Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 20 2011, 1:58 PM BST
I think it's actually quite Python-esque (or there abouts) to agree with the people you normally would profoundly disagree with. 
Holy Flying Circus Page 3
Quote: bigfella @ October 20 2011, 8:36 PM BSTI could cry.
Trying to explain the "background" to this to my daughter.
She managed to get Michael Palin and Sarah Palin mixed up.
Did you explain that in Life of Brian film Palin was a wierd dim Governor of a far flung state in a decaying empire.
It was funny but it lacked confidence or pathos.
Playing Cleese as Fawlty was lazy and dishonest.
And the interview in real life was a rare moment for comedians to show themselves as relevant, serious artists. As opposed to their buffoonish critics.
The show made it into a tawdry and not especially funny joke.
Quote: sootyj @ October 24 2011, 11:49 AM BSTPlaying Cleese as Fawlty was lazy and dishonest.
But also, and most importantly in a comedy... FUNNY.
Yeh funny, but I dunno Python are a bit like the Beatles of sketch comedy.
With Palin and Cleese as Paul and John. I kinda wanted to see what they were like when they were just dicking about.
Haven't seen this yet but I vaguely remember seeing the original prog. Thought Cleese and Palin were strong but very polite in their defence, whereas Muggeridge seemed superior and smug and the bishop a confused old dinosaur. So just on dignity grounds, I thought the Pythons won the debate. And you could see, as mostly philosophy grads the Pythons knew their humanism.
And their theology
Best programme I've seen on the idiotbox for quite sometime, it made me properly laugh out loud on several occasions and had much to say about "offensive" comedy including topical references which seemed to even predict the recent Ricky Gervais contraversy.
Top stuff, brilliantly written, well acted and put together in a suitably Python-esque way that I'm sure even Terry Gilliam was impressed with.
Quote: Tony Cowards @ October 24 2011, 12:30 PM BSTand had much to say about "offensive" comedy including topical references which seemed to even predict the recent Ricky Gervais contraversy.
Yes, that was quite spookily good timing.
The best bit was when Cleese made the case for why it's important to offend people.
Proper good bit of telly that.
That and Palin's wife. And the proper 70s brown glass mugs.
Quote: sootyj @ October 24 2011, 12:33 PM BSTAnd the proper 70s brown glass mugs.
Oh I love those.
Call me silly but I laughed every single time Palin's wife/Terry Jones was on screen, just thought it was a wonderful homage to the Python's prediliction for cross dressing.
Oh the 'smoked glass' ones? Iirc they were held in some kind of esteem as the tea mugs of the inteligensia or liberal classes or whatever. I remember always seeing them in school staff rooms, or the teacher would actually come into the classroom with one, presumably just to flaunt that he/she thought they were intellectual, trendy and liberal. There was a lot of that going on in the 70s!
Kipper you can resent a lovely mug from the 70s!
I bet you were barred from Habitat.
Quote: sootyj @ October 24 2011, 11:49 AM BSTIt was funny but it lacked confidence or pathos.
The last thing it lacked was confidence.