of the laugh track that muddied the sound on the TV series. There was obviously money for retakes, allowing the boys to edit out minor line muffs and giving them permission to experiment with their character delivery.

The picture is clear and organic. The sound is clean and audible. The characters are fun and believable. Just what we've always loved about Monty Python, isn't it?

But be warned, except for one or two linking jokes, this is material that you've already seen. Don't expect anything that will take your beloved boys in new directions, and don't think you'll get anything new. Just sit back, hear the jokes you've never heard clearly before, and laugh out loud. That's what they wanted, isn't it?

Funniest comedy ever- beside Holy Grail
This is simply the outright funniest sketch comedy to be had on DVD, or anywhere else. Every skit is as funny or better than the last, and that's saying something for Monty Python to top itself. The Holy Grail (by the Python also) is only better due to the solid story for a complete movie. Some of the humor on Something Completely Different is a bit abstract, such as the "How's the wife?" man in the bar. The dead parrot, the lumberjack song, and the marraige counselor are only the jems in this collage of the obscure; every skit here is a winner. One of the best parts of the 'movie' is how each skit is strung together, usually with the troupe's cheap old animation that makes everyone laugh just as hard as they did at the skits.

And Now for Something Completely Similar to the TV Show
And now for something completely different...if you've never seen the first two seasons of the series.

"And Now..." was put together with the specific purpose of "breaking" Python in the States and never meant for British audiences already familiar with the group. In one of the great ironies of showbiz history, it was a flop Stateside but a hit in England!

The film collects skits from the first two seasons and redoes them with a series of linking devices like the Colonel and Gilliam's animation to form a cohesive form. On some levels, it feels a bit stale compared to the original. While the Pythons have complained about the harsh TV lighting and studio audience, the film with the same skits seems lifeless at times. But the humor still comes through, and I can't knock this film as it was my own intro to the more surreal side of the group.

There's some great familiars such as "Dirty Fork", "Dead Parrot", "The Two Kilimanjaros", "Hell's Grannies" and so on. This film works best for those unaware of Python, but the diehard fan will find this enjoyable as well (though, again, it suffers in comparison to the actual TV series). Share it with your friends and neighbors, force it on them. They'll either laugh or wonder what the f#$k is the big deal.

ABSOLUTELY WRETCHED
Hello. My name is Johan Gambolputty de von Ausfernschplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitz-wemache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm. I would like to take this time to apologize to my pet penguin Terry-even though it wasn't technically penetration, I still feel bad about it. (He's allergic to television sets). I also wish to revoke my rating of this DVD - I give it 5 stars (it was delightful).
Thank you,
Johan Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm.

And this is just one of the many virtues of not being seen.
This will always be my favorite movie. Monty Python's unique brand of humon really is at it's peak here (i feel it bottomed out with the not-so-funny "the meaning of life"), and it provides the silly realease one needs after a long day. as an added bonus: turn on the movie to any point, even if you havn't seen it, and watch for five minutes for a guarenteed laugh. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin
The best modern travelogue ever made! Informative, adventuresome, funny, beautiful, and engaging.
A wonderful film to be viewed more than once.
I also use it in teaching world history and geography.

See the world from the comfort of your living room!
Dinner's burnt, the kids are crying and you've had another "interesting" day at the office. Oh to be a teenager back-packing through Europe once again! If you're like me and can't heed the call of the open road, at very least you owe it to yourself to watch this informative video which through a combination of tongue-in-cheek humor and a keen sense of adventure will allow you to travel along with the modern day Phinius Fogg. Thoroughly entertaining and informative. Among the best travel related vidoes I've seen to date. Great family viewing.

Send me a postcard if after watching this video you pack a knapsack and hit the road!

A wonderful "tour-de-farce"... Informative & entertaining.
If you're looking for Pythonesque humor here... You've got the wrong video. However, '80 Days' is both cleverly worked and captivatingly informative. Palin shines as tour guide, with his coy wit and genuine interest in the people he meets. It's no wonder they made Pole To Pole and Full Circle. I found myself wanting more tours with Palin as my guide. Loved it.

This is one of Michael's finest films - I loved every minute
I would love to see this again - I wish it were still available on tap ... Read more

Amazon.com

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) serves up a great, steaming pile of the famed British comedy troupe's finest, funniest, and foulest work. Culled from their four-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl in 1980, this selection of sketches and songs includes some of the most storied material from the BBC series, Monty Python's Flying Circus. Numbers include the sexually confused lumberjack, the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Argument Clinic, and the exploding balladeer. Some of the group's funnier short-film pieces are featured as well, including the International Philosophy Match (Germany vs. Greece) and Terry Gilliam's animated pieces. This program is a fine introduction for viewers unaccustomed to Monty Python's peculiar brand of humor, and it will become clear where The Kids in the Hall got their shtick. Monty Python aficionados will enjoy seeing the lads do their thing for a live crowd, and there's a nice (though "nice" hardly seems the word) rapport with the audience. The sketches are looser and less hermetic than those in the Monty Python show or movies, such as 1974'sMonty Python and the Holy Grail or 1983'sMonty Python's the Meaning of Life. Aside from the unusual setting, there's nothing particularly revelatory about Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. But for Python fans and fanatics--and they are legion--this won't matter a jot.-- Nick Poppy ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Careful to what is inside your chocolates
More English humour. You will undoubtedly laugh at some jokes and antics. You will smile at most of them too. Monty Python is always the same group of weirdos who respect nothing and make fun of everything that is sacred in everyday life in England : the Queen of course, but gently ; the police, a little less gently ; the church definitely less gently ; and things like chocolates that contain dead frogs to make them crunchy or some other disgusting things like cockroaches or whatever including some vomit. They cannot resist comparing American beer with ditch water and there they are definitely right, and that explains probably why so many sportsmen in one sketch start a race by ending up in the toilet. Too much of that beer is not good at all for the bladder. We learn that Descartes wrote « I drink therefore I am » which is definitely French in inspiration and tone. But lumberjacks are also ridiculed, with a lumberjack who wears a bra, for instance. English judges are of course revealed as being effeminate, which is in complete phase with the fact that they wear wigs : you should see their nice and colourful underwear. Try Monty Python at least once or twice, but be careful with an overdose of that drug because you may become either bored or just mentally disoriented and corrugated.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Grateful US Fans
It is interesting to watch Monty Python live. This performance gives quite a different effect than the studio series - for good and for worse. A big plus is the enthusiasm of the USAmerican fans, who can take just everything and even cheer for more and more. A few of the sketches do not work out perfectly on stage though.

Still, »Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl« makes you roll over laughing, as usual.

sux that its out of print
yes it sucks that this film is out of print, but you can find it a local video rental store. This film is great, its got some great sketches, albatross, silly walks, the church police(In wich the Pythons begin to crack up beacause terry jones wig begins to slip off) and the silly olympics. I highly reccomnd this to a python fan, but not to a person who has never heard of python.

The Hollywood Bowl hasn't recovered since.
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Pallin, and Terry Gilliam bring their british humor to America, at the Hollywood Bowl, and this film will keep you laughing right through the end.

A "greatest hits" compilation for Monty Python
This is Monty Python at their very best. Very little of the amusing but confusing sketch comedy that can be so hit or miss with American audiences. This is a collection of their material that appeals to the general public. This needs to be re-released so that people can get a chance to see how delightful this comedy troupe was. ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Gilliam achieves much with little
Worth it for Gilliam and indie film fans. A group of renegade shrubbery-designers on the lam from the Supreme Being stumble through a hole in space-time into the bedroom of a small boy, whom they abduct to help them steal the treasures of history. Okay, Gilliam fans, rejoice. Python fans, rent it first. Indie filmmakers - here's how to make a plausible looking fantasy film on a (still big) budget. The executive summary: 1. Acting - well done and believable. Appropriately over-the top in places. 2. Plot - fun fun fun and I want that map! Touching in places, and the non-Hollywood ending is perfect. 3. Production design / special effects - good enough. On par with Monty Python episodes / Holy Grail film. Notable exception - everything to do with "Evil". Bonus: see the origins of the "insidiously cheesy machinery" look Gilliam later perfected in "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys". Sets and props are extremely well-used (pay attention to the kids' room at the beginning!)and add richness to the film. The DVD has commentary by the now-grown child lead, as well as some Gilliam miscellany. For fans, well worth the extra investment, even if you already own the VHS edition. Key issue - this is only a date movie if your date can handle "silly." Most American ladies (in my experience) find Monty Python really unfunny. This film is not true Python when taken as a whole, but anything with a little slapstick and cockney accents seems to get painted as such. Warning: I thought that since one lady friend of mine liked Adam Sandler, she'd like TB - I was wrong! Be warned! Overall - fans, buy it. Others - rent it or ask for it for a gift.

PYTHONESQUE ADVENTURE
From a script written with fellow Python Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS Divimax Special Edition (Anchor Bay) is a certified cult fave of wonder, wit and unbridled imagination. A school boy is sucked into a crime spree by a time travelling gang of dwarves who have a map to the holes in the space-time continuum. Along the way, they encounter Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), Evil Genius (David Warner) and God (Sir Ralph Richardson) -- who almost answers one of the supreme theological questions.

This new two-disc edition in Divimax is a state of the art hi-def transfer. The bonus disc features interviews with Gilliam and Palin and a career retrospective that includes Brad Pitt, Shelley Duvall, David Warner among others.

Pretentious junk
Save your dough.

A british kid goes on adventures with a bunch of hammy-acting little people. At the end, his parents die for no apparant reason. (Before some film school moron e-mails me with the reason, I got it. It was just dumb.)

Get "Brazil" or "Munchausen" instead. Gilliam's off his game here. Or try "12 monkeys." That's a great film

A Concept Film that Doesn't Know When to Quit
Like a big candy bar. Eye-popping but unfulfilling. Momentarily pleasing but undernourishing. Couldn't help but think this could have been so much better. It's kind of a Monty Python reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. More mature and cleverer. A plucky resourceful child is transported to a parallel world where the child must make things right before he/she is allowed to go home. The Munchkins are the stars this time. The Supreme Being is, of course, Oz. Evil is the Wicked Witch. Instead of the fantasy world sing-a-long; Gilliam goes with Sci-Fi time travel. Either the movie should have been longer to allow for more story & character development or some of the great ideas should have been shelved for other projects. There's a certain episodic feel to the proceedings as the time travelers jump from time to time but don't really get anywhere; much like the film itself.

an interesting film for older mature children.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film was marketed as being for children. I thought that this film is too morbid for small children and recommend that children be at least 8 years old to watch it.

In this film, a young boy joins a troupe of dwarves who travel through 'holes' in time with the aid of a time map stolen from a deity. They rob famous historical figures such as Napoleon and Agamemnon. Later they are captured by an evil sorceror who takes the map from them.

This film has several creatures in it that I think would frighten younger children I urge parents to watch the film by themselves before showing it to their children.

The Criterion Collection has special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of production photos and a video, and full-length audio commentary by selected cast & crew. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

And Now For Something Completely Different!
This is a quiet film--very, very British with wonderful shots of Oxford University--particularly New College, although Mr. Palin himself attended Brasenose College. The scenery is beautiful and the story is wonderfully thought-provoking. We enjoyed it very much--particularly the insight into "What is integrity?" It was good to see Connie Booth again and Alfred Molina was very convincing as a Brit. Michael Palinn is quite excellent in his Oxfordian restraint, and it was touching to see people very much in love without having to jump into bed immediately. Imagine! Well done, Mr. Palin!

A Different Role for Michael Palin
I have rented this movie twice, and I would like to say that this is a video worth seeing. Michael Palin stars as Reverend Francis Ashby, an English professor at Oxford University. He takes a trip to the Swiss Alps where he meets two American women. Connie Booth plays Caroline Hartley, and Trini Alvarado plays young Elinor. Throughout the movie the two women are in a competition for Reverend Ashby. At Oxford however, women are prohibited and also they are not allow to marry. It's a struggle seen by Reverend Ashby who is at odds with his devotion to Oxford and the women he loves. I won't give away whose heart Reverend Ashby wins so you will have to watch and see.

For those of you who are familar with Michael Palin's work, comedy is his speciality. Also Michael is known for his world travels. This movie is drama although it does have a few light moments. Not only Michael stars in the movie but he also wrote the movie. The movie is set in the mid 1800's and is based on the diaries of Michael's great grandfather. The scenery of the Swiss Alps are very beautiful. It makes you want to take your next vacation there. It's a movie that you will want to have and it also shows that Michael Palin can do drama. ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Gilliam achieves much with little
Worth it for Gilliam and indie film fans. A group of renegade shrubbery-designers on the lam from the Supreme Being stumble through a hole in space-time into the bedroom of a small boy, whom they abduct to help them steal the treasures of history. Okay, Gilliam fans, rejoice. Python fans, rent it first. Indie filmmakers - here's how to make a plausible looking fantasy film on a (still big) budget. The executive summary: 1. Acting - well done and believable. Appropriately over-the top in places. 2. Plot - fun fun fun and I want that map! Touching in places, and the non-Hollywood ending is perfect. 3. Production design / special effects - good enough. On par with Monty Python episodes / Holy Grail film. Notable exception - everything to do with "Evil". Bonus: see the origins of the "insidiously cheesy machinery" look Gilliam later perfected in "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys". Sets and props are extremely well-used (pay attention to the kids' room at the beginning!)and add richness to the film. The DVD has commentary by the now-grown child lead, as well as some Gilliam miscellany. For fans, well worth the extra investment, even if you already own the VHS edition. Key issue - this is only a date movie if your date can handle "silly." Most American ladies (in my experience) find Monty Python really unfunny. This film is not true Python when taken as a whole, but anything with a little slapstick and cockney accents seems to get painted as such. Warning: I thought that since one lady friend of mine liked Adam Sandler, she'd like TB - I was wrong! Be warned! Overall - fans, buy it. Others - rent it or ask for it for a gift.

PYTHONESQUE ADVENTURE
From a script written with fellow Python Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS Divimax Special Edition (Anchor Bay) is a certified cult fave of wonder, wit and unbridled imagination. A school boy is sucked into a crime spree by a time travelling gang of dwarves who have a map to the holes in the space-time continuum. Along the way, they encounter Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), Evil Genius (David Warner) and God (Sir Ralph Richardson) -- who almost answers one of the supreme theological questions.

This new two-disc edition in Divimax is a state of the art hi-def transfer. The bonus disc features interviews with Gilliam and Palin and a career retrospective that includes Brad Pitt, Shelley Duvall, David Warner among others.

Pretentious junk
Save your dough.

A british kid goes on adventures with a bunch of hammy-acting little people. At the end, his parents die for no apparant reason. (Before some film school moron e-mails me with the reason, I got it. It was just dumb.)

Get "Brazil" or "Munchausen" instead. Gilliam's off his game here. Or try "12 monkeys." That's a great film

A Concept Film that Doesn't Know When to Quit
Like a big candy bar. Eye-popping but unfulfilling. Momentarily pleasing but undernourishing. Couldn't help but think this could have been so much better. It's kind of a Monty Python reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. More mature and cleverer. A plucky resourceful child is transported to a parallel world where the child must make things right before he/she is allowed to go home. The Munchkins are the stars this time. The Supreme Being is, of course, Oz. Evil is the Wicked Witch. Instead of the fantasy world sing-a-long; Gilliam goes with Sci-Fi time travel. Either the movie should have been longer to allow for more story & character development or some of the great ideas should have been shelved for other projects. There's a certain episodic feel to the proceedings as the time travelers jump from time to time but don't really get anywhere; much like the film itself.

an interesting film for older mature children.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film was marketed as being for children. I thought that this film is too morbid for small children and recommend that children be at least 8 years old to watch it.

In this film, a young boy joins a troupe of dwarves who travel through 'holes' in time with the aid of a time map stolen from a deity. They rob famous historical figures such as Napoleon and Agamemnon. Later they are captured by an evil sorceror who takes the map from them.

This film has several creatures in it that I think would frighten younger children I urge parents to watch the film by themselves before showing it to their children.

The Criterion Collection has special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of production photos and a video, and full-length audio commentary by selected cast & crew. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Classic Sketches That Will Outlive These Reviews
A brilliant set of sketches performed by the best of British comedians, and musicians. Several of the routines have provided quotations that have entered the comic lexicon [and not just in our family]: "Will the wind be so mighty, as to lay low the mountains of the earth?" (Rowan Atkinson and Peter Cook), "Interviewer" (Atkinson and John Cleese), "Wensleydale? Oh no, that's my name" (Cleese and Michael Palin). And the live performances of the songs (by Pete Townshend, Phil Collins, and Sting) are terrific. A tragedy that Rhino hasn't released it on DVD yet, but I remain hopeful.

Vintage live performances
I suppose everyone has different comedic tastes but I for one thought this was a really great collage of the Python's at their best. The Yorkshiremen sketch and the Cheeseshop sketch are worth the price alone. The music is admittedly fragmented but really this is a comedy movie not a concert. Yes it is shot with stage lighting but for me that just adds to the immediacy of the performance. No overdubs or trickery just a great live show.

The world's finest comedians far from their best form.
We all know that Amnesty International is a Very Good Idea. We may even concede that staging a concert full of the world's greatest comedians and some ex-popstars to raise funds is admirable. This does not mean that sitting through a badly-lit record of said even will be any fun. Comedy and Politics make for fruitfully acrimonious bedfellows, but Comedy and Earnestness only put each other to sleep. The fact that it's all in a Good Cause has made the entertainers lazy, made them dredge out any old unusable idea from the back of the closet on the premiss that our good-will will do the rest. Most of the routines revolve around the recitation of lists of names or things in the unfounded belief that enunciating them in a constipated English accent somehow makes them funny. Even the one genuinely amusing sequence - in which John Cleese enters Michael Palin's cheese shop that sells no cheese but features Greek dancers in native dress - consists of Cleese barking out all the varieties of goat's milk he can think of. Rowan Atkinson mimes a concert pianist. Peter Cook groans inwardly. Ho hum. Most woeful are the intrusions of various musical hasbeens (Pete Townshend, Tom Robinson etc.). Although it's in aid of Amnesty International, there is no mention of torture or political oppression in the show, although many of the 'jokes' end in exaggerated violence, even murder; while an all-cast sketch mocks religious fanaticism.

Some gems here, but a lot of filler
I gave this four stars because there are two or three sketches that really deserve five stars, plus a lot of things that really ought to have been edited out, but for the star appeal of their contributors. Clive James gives a reasonably amusing monologue, for example, which would have been fine on stage, but does not bear repeated viewing. Similarly, Ken Campbell and Sylvester McCoy are two of my favourite people, but their antics here are far better suited to a large stage with participating audience, rather than the constraints of the small screen.

The real stand outs are Peter Cook and Rowan Atkinson's (with support) Will This Wind, something that has me almost hysterical every time. Cook also pairs up well with John Cleese with Cook's E.L. Wisty finding the perfect foil in Cleese's straight man. Cleese and Palin also re-visit their cheese-shop sketch, perhaps putting in the definitive performance (notably this sketch has since been skitted by Rik & Ade and Goodness Gracious Me). There are a couple of good musical interludes too from Tom Robinson and Pete Townshend, but despite their quality, they seem a little out of place. All in all, this is a good record of a concert and a good chance to catch some things that are not available elsewhere.

"Do you know you've got 4 miles of tubbing in side you?"
It was another boring night. Nothing on TV but news and reality TV shows. I was flipping around and on PBS they were showing a movie titled "The Sectret Policeman's Ball." Being the HUGE python fan that I am, I decided to stay and watch it. I was not dissapointed one bit.
The next day I ran right to the video store and bought it. This tape has so many great sketches on it like the Cheese Shop (Funnier than the original I think.) I was also introduced to Beyond the Fringe which I had herd of but had never seen. Well now I'm just as big a Fringe as I am a Python fan. Rowan Akinson is great too. I love the sketch where he's a school teacher. I'd rather watch that sketch than BEAN.
I love the WHO and Pete Townsen is one of my favorite guitarist of all time. His performance of "We Don't Get Fooled again" is amazing. I also loved "Pinball Wizard."
The star off is because the quality is terrible. Also the camera work is very shaky. The Camera man was obviously cracking up at all the jokes... Can ya blame him though? ... Read more

Description

British actor and comedian Michael Palin takes you along on an entertaining journey around the Pacific Rim, traveling by boat, train, plane and helicopter. Meet the Eskimos of the island of Diomede in the Bering Strait. Depart in one of their skin boats for Alaska's mainland, then voyage on to view Russia's westernmost wonders. Visit Japan's legendary Kodo Drummers, a Zen Buddhist temple, and as a contrast, downtown Tokyo. Your itinerary includes the mysteries of China's holiest mountain, a nap in Mao's bed in the Governor's Castle, plus journeys to Vietnam, the perilous Sula Seas, Australia, South America, Mexico and finally full circle back to Alaska.

Titles are: "Alaska and Russia," "Japan and Korea," "China," "Vietnam and the Philippines," "Borneo and Indonesia," "Australia and New Zealand," "Chile," "Bolivia and Peru," "Peru and Colombia," and "Mexico and the USA." ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Available on Region 2 DVD now!
For those of you who can play Region 2 DVD's (Europe, Middle East, Japan), this series is now available on DVD through amazon.co.uk

Palin's excellent followup to 80 Days and Pole to pole
Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days (1989) and Pole to Pole (1992), chronicles of his travels across the world, were very amusing and quite educational. Palin returns with a new adventure around the Pacific Rim. He explores the locales not as an expert but as an ignorant traveller in the best sense of the term. You feel as if you're there with him each step of the way, seeing the sights with him for the first time and glimpsing some of the troubles encountered when travelling abroad. While not as grand or hectic as Around the World in 80 Days, Full Circle is a very enjoyable series...

A Great Show!
Michael Palin's Full Circle is a great show that would be a wonderful addition to anyone's video collection. Not only is the tape entertaining, with Palin adding his own humor in, but it's educational as well. It is a set that would please almost anyone.

Need a good travel companion? Here's one!
This series will make you feel as though you have actually travelled the world. There is no hokiness, or fake glossied up pseudo-artistic photography. At the end of it all, you actually feel as though you have been on a trip with Michael Palin, who is one of the most down-to-earth, and "real" blokes one could hope to ever meet (not to mention sporadically hilarious, and unpretentiously so). I have travelled extensively, BK (before kids) and anytime I get itchy feet, I either buy a ticket and go.....or I settle in the armchair and stick a Michael Palin film in. Absolutley marvelous stuff. Spend the money...it's well worth it, several times over. ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Holy Hilarity!
Life of Brian is not as well known by the movie going public as Monty Python?s classic "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", but it is definitely is as, or maybe even funnier than Holy Grail. This is especially true for people who are familiar with the Biblical stories it pokes fun at. It is perfect satire, for nothing is sacred and everything is a joke.

The story revolves around Brian, a very unlucky resident of Judea who just happened to be born the same day the Christ child was born. Missing his chance at glory, Brian lives his life selling animal parts at the Coliseum, dominated by a violent mother who is very "friendly" to the Roman occupiers. The rest of Brian's environment is inhabited by a very wild bunch. The neo- or archo-Marxist group, the People's Front of Judea, battles the Romans daily by holding meeting after violent meeting, plotting against the legions and their arch rivals, the Judean People's Front. The Romans, on the other hand, are led by the Pontius Pilate, who, contrary to Biblical reports, has quite a lisp and an endearing sense of stupidity. When Brian rebels against his mother and joins up with the wild band of revolutionaries, his life is changed forever. Quite by accident, Brian is then thought to be the messiah, although he is quite reluctant in his leadership.

Satirically, this movie is absolutely ruthless. Everything is skewered, everything. The performances are all fantastic, especially that of John Cleese, who is just the man in this movie, playing about six separate characters. Joke after joke hits the viewer, which results in just non-stop humor. It's just a wonderful movie by the Python pioneers who really revolutionized comedy. The Criterion DVD edition is great, with tons of hilarious extras that are worth the price on their own. To the people that use this to either justify their atheism or believe it to be an attack on their religion, calm down. It's a comedy for God's sake, why do the opinions of some British comedians affect your outlook on life? Just laugh damn it!

Great extras on this Python DVD
THE LIFE OF BRIAN has remained one of my favorite Python flicks after the glow of the Holy Grail began to wear thin from overuse. If you're considering purchasing this movie, you've probably seen the movie already and are a Monty Python fan. If not, get ready for one of Python's most sacrilegious and hilarious movies of their collection! If you are easily offended, you might think twice. However, the satire here is equally distributed and is not aimed so much at religion itself but moreso at the amusing ways in which people can behave "under the influence" of zealotry.

I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching the movie, but it was a great surprise to find that this DVD comes packed with some great bonus materials. Several full-length, revealing interviews with the cast go into more Python history than just that surrounding this flick. And a rather large collection of scenes cut from the final release are also quite interesting.

The video and audio quality seem to be on par with most of the other DVD movies I've seen so far, despite the film's age.

All in all, a great addition to any Python collection.

Is nothing sacred? NO! And that's why this is a riot!
Irreverent, brilliant, ingenius... I'm getting all these words out of the way now before I forget them! Even though I'll probably use them a dozen times!

The funniest thing to come from England since The Stamp Act, Monty Python's Flying Circus could always be depended upon to provide the world with brilliantly twisted humor. The LIFE OF BRIAN is no less a comic masterpiece than anything else these boys have done. Ostensibly a parody of the life of Jesus, LIFE OF BRIAN is a hilarious attack on liberalism, conservatism, colonialism, individualism, communalism, organized religion, disorganized religion, fanaticism, feminism... take your pick of any of a hundred topics. It doesn't matter, it's still brilliant. And the script and direction holds it perfectly all together, even if there's a space ship chase sequence thrown in for the hell of it.

Once again, the members of MPFC each play several roles and every viewer has his or her favorites, so what the hell, I'll mention mine. Michael Palin, while playing a wonderfully foppy Pontius Pilate, is equally hilarious as a twitchy, hyperactive leper that Jesus had cured. Instead of being grateful, he complains that his rehabilitation has ruined his livelihood as a beggar. (Speaking of rehabilitation, Palin plays the part like a junkie in need of a fix.) John Cleese has several great moments, but his role as a Centurion turned sadistic Latin teacher is nothing short of genius. Everyone who has studied Latin will be beside themselves during this scene. And Terry Jones as Brian's mom still stuns me 25 years later. "My Brian is not the messiah! He's a very naughty, naughty boy."

Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN is irreverent, brilliant, and ingenius and this edition