The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset (16 Discs) | 
 enlarge | Studio: A&E Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 129.99
Buy New: CDN$ 59.99
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New (7) Used (1) from CDN$ 59.99
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 255
Format: Box Set, Ntsc
Languages: Arabic (Original Language), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), German (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 4.6
MPN: AAED72952D
ISBN: 0767085515
UPC: 733961729528
EAN: 9780767085519
ASIN: B0009XRZ92
Theatrical Release Date: June 25, 1982
Release Date: October 10, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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From Amazon.com
New for 2005, The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset packs together the original 14-DVD megaset with the two-disc Monty Python Live in space-saving Thinpaks. 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 megaset 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. 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 as close as we can get is Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 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
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Comedy-not for the polictically-correct-faint-of-heart-crowd!! July 18, 2007
Robert Badgley (London,Ontario,Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Monty Python was a very talented and smart group of six mostly university educated individuals who took established British humour and molded it into their very own creation.They took aim at anything that was stale and staid in then English
Society,shot it up,turned it upside down,flattened it and called it Mr.Gumby!!
What on the surface seems a simple enough point about the troupe but usually goes unnoticed today is their original appeal and impact.Python came out of the 60s rebellious era and while that trait alone wasn't surprising what was was their own nationality(British,of course!) and their feigned attempts at portraying themselves as part of that staid and stuffy society all the while taking stabs at every English sacred cow and then some such as the police,the armed forces,the BBC,war vets,religion,etc. which made it definitely "something completely different"! There has never been a program like it before or since.
Each program was filled with several sketches tied together more or less with animated segments by Terry Gilliam,the only Yank in the group.
Having watched the entire set with it's 16 DVDs I was favourably impressed by the quality of the transfers.They are pretty sharp and crisp.The only disappointment is the "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" film.The film is not in good condition and the colour is quite washed out.It is a full screen version and I wonder since some of the credits disappear off the screen that there isn't a widescreen version out there,hopefully in better condition than this.Time will tell.
I also noted that the sketches "Proust","Bruce" and "Biggles" have some quick moments that have slight cuts/jumps in them.I know the BBC is responsible for the first one but the other two I'm not sure of the who or why.There may be others but those are the three I noticed off hand.One will also notice that there are some film glitches and other various defects.From what I can determine these are things that are inherent in the original film and there's nothing that really can be done to excise them.
All 16 discs come in their own thin slip cases and are one sided(less chance of scratching!).Each DVD interactive menu if quite neat and each has its' own trivia spot about the particular ep you're watching and some neat special features including trivia question contests and more.There are alas no interviews with the cast mano a'mano but the 'Live at Aspen' DVD makes up a little for this.
Overall this is a set every Monty Python fan should own or a lover of good comedy.If you're one of the politically correct crowd I wouldn't advise you to buy this set as the guys leave NO stones unturned in their comedic efforts to offend and delight us all at the same time.It's a set I will certainly be watching again and again and you will too.
 Monty Python's Flying Circus - Series 1 April 5, 2007
RITZ
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Series 1 ( Gehen auf Deutschland )
Nachdem in der letzten Zeit eine ganze Reihe von DVD-Ausgaben englischer Comedys wie "Black Adder" oder "Fawlty Towers" mit schwacher Bild- und Tonqualität sowie fehlenden Untertiteln enttäuschte, hat man bei dieser DVD-Box von Monty Python's Flying Circus Serie ausnahmsweise einmal alles richtig gemacht. Obwohl das Ausgangsmaterial teilweise 38 Jahre alt ist und wahrscheinlich auf Video oder 16mm gedreht wurde, ist die Bildqualität der DVD wirklich sehr gut, ebenso der Ton, zudem gibt es Untertitel in mehr als 20 Sprachen. Die Menüführung ist einfach und direkt, man kann in jeder der 45 Episoden jeden Sketch einzeln anwählen. Leider gibt das nutzlose Booklet keinerlei Information darüber aus, welcher Sketch sich auf welcher DVD befindet. Die gesamten 4 Staffeln der Serie wurde in dieser Ausgabe auf 7 DVDs untergebracht, welche jeweils etwa dreieinhalb Stunden Material enthalten. Zum Vergleich: Die amerikanische Ausgabe benötigt noch 14 DVDs, hat eine schlechtere Bildqualität und ist auch noch teilweise zensiert. Man bekommt also mit dieser relativ preiswerten deutschen Box die weltweit beste DVD-Ausgabe dieser genialen Serie. Das die beiden deutschen, von Alfred Biolek produzierten Episoden nicht enthalten sind, kann man verschmerzen, waren sie doch nicht mehr als eine schwache Kopie des brillanten, radikal respektlosen und vor allem einzigartig komischen Originals.
 It's a steal....Grab it! July 10, 2006
dejesko
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's about time...How can you go wrong? sure, there is filler on almost all the disks, but this is so classic, truly the benchmark of sketch comedy.
I paid over double for this set when it first came out..
french amateur November 1, 2005
heddi boulebsel (LYON FRANCE)
2 out of 17 found this review helpful
en France et en Europe, le monty pythons flying circus a ses fanatiques . malheureusement, une telle collection est indisponible au pays des grenouilles (et l'édition anglaise est presque pathétique : best of de 4 dvd) . Pour cette nouvelle édition, une question cruciale se pose pour un français qui pense apprendre la langue de shakespeare avec ce que l'angleterre a produit de mieux depuis henri VIII : le flying circus . la question est : y a t il des sous titres (english subtitles will be enough) ??? Subtitles or not subtitles that is the question .
It's.... October 11, 2005
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Six comic delights -- five British guys, and one American. Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
These six guys created "Monty Python's Flying Circus," a groundbreaking comedy series made of skits. They were sometimes gross, naughty, and they were always strange. And their bizarre humour has influenced everything from "Saturday Night Live" to Jasper Fforde.
For dozens of episodes, these guys served up skits on every insane subject you can think of: defense against fresh fruit, the Ministry of Funny Walks, sitcoms based on the family life of Attila the Hun, lupin bandit Dennis Moore, obscene children's books, semaphores, racing twits, village idiots, goats, psychotic barbers, Vikings, "ALBATROSS!", killer sheep, lobotomies, pantomime horses, Tudor pornography, Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things, the dirty vicar, and giant alien blancmanges who are turning people into Scotsmen.
Certain sketches have reached the point of immortality, especially John Cleese's "dead parrot" sketch, in which he plays an increasingly peeved guy who is trying to return a parrot that was "nailed to its perch." Also Eric Idle playing the obnoxious guy who constantly thinks of sex, and refers to it as "wink wink, nudge nudge... say no MORE!" And of course, THE SPANISH INQUISTION, whose chief weapons are fear, surprise...
There are also some running jokes, like the pantomime Princess Margaret, and a mysterious knight who walks through hitting people with a dead chicken. And of course, Terry Gilliam's cartoons interspersing the skits -- goofy, surreal, sort of like Saturday morning cartoons if Dali were doing the animating.
Okay, not every skit is funny -- the "Mouse Problem" sketch takes a great idea and stretches it thin. But more often than not, they ARE quite funny. They also mock just about anything, from government officials to art to censorship to the military ("It's DANGEROUS, sir!").
There are also a pair of live discs, in which the guys also do their best little skits and songs onstage, and they're almost as funny onstage as they are on a soundstage. They make a nice bonus for Python fans, and are fun viewing after you've seen all fourteen discs of the TV show.
And all of this by men who often dress up as the world's most unattractive girls, with only a tiny budget and minimal cast. The 70s production values are omnipresent, and they are decidedly unpolitically correct. But in a weird way, these only make it even funnier than it would have been otherwise -- the writing and acting are pure, raw, unrefined comedy.
Probably the most memorable actors here are Cleese and Idle. Cleese does his psychotic shrieks better than anyone, as well as having that rubbery lanky body that twists itself into Silly Walks. And Idle not only has amazing comic timing, but he can adjust his voice and body language to... anything, from domestic goddesses to sleazy TV hosts. But the other actors are quite good too, especially Michael Palin, especially when he's playing someone timid or crazy.
This classic comedy series not only became a pop culture staple, but it's still fresh and funny more than thirty years after it was made. The full series is definitely a must-have.
And now for something completely different...
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