Monty Python

[George McFly]

I have to admit I've only seen The Meaning of Life and I love it, but my question is should I buy Holy Grail SE ; Flying Circus and Life of Brian;Criterion(and how is the audio[the DVDfile review says the sound is pretty bad]) AS BLIND PURCHASES.

thanks for the help.

[mtcarmel00]

Definitely get Holy Grail SE. That is one of the funniest movies in history and probably Monty Python's best work. Great bonus-loaded disc also.

[Fluffmygarfield]

Before you get the Holy Grail SE, check some of the posts about the subtitle glitch to make sure it doesn't affect your player. They eventually fixed the discs but never labeled the new batch any differently.

[TechnoTim]

If you loved the Meaning of Life, you'll love Holy Grail and Life of Brian, as in my opinion MOL is the weakest of their films...Holy Grail is my favourite as you may be able to tell from my avatar and signature, though of course you would have to have seen the film to understand...D'Oh!

OK, so the picture and sound on the Criterion LOB are not brilliant, but the extras more than make up for it...

The HG set is great too, but as Fluffmygarfield said, make sure you either get one of the new batch or ensure your player can cope with the glitched one...

Let's hope they do an SE of Meaning of Life at some point soon...

[netgrlx]

The Legos spot on the bonus disc for Holy Grail SE is so funny! It's hilarious watching the confused look on some people's faces when they watch it. On a side note, is Jaberwocky any good? I've seen it around and it's the $15 to $20 range, so I considered getting it.

[SolidSnakeASS]

Life of Brian is the best, so save it for last!

[BWilliams]

I've never really watched any of the Monty Python TV shows or other movies, but I did pick up Monty Python and the Holy Grail and thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely one to get!

[SidcupMartin]

Originally posted by netgrlx
On a side note, is Jaberwocky any good? I've seen it around and it's the $15 to $20 range, so I considered getting it.

If your a Python fan you'll love it...

[marty]

The shows are good, but you can only take a certain amount of Python at once. If you're not sure, try to get the disks for Season 2, it is the best season of the show (followed by the 1st, 3rd and half-length 4th).
Holy Grail is the must purchase of the lot.

[steelerfan1]

I would get everything. I agree with TechoTim that MOL is probably the weakest of the three movies. Grail is a masterpiece and Life is right behind it. I've always like the TV series so I bought that as well. If you like Python, you can't go wrong.

[a.bunker]

Definitely get the Holy Grail. It was one of the best DVD's of last year.

The rest depend on how big of a Monty Pyton fan you are. Im holding out on "Meaning of Life" in hope that a SE is on the way. Could be a long wait. I've also never wanted to pay that much for "Life of Brian." :violin:

As for the show, look into renting "And now for something completely different". It gives a good array of skits from Flying Circus. Its sort of like a greatest hits.

[Miggy]

Yes, the SE of Holy Grail is a must have! I like the special feature you can select for the hard of hearing And oh, I like the movie's new opening!

I had on my list to get the SE of Life of Brian, but I see it's not 5.1. Should I get this anyway, or wait fo a better version?

Miggy, the Thief

[Newbomb Turk]

MP and the Holy Grail is a laugh riot! Sound isn't great and yet it's a must have!

I fart in your general direction!

[kantboy]

Why do you need to hear LOB in 5.1? That's overkill. The extras more than make up for the sound "problems". The commentary tracks are great as well as the deleted scenes, promos and radio commercials. The commentary track in Jabberwocky is great. Gilliam and Palin can't seem to stop goofing off. And thanks to the magic of DVD you get full frontal nudity on a PG movie

I can't wait for a SE of Meaning of Life.

[a.bunker]

I agree, if you want life of brian I would get the criterion.

[Jellodyne]

When I was in high school I thought Life of Brian prime Python and Meaning of Life was their weakest. Roughly 10 years later, I've recently watched them both and discovered that I now hold the opposite opinion. The fantastic Criterion LoB documentary helped soften that particular blow. Still, you may wish to rent Brian first.

Holy Grail remains, as always, an absolute laugh riot. The 'new' print with the bonus 24 seconds played for a week over at my neighborhood theater, and it was really cool to see it on a big screen. I can't believe how detailed those Gilliam animations look, and how much better they looked big. Especially compared to the slightly better than BBC ass-level production values the live action portions of the film has. Not that it matters, except, as I said, in contrast to the animations. In any case don't walk, run to your nearest retailer or Internet website and ask for a copy of the Holy Grail SE.

[kimfair]

I'm in agreement with everyone it seems that all three are worth picking up (especialy Holy Grail-one of the funniest films of alltime!) I'm distressed about the info about deficiencies in the LOB Criterion DVD. I have the LD of this (Criterion) and I thought the film had never looked as good. THe sound was fine, nothing to write home about, but certainly nothing to dis either. I was thinking of getting this but maybe I'll hold off. The Meaning of Life has it's moments, but is probably the weakest of the three. Though the salmon mousse scene, Mr. Creosote, and the Every Sperm is Sacred song are classic Python moments. I heartly endorse Jabberwocky. I've always loved it, even though it is markedly less "Pythonesque" than the other films. Enjoy!

[smurdleman2000]

I have the Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus, and I gotta reccommend it. Things look shockingly good for a 30 year old TV show shot on 16 Millimeter, the sound is not as stellar, but hey, it's listenable and relatively clear, and the special features are well done if a bit sparse (ie, we're missing one of the two german episodes. oh well....). The price tag is a bit high, but its worth it for a fan of the show and/or movies.

As for the rumored deletions of certain sketches, only die-hard affectionados would notice (ie...me). But its not A&E's fault, and its really very very very minor.

[Miggy]

I dont' "need" to hear LOB in 5.1 as far as the traditional use (with newer movies and discrete sound FX). But, it just seems to me when a movie is remixed in 5.1 it sounds so much better and clearer than the original mono or stereo version. IF it looks like a 5.1 will never be released, I would get this no questions asked. I just don't want to get it and then they release yet another third version with 5.1 and then that would mean three versions of the movie I would bought.

Miggy, the Thief

[TheBlackKnight]

I used to think Life of Brian was unquestionably the best of the films, and I didn't think much of Holy Grail. Oh how times have changed! I still really like LoB, but I really really really like Holy Grail. A lot! Much as TechnoTim does! Unfortunately I have got an affected player, but the subtitles aren't too distracting.

Haven't seen much of Meaning of Life, although what I have seen looked hilarious, only not as much as the others.

[SolidSnakeASS]

Life of Brian is so much better though, it has way more rewatchability and the humour is more satirical. The jokes in Holy Grail are pretty cheesy in comparison to Life of Brian, which is all out hysterical.

[manigrasso]

Meaning of Life is a great way to whet your whistle for Python. It is the weakest of the big three, though.

You may want to rent one of the Monty Python live movies, on VHS IF YOU HAVE TO, to see if their humor in full force is something you can get behind (Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl). If you appreciate that, then by all means, start picking up the FLying Circus discs and the other movies too.

I only say this because I've known people who think Meaning of Life is the best because it's, if not the least British, then the most American. For someone who has been weaned on gross-out comedies like the Farrelley brothers, are broader comedies like American Pieits sequel and their bastard offspring, Meaning Of Life is the most comparable to that, and it's good to "evolve" from that to Python at their prime.