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Post by brutalis on Aug 15, 2016 8:52:07 GMT -5
Growing up with Monty Python some of their comedy remains spectacularly hilarious while other parts have not aged as well. Having begun with the series showing on PBS as my introduction it remains a favorite if only for nostalgia and variety of skits. At the time i adored Holy Grail and now love Eric Idol's updated musical version Spamalot that embraces the schmaltz. What's your fave?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2016 10:00:33 GMT -5
The Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Meaning of Life, and Spamlot the Musical aren't my favorite Monty Python at all ... it's their Flying Circus gets my attention and only the Flying Circus that I consider it my personal favorite. Out the four you listed here, brutalis - Spamlot the Musical is one of the project that I did not care for because it was too bizarre for my taste. I saw it once and did not watch it again.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Aug 15, 2016 10:14:17 GMT -5
I still love many bits from the Flying Circus ("And now, a man with three buttocks"), but Spamalot is a lot of fun. It gets my vote.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 15, 2016 10:45:55 GMT -5
Spamalot is just so much fun. Taking the best comedy bits from the Holy Grail and embracing the musical whimsy and creating a fun show that everyone can watch. Catchy tunes, splendid comedy and turning Camelot into a Las Vegas show is inspired. i got to see Tim Curry as Arthur and he was just so perfect. The addition of the Lady of the Lake as love interest was fun and Lancelot embracing his flamboyant manliness is splendid.
And yes, the Flying Circus is always going to be the best for most of us i believe as the Python troupe were all young, fresh, spirited and deliberately pushing the boundaries of comedy and television to it's limits. It is the youthful exuberance and energy in doing what you are not supposed to which launches many comedians and acts that they seem to lose once achieving fame. So early Python has that edge to it. My mother never quite understood how i could laugh at what she thought was stupid and dumb British humor.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2016 14:31:07 GMT -5
Holy Grail was my intro into the Pythons and still holds a dear spot in my heart. At one point I could quote dialogue from it along with the film I had seen it so many times, but over 2 decades later there are still bits from that I can dredge up at will. I quite enjoy the Flying Circus and the other films, plus a lot of the solo projects by members of the troupe, but it all comes back to Holy Grail for me.
-M
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Post by Action Ace on Aug 15, 2016 14:48:38 GMT -5
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Post by The Captain on Aug 15, 2016 15:08:03 GMT -5
Love, LOVE, LOVE Holy Grail! Used to watch it once a month, if not more, when I was in high school and college. My wife and I still quote it on a regular basis, much to the confusion and consternation of our children, who are both too young to have seen it.
Really enjoy Flying Circus (not all of it, but many of the bits are just classic) and can tolerate Life of Brian.
Sadly, I tried to watch Meaning of Life a couple of weekends ago and barely got through the first 30 minutes before turning it off, completely bored with it. It has not held up well at all.
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Post by Cei-U! on Aug 15, 2016 15:54:57 GMT -5
Not much of a Python fan, I'm afraid. A little of that kind of humor goes a long way with me. But I really enjoyed The Meaning of Life so I voted for that one.
Cei-U!
More of a SCTV guy!
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Post by brutalis on Aug 15, 2016 16:06:27 GMT -5
Python really works best when in short sketches. They seemed to take what could be a one joke bit and expand just enough with other insights to making it funny. Love the Dead Parrot and Spanish Inquisition routines. The guys are really intelligent and capable of some quite biting humor along with the silliest skits. John Cleese in particular was great at the physical comedy and the outrage loons.
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Post by MatthewP on Aug 15, 2016 19:11:56 GMT -5
Its... The Holy Grail for me. I almost want to go for Flying Circus, but Grail has just so much great stuff crammed into one movie with very few misses, while the series was a bit more up and down.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 15, 2016 19:46:06 GMT -5
I'm the Life of Brian guy. I just find it hilarious. I like a lot of Flying Circus, but there is definitely some chaff there. And I love the Holy Grail, but Brian works better for me.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 15, 2016 19:49:39 GMT -5
Its actually remarkable how much people quote Holy Grail.. it might be even more quoted than Star Wars.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 15, 2016 20:39:57 GMT -5
Watching the Holy Grail late at night with my dad is one of the best memories of my life.
But how to choose? From the Life of Brian miracle of the shoe to the Spanish Inquisition, from the Catholic family to the art of not being seen, there's just too much goodness in there to pick just one.
SPAM, spam! SPAM, Spam! SPAM!
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,627 
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Post by Confessor on Aug 16, 2016 0:08:07 GMT -5
Big Monty Python fan here. I first encountered it at age 13 as re-runs of the TV show on the BBC. Luckily, my first exposure to Python was watching the classic "Spanish Inquisition" episode of the show, during which I laughed so much that I actually had trouble breathing. That was it -- I was hooked.
As far as the films go, The Holy Grail is my favourite and that's what I voted for, but Life of Brian is a very close second. The Meaning of Life had some classic moments, like Mr. Creosote and the whole "every sperm is sacred" skit, but a lot of it was quite tedious.
As for the Monthy Python's Flying Circus TV show, some of it has really dated (although it's still fascinating to watch as a cultural artifact), but a lot of it still works really well. Not every sketch hits its mark, admittedly, but enough of the skits in any given episode do that it entertains. The "Spanish Inquisition" episode is still an all-time favourite of mine and very dear to my heart. I also quote The Holy Grail a lot in day-to-day life.
Also, the thing with Monty Python that I've always found is that a lot of it is so subtle that it's often funnier when you're thinking back to it or quoting it later with friends than it is when you're actually watching it. I find this is particularly true of the first time you see an episode or film. Anyone else find this?
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Aug 16, 2016 0:44:14 GMT -5
I love all the Monty Python projects. Voted The Holy Grail as I think it's their peak
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