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The Life of Python

The Life of Python

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $17.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ah, yes....
Review: 'Fliegender Zirkus #1' is among the funniest TV programmes the group ever did (among many others, of course). So this means I'll have to hold onto my England-imported Guerilla Films VHS copy of the two German episodes for a while longer. Hopefully this wrong will be corrected one day, and 'Fliegender Zirkus #1' (AS WELL AS "Live at the Hollywood Bowl") will get the DVD treatment. But it's too bad they couldn't get it right the first time.

With that said, this 2-disc set still makes a fine companion piece to the 45 'Flying Circus' episodes. In addition to 'Fliegender Zirkus #2,' it's got an almost definitive documentary of the Monty Python story, a travelogue of the locations of where the group filmed many of their beloved sketches, a Python song review, new material by the surviving boys (though none of it really adds anything to the Python legacy, but it's still interesting to watch), AND the somewhat legendary, long-lost 7-minute May Day special from 1971 (though, again, it adds nothing to the Python legacy [especially since it uses bits from other 'Flying Circus' episodes], but is still interesting to watch -- and, yes, John Cleese's comment after it ends is priceless....classic Cleese). So pick up a copy of "The Life of Python" today. Apart from that glaring omission of 'Fliegender Zirkus #1,' it's still a must for any Monty Python fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? BUY THIS VIDEO IT'S GREAT!
Review: Attention all Monty Python Fans! If you are looking for a video to add to your collection, then I highly recommend this one. It features interviews with the guys with the excemption of Graham Chapman. The guys discuss their careers prior to Monty Python, and even features clips. For example, there is a scene where John Cleese is in the David Frost Reports, and Michael and Terry Jones in Do Not Adjust Your Set. Of course a couple of fun parts is where Michael Palin takes you to the place they did the Fishslapping Dance, and Terry Gilliam shows the art work that features the big foot he used in the beginning of the show. The interviews really takes a look behind the scenes of Monty Python. All I can say that I really love Monty Python and for those who also are fans do buy this video! I wish I was the one who did these interviews.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pyhton are the best, and they're British!!!
Review: Being 16 and not around when python came out i don't remember the impact, but they are our best comedy show in the history of Britain.
apart from the goon show, and a few other things.
They're the best and i recommend every python fan to purchase this BBC video (and why you're at it buy the best of flying circus aswell)
SAY NO MORE!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Amazing Look At Python
Review: Eddie Izzard plays great tribute to the Pythons "It never ends. So No Ending!" Meatloaf is an interesting choice for the review of the Musical history of Monty Python, going from Spam to Sperm. Also the German episode is a MUST HAVE for any Python Fan! A fantastic release be sure to order your copy NOW! Well not right now obviously, I mean if your reading this than your obviously not ordering for some twisted sick reason, you make me sick. Have A Nice Day! :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eees averrryyy niiice!
Review: For a Pythonite like myself, frantically clawing away at everything resembling Python for years on end, waiting for something new to happen, this is an incredible set. Wonderful, fantastic, terrific....

Sorry, I'll start again.

This is a very nice set of videos. Tape One is very nice. It is a very nice colour, and has a faint lemonish odour. It's great to see the Pythons do new stuff, especially the old characters, like Arthur Ewing (still at the mice), and Luigi Vercotti. Even new characters have distinct Pythonic family traits (like the BBC Removal Man - isn't he the Gas Cooker man's brother?"). The documentary is one of the best round-ups of Python I've seen, especially seeing stuff like the French Taunter getting his mustache, Brian smoking his pipe, and the wobbly footage of the original script meetings. Pure class.

The second tape gets even better, if slightly less odourous. More new stuff! Reapraisals of Pepperpots (looking more convincing), Gumbies, Fairies and the obligational City Stockbroker ("I'd really love to see someone drown"). Mike does a tour of Pythonland (complete with Japanese guide book), Eric delivers the dirt on WHO Monty Python was, and Carol waves her, erm.... hair.. around. The Spam to Sperm segment is nice, Meatloaf being a, shall we say, interesting host. Oh, and there's that hilarious Ken Shabby reapraisal.

The third tape is just the 2nd German Episode. Seen it before, no real excitement. It's not a bad episode nonetheless. John's expert with a chart is hilarious ("eeenggg heeeii woooh de hargeeeoiiiu....").

D'you want to come back to my place?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I was expecting an exciting film on constricting snakes!
Review: I purchased this video thinking it would be a scholarly report on the lives of various types of pythons (i.e. the burmese, the reticulated, the dwarf), all members of the family Pythonidae. There was not a single mention of any real constrictors- only the story of someone named "Monty Python", whomever that is. Not a single mention of my personal favourite, the majestic royal python, P. regius, or even the common Indian variety, P. molorus. What is next, "Reg Anaconda", or "Doug & Dinsdale Piranha?" I haven't been so disappointed since there were only 2 Crunchy Frogs and NO Spring Surprises in my Whizzo Chocolates assortment! Yours truly, Group Captain Nempnett Thrubwell-Fawlty, DFC, DSO, BMF (Mrs.) PS- I loved this set. Things I'd never seen, dirt about the filming of Holy Grail, Brian, & Meaning Of Life. Cleese in a dirndl was quite fetching, & his eulogy of Graham Chapman was almost worth the price of admission. Too bad there were no llamas, & no small marsupials ate the delicious eucalyptus leaves, yum, yum. G'day, Bruce!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Pythons still got it!
Review: I was very pleased to view this documentary and other various programs on this 2 disc set. First off it includes BRAND NEW sketches with all of the cast except for Eric Idle, who although does not appear in the sketches, he does appear at the end of the mock interview sequence (which only lasts about 1 minute). It also would have been nice to see Graham Chapman but of course that was impossible. Most of the new sketches are good except the timing on the jokes was not quite as sharp or quick. Even Carol Cleveland appears and she still looks great. There is a rare 10 minute short film made in 1971 celebrating the Mayday Festival that was lost for years. A Pythonland tour with Michael Palin covering some the original areas where the classic Python sketches were filmed is also a plus. But the big attraction is a Monty Python episode that was made specifically for a German audeince. It was 1 of only 2 ever made. Very Rare Indeed! It is the second show of the two shows. The first show is not included although there is a clip of it in the bonus features are of the dvd.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Monty python are the best, and they're British!!!!
Review: I wasn't around when they first appeared (being 16) so i don't remember them well, but they're our best Comedy ever.
Aswell as the goon show and several other things.
I recommend this video to every python fan, The BBC did a wonderful job.(aswell as the best of flying circus)
SAY NO MORE!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What's all this then?
Review: If you've reached burnout point after watching the Pythons' always-too-small body of work just too many times, pick up The Life of Python. Besides being a great documentary, it's full of rarities you might never see otherwise: one of the elusive "Fliegender Zirkus" episodes, the May Day special, behind-the-scenes footage from their films, etc. I can't explain why I found the May Day special absolutely hilarious, but it (like the rest of the special on Volume One) unearths some moments of true brilliance - such as Graham Chapman's unexpected turn as a Swede, through nothing more than the use of some old BBC footage run backwards. The new material is top-notch, as are the performances; seeing most of them together again, even without Chapman (my favorite), gives a Python fan the sense that all is right with the world. The fact that the special surprises you by going on for an eternity helps as well.

The only comparison I can make is to the Beatles Anthology - some great new material, but mostly a fascinating look at how it all went together. (Quite an appropriate format for the Beatles of Sketch Comedy.) And if you're new to Python, or interested in the roots of the wonderful dementia which spawned modern classics like Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show with Bob and David, this compendium does a great job of making sense of it all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What's all this then?
Review: If you've reached burnout point after watching the Pythons' always-too-small body of work just too many times, pick up The Life of Python. Besides being a great documentary, it's full of rarities you might never see otherwise: one of the elusive "Fliegender Zirkus" episodes, the May Day special, behind-the-scenes footage from their films, etc. I can't explain why I found the May Day special absolutely hilarious, but it (like the rest of the special on Volume One) unearths some moments of true brilliance - such as Graham Chapman's unexpected turn as a Swede, through nothing more than the use of some old BBC footage run backwards. The new material is top-notch, as are the performances; seeing most of them together again, even without Chapman (my favorite), gives a Python fan the sense that all is right with the world. The fact that the special surprises you by going on for an eternity helps as well.

The only comparison I can make is to the Beatles Anthology - some great new material, but mostly a fascinating look at how it all went together. (Quite an appropriate format for the Beatles of Sketch Comedy.) And if you're new to Python, or interested in the roots of the wonderful dementia which spawned modern classics like Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show with Bob and David, this compendium does a great job of making sense of it all.


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