The Other British Invasion
The history of Monty Python’s Flying Circus focusong on two aspects – origins and invasion
Tags: Monty Python Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 13th, 2009
Monty Python’s influence on comedy is undeniable. The collective of six men who are funny on their own would come together and become perhaps the greatest comedy troupe of all time (perhaps surpassed only by the Marx Brothers) would go from small bit parts to starring in a television series to feature films and eventually splintering off into their own careers… well, I’m getting ahead of myself. A&E has released the complete series of Monty Python’s Flying Circus on DVD in a couple of different sets, with the latest including a couple of exclusive documentaries. Now those of us who previously purchased one of the earlier DVD sets have the opportunity to see these documentaries as they should be – cheaper, and without having to buy the whole series again.
The Other British Invasion is two discs of documentaries looking at the history of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, each examining certain aspects. The first disc, Before The Flying Circus, takes a look at the birth of the comedy troupe from their origins as individual college students through their individual success and rising stardom to the partnerships they would form before eventually assembling as a 6 man comedy team several years later. This is really the best look at the history of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and its members as a history of what brought them together, a topic that many fans have some passing knowledge of, but now we get some in-depth and definitive answers.
Each surviving member is interviewed for this documentary with loads of vintage photos and television clips. Also interviewed are some of the executives and some previous co-stars. We see the genesis of some classic Python sketches in these early appearances as well (such as the classic man wrestling himself). For fans of the troupe, this is an absolute “must see” that is highly informative. It should be noted that the whole of the documentary is presented in black and white, even the modern interviews. This is done because the footage is taken from television series that were filmed and broadcast in black and white, so it was a theme the filmmakers went with. Only the final shot of the documentary, which is the first shot of the television series of Monty Python’s Flying Circus as broadcast transitions from black and white into color.
The second disc contains Monty Python Conquers America and tells the tale of… well, Monty Python conquering the left side of the Atlantic. Through a series of interviews with both the members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus (much the same sessions as the previous documentary) and some notable American comedic actors, we get the story of just how the series was finally brought over here. We learn the genesis for the troupe’s first film, the comedy records, and more.
Bonus features include two rather interesting bits on the first disc. First up is 15 minutes of Terry Gilliam examining his work on the opening credits of the four seasons of the television series. It’s really interesting as it also works as an exploration into his method of animation. Also present is a “missing” clip from a show that was censored, but I seem to remember having seen it on television. Still, quite funny, even today.
For those that are only “casual” fans of the troupe, such as those that may have a film on DVD and enjoy the series as it comes on television every once in a while, this isn’t necessarily something to pick up. For the more “hardcore” fan, such as those that picked up the previous DVD sets and own the various DVDs of the films, this is certainly worth owning. There’s a load of information that moves along at a great clip. It completes the set of Monty Python DVDs and longtime fans will enjoy this.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Great information on the history of the troupe | 9.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- A bit to specific for general audiences - 2 Discs? It's all just over 2 hours... bonus material included |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Very informative. Fans would do well to add this to their collection. | |
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Tags: Monty Python
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 13th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
