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Some entertainment creations are seemingly beyond criticism — universally beloved and genuinely held with reverence as showbiz legends. Monty Python’s Flying Circus is on that ethereal list.
A&E re-released the full library of Monty Python shows on DVD recently — though The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus Collector’s Edition, out in November, is not the first DVD issue of the entire series with assorted bonus features.
Fans will have to choose from this latest set and copies of the old The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus 16 Ton Megaset. But the new, voluminous Python collection is certain to remind fans of the genius packed into the Brit TV series by John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and the very late Graham Chapman. The horde of fans includes professional comedians eager to share how they were inspired by the Pythons.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumni, for instance, all genuflect to Python’s influence over their work. In fact, Cinematic Titanic’s Frank Conniff calls Flying Circus "simply the greatest sketch-comedy series ever."
Conniff’s former co-worker, Michael J. Nelson over at Rifftrax, said: "I was pretty young when I first saw (Python). I remember being giddy with laughter, often not having any idea what they were talking about but being certain it was hilarious. Turns out I was right."
And one of Nelson’s Rifftrax partners threw in that he’s been trying to get people to call him Bill "Two Sheds" Corbett for decades.
MadTV and Best in Show alum Will Sasso remembers sneaking out of bed at his big brother’s insistence to watch Python secretly: "It’s a hell of a thing to do to a 5-year-old’s mind. Subsequently, The Muppet Show just wasn’t twisted enough for me anymore, and I still haven’t found anything that comes close," he said.
"Whether it be stage, TV or film, nothing equals Python‘s ability to keep their comedy rooted in reality while seamlessly reaching boundless levels of weirdness," Sasso added. "I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve actually urinated myself from laughing too hard while watching Monty Python — and not when I was 5, either."
Stand-up comic and writer Erica Doering remembers her twisted joy at watching The Life of Brian, the classic Monty Python film about a guy who’s born in a stable on Christmas Day next to the baby Jesus.
"The crowd outside Brian’s balcony while Brian says, ‘You are all individuals’ — and them chanting back, ‘We are all individuals’ — before the man in the crowd whimpers ‘I’m not’ is still my favorite scene of all time," said Doering, who called Python "skillful, ridiculous and ‘spit milk out of your nose’ kind of funny."
"I had never (and still probably haven’t) seen anything as beautifully absurd, with such insightful social commentary," she said.
Share your own seminal Python memories in the comments section below — with a fried egg on top and Spam.
Images courtesy A&E, Python
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