Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Monty Python perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl, including several from pre-Python days.
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- Cast:
- Terry Gilliam , John Cleese , Graham Chapman , Eric Idle , Terry Jones , Michael Palin , Neil Innes
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Reviews
Touches You
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
Captivating movie !
I am a massive Monty Python fan and i would go as far to say that The Life Of Brian is the funniest film ever made but for me , Live at the Hollywood Bowl does not really work as a film. Having been to the Hollywood Bowl i should imagine that the show was magnifiscent and i would love to have said " I was There" because it was one of the last time the whole group performed but the show was nothing new. We see some of the old sketches seen 10 years previous such as " The Mynistry of Silly Walks" and "The Lumberjack Song" and some not so funny new ones but strangely no Parrot sketch. The group are also joined by a female member and song writer Neil Innis and im afraid to say they dont fit in at all. There is also film clips sandwiched in the middle of the sketches and quite frankly they are not funny. I hate to be cynical but i can only presume thay the Pythons did this show for the money and while the audiance look like they loved the show it should have stayed in their memories and not on film. 7 out of 10.
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.
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.
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.