Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl [1982]

EMM# : 16884
Added: 2014-12-16

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Never before in the history of human civilization has there been a movie called "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl"

Rating: 7.9

Movie Details:

Genre: Comedy (Comedy)

Length: 1 h 17 min - 77 min

Video: 448x336 (29.970 Fps - 1 117 Kbps)

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Plot
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A collection of skits that made the Python troup famous, performed live at the Hollywood Bowl. Included are the singing philosophers, lumberjacks, the pope, and a suspiciously-male looking seabird vendor. Written by
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>Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

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Bjorn Steinar Arnason (Bear-77)
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This is probably the movie which made me watch "life of brian" and "the holy grail". It is brilliant, I first heard of MP after I saw what I consider to be one of the best comedies ever filmed, "a fish called wanda", and I have seen every MP flick since then. In this masterpiece they have picked only the best scenes from their best movies: Silly walk, ..say no more..,silly Olympics, Michealangelo and many more. Even if you only have the slightest sense of humor you still must see this one it might change they way you judge comedies in the future.

41/2 out of 4 possible

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Rob from Sweden
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First of all; it's just amazing seeing the legendary Pythons performing the most popular sketches live, in front of a huge audience, similar to a music concert. The crowd is so into it, they seem to know the lines by heart. Still, they just love it and it makes for a very special event with a fantastic atmosphere.

My favourite sketch (and it IS hard to pick just one!) is the "Church Police" sketch. Why? Because the otherwise super-professional Pythons can't keep from laughing themselves as things go slightly wrong. Just look when Terry Jones' wig comes right off as he jumps... They crack up. I have never seen that happen before, and every time I see it I laugh so hard it hurts.

If you have never seen the TV-series before, this may not seem as all that much of a great movie. But being an almost fanatical fan of the Pythons, seeing these sketches live is a wholly enjoyable experience.

The only sad thing is that most of us never attended the bloody thing. Nonetheless, this is a must see.

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sschwart from Deep in the Heart of Texas
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It's great to see that Python was an funny onstage as on TV. Here, the troupe successfully stages a live medley of some of their funnier skits. Interesting enough, British TV executives never thought Americans would find Monty Python funny, but American audiences (especially college students) became huge fans. The level of fanaticism is evident in the way that this audience is as familiar with the sketches as the members of Python are, and applaud raucously as soon as some of the opening lines are heard. As a treat, rent this along with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Experienced Python fans can progress right into "Life of Brian" and "Meaning of Life."

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gridoon
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I consider the Pythons to be one of the best comedy groups that ever appeared on the screen, perhaps even THE best (it's either them or the Marx Brothers). If you agree even partially, you should not miss "Live at the Hollywood Bowl". Irreverence and surrealism in abundance - as you would expect from the Python guys at their best. Sure, devoted fans have probably seen many of these sketches before, but that won't stop them from enjoying them again - it certainly didn't stop the live audience at the time. There are some slow spots and the picture quality is fairly poor (as the show was videotaped and then transferred to film), but how can you say anything bad about a film that has you crying from too much laughter at least twice? ("What? Only one Christ?") (***)

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EmperorNortonII from San Francisco, California
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If you were never lucky enough to see the Monty Python's Flying Circus troupe live onstage, you must see this movie! It includes many classic sketches from their BBC series, such as "The Argument Clinic" and "The Travel Agent Sketch." Plus live renditions of such famous Python songs like "The Lumberjack Song" and "The Bruces' Philosopher Song," and sketches that weren't even on TV! And even shots of the audience will catch your eye! You'll know that Monty Python has achieved cult status when John Cleese comes out shouting "Albatross!", to have audience members reply with "What flavor is it?" The only thing better than seeing this movie, is to have seen the show live!

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niz from Melbourne, Australia
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Many of my favourites were here (including the classic travel agent sketch: "Kellogg's Bornflakes"). But many of my favourites were also in And Now For Something Completely Different, and I didn't really like that. Something about the live atmosphere made this work, the fits of giggles adding to the occasion, not detracting from it. Best of all was the brand new stuff - the Silly Olympics, the History of Slapstick etc. I wish I was there.

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Sean Lamberger from Bradenton, FL
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Talk about the perfect relationship between a comedy troupe at the top of their game and an audience that's precisely in-tune with them. The Pythons didn't have a long window of acceptance in the States, but they made the most of it with performances like this one. Uproariously funny, and even though I knew which skits were coming up just by the slightest bits of foreshadowing (and could telegraph them word for word in some cases) I was still laughing until it hurt. I think most of the California crowd was in pretty much the same place that night. An unbelievable performance that makes me really sad I never had a chance to see the Pythons live.

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The Poiv from Swedois!
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Okay, this is great. Monty Python - live, in front of a huge audiens - gives this movie a good sense of atmosphere (all the happy people you see that is so happy you would think they'd die of it) that enlightens the Python show - that must go on!

Several of the classic scetches is performed; The Person Looking For An Argument, Little Redriding Hood, The Nutcase Olympics, The Lumberjacker and several more of great quality. You'll laugh like a maniac!

**** 1/2 of *****

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sebbezw from Sweden
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Well, you cant call this a movie. A show isn't a movie. But any normal person who likes to laugh must love this! When I first saw it, I laughed till' I choked. I mean, how can anything in comedy be better than the killing combination of John Cleese, Michael Palin and, probably the best of them, Eric Idle. All of the sketches would definitely been in a "Top 100 Best Comedy Scenes Ever" and I admire the actors to remember everything they're supposed to say, for example when Idle are going to a travel agency as Mr Smokestoomuch. If you see this scene, you are lucky if you not laugh yourself to death. It is almost unavoidable. But there are other great moments. In fact, practically everything in this "movie" would belong in a list like the Top 100 I mentioned before. You cant possibly have a favorite. It is impossible to select a favorite in this. Everything is excellent. How do you get such ideas as these?

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Robert Morgan from Indianapolis
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Most of the sketches and skits are adapted from ones shown on the TV show; there's little that's new, which is mildly disappointing. Good thing, then, that the MP troupe is so adept; familiarity seems to be the point, and allows fans to sit back and enjoy the film.

A few parts drag- I wasn't too thrilled with the musical numbers, nor with the History of Slapstick.

The most disappointing thing about this movie is a problem only for those who watch it on laserdisc; there are no chapter breaks, and side one ends abruptly -IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE-! This is quite disconcerting, and ruins the sketch.

The Pope/Michelangelo sketch is based on a historical incident. The Renaissance artist Paolo Veronese really did paint a "Last Supper" with extraneous contemporary elements. The Inquisition investigated and advised him to remove those elements. Instead, he really did just rename it - to "Feast in the House of Levi."
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In the sketch where policemen go to arrest a candy manufacturer, Terry Gilliam's character throws up into his police helmet and then puts it on. Gilliam filled his mouth with cold beef stew prior to filming that scene.
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The filmed inserts were taken from a pair of shows the Pythons had produced for German television during their series' original run, which had never been shown in English up to that time.
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Filmed while the Python troupe were in the midst of writing The Meaning of Life (1983). According to one book on the team, the Hollywood Bowl shows were intended to help the group break out of a writing impasse they had encountered.
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To incorporate the more limited format of a live show, many roles were reassigned or otherwise altered (See above note on "Crunchy Frog" sketch) and Terry Gilliam, who seldom appeared on screen on TV, was given much more to do here.
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Some changes were made to the sketches for this venue. The line in "Nudge, Nudge" about Terry Jones's wife were changed to say she was from "Glenndale, California." Obscenities that were forbidden on TV were used freely in many cases, and potentially confusing Anglicisms were altered ("dustman" became "garbageman" and so on).
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Eric Idle sings the "Lumberjack Song" in this film, even though Michael Palin sang it on the TV series.
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Filmed in September 1980,this is a compilation of 5 shows. HBO filmed all the shows and intended to release the full 2 hour show,using the best versions of each sketch. Among the items missing are Terry Gilliam's "A Christmas Card" animation and Neil Innes performing "Stoop Solo" backed by Carol Cleveland as a three-headed backup singer.
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The "Custard Pie Lecture" sketch predates Monty Python. It was written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones while both were students at Oxford, and was their first writing collaboration.
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In the "Crunchy Frog" sketch, Graham Chapman plays the arresting officer, while Terry Gilliam plays the second policeman. In the original sketch, Chapman played the second policeman, while John Cleese played the arresting officer. Also in the original sketch, the constable was named "Constable Clitoris". For the Hollywood Bowl performance, this was changed to "Constable Parrot".
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In the "Custard Pie Lecture", Palin's character calls Gilliam's character "Vance". Vance is Terry Gilliam's middle name.
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Marks the first occasion where Python fan favorite 'Sit on my Face' was performed live.
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AKAs Titles:

Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Australia:M / Finland:K-8 / France:Unrated / Iceland:L / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:NC-16 / Singapore:PG (cut) / Spain:T / Sweden:Btl / UK:15 / USA:R / West Germany:12