Monty Python Live

Starring:John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Neil Innes, Carol Cleveland, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle
Director: Ian MacNaughton, Terry Hughes
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Volume 1:
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
The Pythons invade Hollywood with live versions of classics The Lumberjack Song, The Philosophers Song, and of course, the incomparable Parrot Sketch, plus material never performed on the Flying Circus program.

Monty Python's Flying Circus: Live at Aspen
See Monty Python through the eyes of Monty Python. The entire troupe, including Graham Chapman (in powdered form), joins host Robert Klein for a chance to spread the blame in this 1998 HBO 30-year retrospective.

Volume 2
Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python
This 20-year celebration of Monty Python (filmed in 1989 - do try to keep up) features all the greatest, unforgettable, most-requested Python sketches except, of course, for The Parrot Sketch.

DVD Exclusive!
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus: German Episode #1
Brush up your Bavarian for this insane Python rarity, taped in German for German and Austrian TV, with English subtitles. Outrageous translations of earlier Python work, plus exclusive material, including cow, subtited in German, subsubtitled in Engish, performing Merchant of Venice.

System Requirements:
Approx. 270 Minutes total.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Monty Python TV shows, movies, records, and books are a time capsule of their anarchic lunacy. But more precious is an audience with Python, and this three-volume boxed set is as close as we can get. Live at the Hollywood Bowl is the long-sought-after 1982 concert film in which the Fab Six perform their greatest hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Robert Klein moderates Live at Aspen, the irreverent 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival tribute that reunited John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones onstage for the first time in 18 years on the occasion of the troupe's 30th anniversary. Highlights include a shockingly funny moment involving Graham Chapman's ashes, and a joyous "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" sing-along. Less essential is 1989's clip show Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python, which also does not include "The Oscar Wilde Sketch," "Cheese Shop," "Nudge-Nudge," and many other signature sketches. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Live at the Hollywood Bowl + Extras.......2005-12-21

If you're a Python fan, you've probably seen all their TV episodes and their major feature films. This two-DVD set collects material you probably haven't seen, namely their concert film "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" and their early 1970s appearance on German television.

"Hollywood Bowl" is a true treat from the middle 1970s. By this time, Monty Python were bonafide celebrities and it's a thrill to see them perform so many of their best sketches in front of a live and supportive audience. I greatly prefer their performances here to their earlier renditions on their TV show - like all great teams they had gotten better with both experience and time. All the Pythons are especially self-confident as performers here, and as a bonus we have a couple of musical numbers courtesy of Neil Innes. I especially enjoyed the irreverent sketch where John Cleese plays the Pope.

The German Episode hasn't aged nearly as well. There's some good material (especially a mock-documentary about Albrecht Durer) but it's hampered by poor video quality. Honestly, the entire thing looks like it was filmed in Super 8 and the constant subtitling doesn't help matters. It looks like a third generation bootleg. The best of the sequences also appear (in considerably higher quality) in "Hollywood Bowl." You do get "The Lumberjack Song" sung in German, however. And it is a kick hearing Graham Chapman speak German with a thick American accent.

The remainder of the discs contain "20 Years of Monty Python," a greatest-hits style program hosted by Steve Martin, and a group interview conducted by Robert Klein. It's fun for completists.

Still, "Hollywood Bowl" is the real draw and its a pleasure to see it on a reasonably priced DVD with extras.

Oh, yeah!!.......2005-08-10

So, we have two live performances, a best-of type compilation, and a German episode in German.

Live at the Hollywood Boal has always looked like it was done on a $10 budget. It looks no better here. It's still VERY funny, and our only complete document of a live Python show.

The Aspen Comedy appearance is superb, a great reunion and interview with many new and hysterical bits. This is probably the final time all five will get together and really be fun.

The "Parrot Sketch Not Included" compilation has some good Steve Martin bits, and a final appearance of all six members together, shortly before the death of Graham Chapman. There's really not much more to reccomend to this.

Then there's the German episode #1. This is perhaps one of the best Monty Python shows ever, with somply great writing, a very brisk pace, almost no filler, and a great appearance by John Cleese as Little Red Riding Hood. This is the episode I turn to when I feel down, and it's inclusion is perhaps one of the best things that A&E has accomplished with their wonderful re-issues of all things Python. Very, very good.

All in all, a good set to own.

The title's a bit misleading..........2005-08-03

...but nothing can be said about the quality of material contained within these DVD's.

The first of the four main programs in this set is the Pythons' live performance at the Hollywood Bowl in the early 80's. It's a performance so intimate that you feel that you're actually in the audience watching the sketches take place, which are of high quality. I had never seen this show before I bought the DVD, and I was not dissapointed. Also on the first disk is an interview titled "Live in Aspen." This is not neccessarily a Python show, but it does bring the 5 surviving Pythons (and the 1 non-surviving Python) together on stage again. The program can be informative, but for the most part, it's hysterical. I'm not going to spoil anything for you (if you haven't had it spoiled for you already).

Disk 2 is where things start getting Not-So-Live. Not in the sense that the title implies, anyway. However, the "20 years of Monty Python" program that is present on here is probably the best thing to come out of these DVD's. It's consistently hilarious, and great for folks who are not particularly familiar with the TV show. (the end of the program is pretty cool as well). Also there is an entire Monty Python's Flying Circus episode on here. The catch? It was filmed for German TV. My personal opinion is that the episode is above average, but the enjoyment of the program is probably brought down by the fact that you have to read subtitles for 45 minutes straight. I guess this counts as more of a special feature, though.

If there's any problem with this set, it's that some sketches are repeated throughout the four programs. It gets tedious to go through them over and over again. However, getting so much great stuff for under $20 can never be a bad thing.

monty python live 2-disc set WHERE'S THE PARROT SKETCH?.......2004-02-26

just one complaint but it's a big one. under the blurb on the hollywood bowl it states clearly that the "incomparable parrot sketch" is one performed along with the lumberjack song and the philosophers song. the only reason i bought the set was for the parrot sketch. CAVEAT EMPTOR---THE PARROT SKETCH IS NOT ON EITHER DISC! there is about a 2 minute clip of the parrot sketch included in the aspen part of disc 1. but that is all. terribly disappointed not to have the parrot sketch! but there is a bit in the aspen discussion group involving GRAHAM CHAPMAN'S ASHES that is worth the price of the 2-disc set. i saw it on tv when it initially aired and laughed probably as hard as i did the first time i heard the parrot sketch. when i saw it these 5 years later i was surprised that i laughed just as hard and as long as i did the first time. you have to see it to believe it.
just be aware of what you are and are not getting. would have given it 5 plus stars if the parrot sketch were included.

And Now For Something Not Completely Live!.......2003-12-08

A&E has done a great service to Monty Python fans the world over by finally releasing rare, out of print, or otherwise unavailable Python material. Disc # 1 starts with Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl. The group opens with the song "Sit On My Face" wearing long aprons and, when they turn to go off stage, reveal their bare buttocks! This is followed by Graham Chapman, playing Colin 'Bomber' Harris, who wrestles himself to a pinfall. The Crunchy Frog skit concerns the Whizzo Chocolate Company and their choice of chocolate-covered confectionaries, such as anthrax ripple and cockroach cluster. This sketch is highlighted by Terry Gilliam throwing up in his policeman's hat and then being forced to wear the hat! The Custard Pies sketch involves demonstrating the history of physical comedy with pratfalls and pie throwing, with Terry Jones getting the worst of it. Truly, this is Monty Python at their subtle best. The concert ends with a rousing version of the Lumberjack Song. That concert is followed by Monty Python Live At Aspen, hosted by comedian Robert Klein. The group members talk about their early days at the BBC and their transition into movies. For their film work in particular, they receive an American Film Institute Star Award. Since this show was taped in 1998, Graham Chapman sadly had passed away. An urn supposedly containing his ashes represents him and also gets the biggest laughs at the event!

Disc #2 starts with a 1989 retrospective of the group, hosted by Steve Martin. Steve talks about Monty Python for a few minutes, followed by an hour of sketches from their classic TV series. This is very much a hit or miss affair, as some of their weaker skits are included and some of their best sketches are not shown in their entirety. Steve Martin appears at the end of the hour, opens a door to find the Pythoners huddled in a closet, and then promptly shuts the door on them. That retrospective is followed by Monty Python's German Episode #1. Apparently, German TV paid for the Pythoners to perform two episodes of their series in Germany! Naturally, the sketches are in German with English subtitles. It's surreal to hear the Lumberjack Song sung in German! Some of this footage appears in various collections, particularly the Olympic events and the Little Red Riding Hood sketch. It's great to finally see the 45 minute German show in its entirety. For completists, Monty Python's German Episode #2 is included in A&E's "The Life Of Python" boxed set. With 2 DVDs clocking in at 4 1/2 hours, "Monty Python Live!" is an essential addition to every Python fan's collection.

Monty Python's Flying Circus - Disc 16
Average customer rating:
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Disc 16

Manufacturer: A&E Television Networks
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
General | British Cult Television | A&E Home Video | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
Product Features:

"Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python"

"Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus: German Episode #1"

Post-Python Troupe Highlights

Bleeding Critics (Encore)

Confusing Musings

ASIN: B000P4YXUY

Product Description

The irreverent Monty Python comedy troupe present a series of skits which are often surreal, baudy, uncompromising, tasteless, but inevitably hilarious. Contains "Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python" and "Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus: German Episode #1".

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Megaset with Bonus Monty Python Live

Average customer rating:

Lemon Curry ???
Why aren't there 500 reviews of this??

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Megaset with Bonus Monty Python Live
Starring: Neil Innes , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam , John Cleese , and Carol Cleveland
Director: Ian MacNaughton , and Terry Hughes
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Monty Python Store | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00064JWLS
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Amazon.com

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Megaset
While more cautious fans may want to pick and choose among the previously released individual volumes of Monty Python for their collection, true Pythonites will want to own this definitive, 14-volume DVD-only boxed set that contains all 45 episodes (in chronological order) of Monty Python's Flying Circus. This "persistently silly" collection encompasses three-and-a-half seasons of dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks, loonies, upper class twits, and spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, and spam. Click past the occasional clunker and go directly to such signature sketches as the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Spanish Inquisition, the Fish-Slapping Dance, the Dead Parrot Sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Cheese Shop, the Argument Clinic, and Nudge, Nudge. Taken as a whole, one marvels at how Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam thoroughly subverted television convention with "something completely different," like sketches with no punch lines ("Your average TV viewer isn't going to understand this"). A warning to the uninitiated: there is much "material that some may find offensive, but which is really smashing." Violations of something called the "Strange Sketch Act" are the least of the troupe's offenses, as witness the Oscar Wilde Sketch, the Dirty Vicar Sketch, and the Most Awful Family in Britain Sketch, all of which achieve "the really gross awfulness" all Python fans are looking for. Say no more. --Donald Liebenson

Python Live
Monty Python TV shows, movies, records, and books are a time capsule of their anarchic lunacy. But more precious is an audience with Python, and this three-volume boxed set is as close as we can get. Live at the Hollywood Bowl is the long-sought-after 1982 concert film in which the Fab Six perform their greatest hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Robert Klein moderates Live at Aspen, the irreverent 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival tribute that reunited John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones onstage for the first time in 18 years on the occasion of the troupe's 30th anniversary. Highlights include a shockingly funny moment involving Graham Chapman's ashes, and a joyous "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" sing-along. Less essential is 1989's clip show Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python, which also does not include "The Oscar Wilde Sketch," "Cheese Shop," "Nudge-Nudge," and many other signature sketches. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Lemon Curry ???.......2005-01-15

Well, let's face it, Monty Python's Flying Circus is beyond criticism or reproach... These guys (atleast to guys like me, and probably many people reading this) restructured our space time contingency, the way we look at life, what makes us laugh and what we're *allowed* to find funny or not and were quite silly to boot... But the question arises... flip all that bread for such a wicked delight ??? And my answer : Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes... Its worth the investment... My gosh, for barely the price of one or two trips to the shrink... look at it... its all there... you can watch the whole series sequentially, your favorite bits or freeze frame Gilliam's revolutionary animated sequences and closely examine the naughty bits.

Any criticisms ? Well, my only disappoint is the bonus features... It would have been great to hear some commentaries by a Python or members of production, out-takes, or stuff like that (not that such documentary material isn't available elsewhere) but still... To be honest,even without the extra features... ITS THE ENTIRE SERIES for HEAVEN'S SAKE... THE ENTIRE BL**DIN' SERIES... Come on... If people have considered you rather nerdy and annoying up til now from quoting Python lines without solicitation... why let them down... Memorize the whole series and really drive people nuts... and while you're at it, fascinate fellow Python-heads with really really really obscure trivia from the series as you run the battery to the remote to your DVD down... That'll show 'em. Now don't be silly... go out and get it... after 30 consecutive hours of watching it, your brain might hurt and you might be in danger of dying laughing, but it WILL be worth it !

Why aren't there 500 reviews of this??.......2004-12-17

I was just expecting to add my 5 stars to the hundreds of other five star ratngs for this product and it turns out that I am the first. If you are new to Monty Python or a seasoned fan, this is a great collection for you. This might be the first 5 star review but I'm confident it will not be the last.

Monty Python ~ Live at Hollywood Bowl and Aspen

Average customer rating:

Monty Python ~ Live at Hollywood Bowl and Aspen

Manufacturer: NewVideo
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Volumn #2 - Your either too young to have seen Monty Pyton Live! or too old to remember. Either way, it's new to you. Live at the Hollywood Bowl and Live at Aspen plus more.

Average customer rating:

Monty Python's Flying Circus - Disc 15

Manufacturer: A&E Television Networks
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

"Live at the Hollywood Bowl"
"Monty Python Live at Aspen"
Post-Python Troupe Highlights
Pythonisms
Bleeding Critics

ASIN: B000P4WLH6

Product Description

The irreverent Monty Python comedy troupe present a series of skits which are often surreal, baudy, uncompromising, tasteless, but inevitably hilarious. Contains "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" and "Monty Python Live at Aspen".