More than three decades after the film was released (1978), I finally saw The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash a couple of weeks ago on a DVD from Netflix. Being a fan of both "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and the original cast of "Saturday Night Live," I found this mockumentary to be spot on! Eric Idle was brilliant, and clearly this was a labour of love for him. The oh-so-serious approach of the filmmakers caught the flavour of legitimate documentaries so faithfully that at times one could almost forget the whole project was in jest. So effective was the make-up that I did not realise that George Harrison appeared until I saw his name in the closing credits. With Monty Python on the brain, I was fooled into thinking Leggy Mountbatten was played by an emaciated John Cleese, but actually that was Terence Bayler. What is your opinion of this film?

Sorry if this thread has already been covered on the BCG Forum. I searched but could not find it.

I love this movie.
But I am a Python & Beatles fan
I've even got the vinyly album somewhere.

To paraphrase
They wrote their first album in 20 minutes & their second one took even longer

I'm a massive fan of the film. It's actually one of the few films that I rewound straight after watching, to watch all over again. I think it's probably the funniest Python-related project. It had me laughing from start to finish. Also, the songs are great, with 'Goose-Step Mama' being my favourite.

By the way, the beach scene, during the song 'Ouch!' was filmed not far from where I grew up, on a beach that I used to go to all the time as a kid. I remember getting stung on my foot by a jellyfish, during the school summer holidays, back in 1990, and the sting mark taking over a year to disappear. Also, the Shea stadium scenes were filmed at Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club, the team both I and cameo star of the film Roger McGough support.

If I remember rightly, all of the Rutles support Liverpool

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ July 9 2011, 3:08 AM BST

If I remember rightly, all of the Rutles support Liverpool

View original

Do you mean the Beatles? If so, I've heard the Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright say Paul McCartney was the one Everton fan out of the four, but I don't know for sure.

By the way, me mentioning Roger McGough supporting Everton was a reference to the scene that he appears in, in case anyone was wondering why I randomly mentioned him.

Piggy in the Middle was the highlight of the film for me. As well as the Mick Jagger interview. And the animated spoof of Yellow Submarine (the film) for the Cheese and Onions clip. I'm also fond of Bongwater's subsequent cover of Love Life.

Very funny for the most part yes, but it wasn't handled as well as it should have been, imo, sorry. A bit of a missed opportunity to make it a classic. It is Eric Idle's best solo work, but because it's Eric Idle, it is self indulgent, loosely handled and meandering, and goes on way too long. It could have done with a decent director and editor, in fact the idea deserved to be.

I thought it was a brilliant idea for a parody, and I agree about it getting the essence spot on. There are some great bits in it and I think they got the tone just right. But it was very boring in the last drawn out third, where all we got was mock interviews from stars. One would have been enough, or just very shortened versions of the ones they did. We had got the joke by then, it didn't have to be trammelled into the ground by the likes of Mick Jagger and Paul Simon. (Although seeing a camp Jagger is always fun.) Should have been much better.

Bill Murray the K was also a nice joke.

The Rutles are still bigger than Rod.

Just ordered it.

No one has yet mentioned Neil Innes sublimely accurate parodies of the Beatles classics. So I will.

I love the one that goes tro a big crescendo much like Day in the life.
But then finishes with a really short Piano note.

Piggy in the Middle, Ouch and With a Girl like you are very good parodies.

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ July 9 2011, 2:52 PM BST

I love the one that goes tro a big crescendo much like Day in the life.
But then finishes with a really short Piano note.

View original

Me too. Cheese and Onions.

By the way, the sequel is available to watch on YouTube. I've only seen bits of it myself. I've heard it's quite poor.

I menioned elsewhere that I recently discovered the Archaeology album which I never knew existed.

I seem to remember they originated on Rutland Weekend Television and I've got the album and book of that somewhere.