A Kent schoolboy called Doug Holman writes, asking for tickets to a recording. Cleese arranges for a pair to be sent. Doug, boldly, writes back, saying he is part of a large group of friends who want to go. Hearty congratulations on your detective work. The copy I saw included strange references to things like exploding knees, but I confess the general reaction was one of polite perplexity.
The BBC response, the archives make clear, was far less positive. In yet another sign of internal disapproval, the Pythons were commissioned to provide material for the Christmas Night with the Stars, the BBC end-of-year jamboree, but a brisk memo rejects their sketch. The archives also reveal an undertow of tension with the TV presenter and producer, David Frost.
Frost, only 30 but already a formidable TV impresario, owned Paradine which was called after his middle name. The files do not reveal how the BBC saw off Frost, but the corporation seems to have played hard-ball. But they also frequently subverted the very grammar of television itself — for example, the opening titles might appear halfway through an episode, or the end title crawl would unspool at the very beginning.
The iconic BBC globe was regularly hijacked, with voice-over announcers heard eating or engaged in tortured personal crises in the background. The series soon gained acclaim outside the U. Performed by the cast in German, it was so well-received, it led to the Python team returning in to record a second special this time in English. They both mined their prodigious television output and created new material that was as subversive as their TV scripts.
At the same time they also released a string of hugely-popular vinyl albums, masterfully seizing the full imaginative potential of the audio medium. He was also finding Chapman, who was at that point in the full throes of alcoholism, increasingly difficult to work with. I don't know. He gets bored more easily than the rest of us. He's a difficult man, not easy to be friendly with. He's so funny because he never wanted to be liked.
That gives him a certain fascinating, arrogant freedom. The rest of the group carried on for one more series dropping the "Flying Circus" from the show's title, which became just "Monty Python" before calling a halt to the programme in The name "Monty Python's Flying Circus" appears in the opening animation for Series Four, but in the end credits the show is listed as simply "Monty Python". Despite Cleese's officially leaving the group, he made a cameo appearance in the fourth series.
Several episodes credit him as a co-writer since some sketches were recycled from scenes cut from the "Holy Grail" script. While the first three series contained 13 episodes each, the fourth was cut short at only six.
In the series was first broadcast in America and soon gained a cult following. He watched one episode, then another, and before he was done he had acquired the entire series to put on the air. The series was eventually aired on PBS stations across the country, and by this chance event Python invaded America.
This was the Pythons' first feature film, comprised of some of the best sketches from the first series of the Flying Circus, re-shot on an extremely low budget and often slightly edited for cinema release. Financed by Playboy's UK executive Victor Lowndes, it was intended as a way of breaking Monty Python in America, and although it was ultimately unsuccessful in this, the film did good business in the UK.
The group did not consider the film a success, but it enjoys a cult following today. The group including Cleese reformed in to write and star in their first feature film of new material. The film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail , was based around Arthurian Legend and directed by Jones and Gilliam, the latter also drawing the film's linking animations and opening credits.
Along with the rest of the Pythons, Jones and Gilliam performed several roles in the film, but it was Chapman who took the lead as King Arthur. Because of the small budget, the film had to make do without horses. This led to one of the film's most memorable gags, as every time the script calls for the knights to be majestically riding their steeds, they are actually play-riding along on foot while their squires behind them bang together coconut half-shells to imitate the sound of horses' hooves a common radio sound effect now shown on screen for comic effect - though this gag had actually been done previously in the sole surviving episode of the program A Show Called Fred , produced by Richard Lester and starring Peter Sellers.
The chain mail armour worn by the various knights was actually silver-painted wool, whilst the many castles seen throughout the film were either Doune Castle shot from different angles, or cardboard models held up against the horizon this is used as a small joke, when Arthur and his knights arrive at Camelot, they all remark "Camelot!
The weather was poor and the "chain mail" soaked up rain; the budget only allowed for low-quality hotels which could not provide sufficient hot water for the team to bathe every evening; Gilliam and Jones argued with each other and with the other Pythons; and the extent of Chapman's alcoholism became apparent when he began to suffer from delirium tremens during the filming.
The Pythons recall that the filming of Holy Grail is the only time any of them can remember the usually amiable Palin losing his temper. This occurred when Jones and Gilliam insisted on repeatedly re-shooting a scene in which Palin played a character called "the mud eater".
The scene was ultimately cut from the movie. The film proved a success and readers of Total Film magazine voted Monty Python and the Holy Grail the 5th greatest comedy film of all time in Following the success of Holy Grail , a reporter asked Idle for the title of the next Python film, despite the fact that the team had not even begun to consider a second movie. Idle flippantly replied "Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory", which became the group's stock answer once they realised that it shut reporters up.
However, they soon began to seriously consider a film lampooning the life of Christ in the same way Holy Grail had lampooned King Arthur. The focus therefore shifted to a separate individual born at the same time, in the neighbouring stable, who is subsequently mistaken for the messiah. The team decided to write the script during a concentrated script-writing session over a two-week period away from the distractions of the UK. They based themselves in the Caribbean for the writing sessions.
After the irritations of Holy Grail' s unpleasant locations, they elected to shoot this film in Tunisia. In contrast to Holy Grail , many of the Pythons remember this as their most enjoyable experience working together as a group. Impresario Bernard Delfont became nervous upon reading the script, and abruptly withdrew funding that he had previously agreed to provide shortly before filming was due to commence.
He later quipped that he did so because having read the script he simply wanted to see the film. The Pythons have joked that it is the most anyone has ever paid for a cinema ticket.
The experiment with co-direction on Holy Grail proved to be a one-off, as it led to creative friction. Instead, Jones was left to direct by himself. Though Chapman only plays Brian and Biggus Dickus, the rest of the cast between them play over 40 characters. Brian also featured brief cameos from George Harrison and Spike Milligan, who just happened to be on holiday in Tunisia at the time; Keith Moon was also set to make a cameo appearance but died before he could film his part.
Upon its release, Christian groups organised protests against the film, based on its perceived blasphemy, particularly in the final scene, a comical song sung by the victims of a mass crucifixion Idle's " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life ". On its initial release in the UK, the film was banned by several town councils some of which actually had no cinemas within their boundaries.
The film was also banned for eight years in the Republic of Ireland and for a year in Norway it was marketed in Sweden as 'the movie that is so funny, it was banned in Norway! The film was not released in Italy until , eleven years after it was made. The film was not shown in Jersey until , and even then, Bailiff of Jersey Frank Ereaut's government wanted it to be watched only by adults, even though the BBFC had rated it suitable for anyone aged 14 or over.
Mary Whitehouse and other campaigners picketed and distributed leaflets at cinemas showing the film, ironically providing free publicity. Cleese has frequently said that he enjoyed the debate, since he felt that the film was 'completely intellectually defensible'.
Appearing on the Dick Cavett show during the controversy, Cleese said "Either these people are stupid, which they obviously are not, or they have become so enraged that they're incapable of thinking, because they have in fact made me rich.
For their part, the Pythons have always maintained most recently on the DVD commentary that the film is Christian heresy rather than blasphemous, since it mocks the practices of organised religion rather than the God being worshipped. Python's final film returned to something closer to the style of Flying Circus. A series of sketches loosely followed the ages of man from conception to death. Directed again by Jones, The Meaning of Life is embellished with some of Python's most bizarre and disturbing moments, as well as various elaborate musical numbers.
The film is by far their darkest work, containing a great deal of spectacular violence and black humour : at the time of its release, the Pythons confessed their aim was to offend "absolutely everyone". A short film by Gilliam - The Crimson Permanent Assurance - originally planned as a sketch within the film, eventually grew so ambitious that it was cut from the movie and used as a supporting feature in its own right on video and DVD, and also in television screenings, this section is tagged onto the start of the film as a prologue.
Though a commercial and critical success, The Meaning of Life is generally not regarded as being of the same quality as its predecessors. Many feel that it lacks the structure of Holy Grail and Life of Brian. Idle claims it was just "one re-write away from being perfect". The Pythons had originally wanted to do one final re-write introducing one lead character along the lines of Arthur or Brian who could be followed through the ages of man.
However, Cleese refused as he had grown tired of the already protracted writing process for the film. Crucially, this was the last project that all six Pythons would collaborate on, except for the compilation Parrot Sketch Not Included where we see the Python cast sitting in a closet for 4 seconds - which would also be the last time Chapman was filmed on screen with the rest of the Pythons.
Various members of Monty Python have contributed their services to multiple charitable endeavors and causes over the years - sometimes as an ensemble - at other times as individual members.
The cause that has been the most frequent and consistent beneficiary of Monty Python's generosity has been the human rights work of Amnesty International. These benefit shows and their many spin-offs raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, raised public and media awareness of the human rights cause and influenced many other members of the entertainment community especially rock musicians to become involved in political and social issues.
Among the many musicians who have publicly attributed their activism - and the organization of their own benefit events to the inspiration of the work in this field of Monty Python are Bono , Bob Geldof , Pete Townshend and Sting. The shows are also credited by Amnesty with helping the organization develop public awareness in the USA where one of the spin-off films was a major success.
Palin was involved in three, Chapman in two and Gilliam in one. Eric Idle did not participate in any of the Amnesty shows. In the next three shows, the participating Python members performed many Python skits - but were billed under their individual names rather than under the collective Python banner. After a six-year break, Amnesty resumed producing Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows in sometimes with, and sometimes without variants of the iconic title and by had presented a total of twelve such shows.
The shows since have featured newer generations of British comedic performers - including many who have attributed their participation in the show to their desire to emulate the Python's pioneering work for Amnesty.
Cleese and Palin made a brief cameo appearance in the Amnesty show - but apart from that, the Python members have not appeared in any of the shows after the legendary first four shows.
The five surviving members of the main Monty Python team are directors of Python Monty Pictures Limited which was incorporated in and now manages ongoing activities resulting from their previous work together. In the accounts return, the company describes its activities as the 'exploitation of television and cinematographic productions'.
When Monty Python's Flying Circus was shown in the US by ABC in their " Wide World of Entertainment " slot in , the episodes were re-edited to allow time for commercials, thus losing the continuity and flow intended in the originals. When ABC refused to stop screening the series in this form, the Pythons took them to court.
However, on appeal the team gained control over all subsequent U. The case also led to them gaining the foreign rights to all Python shows from the BBC , once their original contracts ended at the end of a unique arrangement at the time.
A driving force behind Python in the late s was George Harrison, who not only funded Life of Brian but guest-starred as Mr Papadopolous though his voice is dubbed by Palin , and also produced a number of their songs from that period, including "The Lumberjack Song" Single music.
Harrison even claimed in an interview that "Monty Python helped me get over the trauma of the breakup of the Beatles. Four of the remaining Pythons excluding John Cleese reunited along with Python associate Neil Innes for a Concert for George salute to Harrison on the first anniversary of Harrison's death in Each member pursued other film and television projects after the break-up of the group, but often continued to work with one another.
Many of these collaborations were very successful, such as Fawlty Towers written by and starring Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth , and A Fish Called Wanda also written by Cleese, and in which he starred along with Palin. The latter pair also appeared in Time Bandits , a movie written by Gilliam and Palin, and directed by Gilliam. Gilliam also directed and co-wrote Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , which featured Palin and Idle respectively.
Gilliam has now become a cult director; he often struggles to find the money for his work because his films tend to go over-budget and fail at the box-office. Palin and Jones wrote the comedic film series Ripping Yarns , starring Palin with an assortment of British actors. Palin's BBC travel series have also proved extremely popular as have Jones' historical documentaries. In terms of numbers of productions, John Cleese has had the most prolific solo career, having appeared in 59 theatrical movies, 22 TV shows or series including Cheers and Will and Grace , 23 direct-to-video productions, six video games, and a number of commercials.
The Pythons last full work together as an ensemble was for the film Meaning Of Life in Since then, the Pythons have often been the subject of reunion rumours.
The death of Chapman in on the eve of their 20th anniversary seemed to put an end to this speculation. However, there have been several occasions since when the surviving five members have gathered together for appearances - albeit not formal reunions.
In the five remaining members, along with what was purported to be Chapman's ashes, were reunited on stage for the first time in 18 years. The occasion was in the form of an interview hosted by Robert Klein , with an appearance by Eddie Izzard in which the team looked back at some of their work and performed a few new skits. One of the show's more memorable moments occurred when what were supposed to be Chapman's ashes were "accidentally" spilled- the person responsible for upsetting the urn was Gilliam — then hurriedly cleaned up with a mini-vacuum cleaner and a broom and dustpan.
A significant amount of the ashes were also brushed under the rug. On 9 October , to commemorate 30 years since the first Flying Circus television broadcast, BBC2 devoted an evening to Python programmes, including a documentary charting the history of the team, interspersed with new sketches by the Monty Python team filmed especially for the event; the program appears, though omitting a few things, on the DVD The Life of Python.
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