MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE [1983 / 2020] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] It Took God Six Days to Create the Heavens and the Earth . . . And Monty Python Took Ninety Minutes To Screw It Up!
Those six pandemonium-mad Pythons are back with their craziest adventure ever! John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin have returned to explain ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE.’ These naughty Pythons offer the usual tasteful sketches involving favourite bodily parts and functions, the wonders of war, the miracle of birth and a special preview of what’s waiting for us in Heaven. Nothing is too sacred for the probing Python crew. After seeing them in action, you’ll never look at life in quite the same way again!
FILM FACT: According to Michael Palin, “the writing process was quite cumbersome. An awful lot of material didn't get used. Holy Grail had a structure, a loose one: the search for the grail. Same with the film ‘Life of Brian.’ With this, it wasn't so clear. In the end, we just said: “Well, what the heck. We have got lots of good material; let's give it the loosest structure, which will be the meaning of life.” After the film's title was chosen, Douglas Adams called Terry Jones to tell him he had just finished a new book, to be called “The Meaning of Liff” but Terry Jones was initially concerned about the similarity in titles, which led to the scene in the title sequence of a tombstone which, when hit by a flash of lightning, changes from “The Meaning of Liff” to ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE.’ Principal photography began on the 12th July, 1982 and was completed about two months later, on the 11th September, 1982. A wide variety of locations were used, such as Porchester Hall in Queensway for the “Mr Creosote” sketch, where hundreds of pounds of fake vomit had to be cleaned up on the last day due to a wedding being scheduled hours later. The Malham Moors were chosen for the Grim Reaper segment; the countryside near Strathblane was used for the Zulu War; and “Every Sperm Is Sacred” was shot in Colne, Lancashire, with interiors done at Elstree Studios. The school chapel scene with the song “O Lord, Please Don't Burn Us” was shot at Churchill College, Cambridge. The film was produced on a budget of less than US$10 million, which was still bigger than that of the earlier films. This allowed for large-scale choreography and crowd sequences, a more lavishly produced soundtrack that included new original songs, and much more time able to be spent on each sketch, especially The Crimson Permanent Assurance. Michael Palin later said that the larger budget, and not making the film for the BBC (i.e. television), allowed the film to be more daring and dark. The idea for the hospital sketch came from Graham Chapman, himself a doctor, who had noticed that hospitals were changing, with “lots and lots of machinery.” According to Michael Palin, the organ transplant scene harked back to Python's love of bureaucracy, and sketches with lots of people coming round from the council with different bits of paper. During the filming of the scene where Michael Palin's character explains Catholicism to his children, his line was “that rubber thing at the end of my sock,” which was later overdubbed with cock. The short was intended as an animated sequence in the feature, for placement at the end of Part V. Terry Gilliam convinced the other members of Monty Python to allow him to produce and direct it as a live action piece instead. The original tagline read “It took God six days to create the Heavens and the Earth, and Monty Python just 90 minutes to screw it up” and the length of ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ proper is 90 minutes, but becomes 107 minutes as released with the “Short Subject Presentation.” Ireland banned the film on its original release as it had previously done with ‘Monty Python's Life of Brian,’ but later rated it 15 when it was released on video. In the United Kingdom the film was rated 18 when released in the cinema and on its first release on video, but was re-rated 15 in 2000. In the United States the film is rated R. The film opened in the United States on 31st March. 1983. At 257 cinemas it ranked number six at the USA box office, grossing US$1,987,853 ($7,734 per screen) in its opening weekend. It played at 554 cinemas at its widest point, and its total gross in the United States and Canada was $14,929,552. Internationally it grossed $27.8 million for a worldwide total of $42.7 million.
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Simon Jones, Patricia Quinn, Judy Loe, Andrew MacLachlan, Mark Holmes, Valerie Whittington, Jennie Franks, Imogen Bickford-Smith, Angela Mann, Peter Lovstrom, George Silver, Chris Grant, Sydney Arnold, Guy Bertrand, Andrew Bicknell, Ross Davidson, Myrtle Devenish, Tim Douglas, Eric Francis, Matt Frewer, Billy John, Russell Kilmister, Peter Mantle, Len Marten, Peter Merrill, Cameron Miller, Gareth Milne, Larry Noble, Paddy Ryan, Leslie Sarony, John Scott Martin, Eric Stovell, Wally Thomas, Jack Armstrong, Robert Carrick, Douglas Cooper, George Daly, Chick Fowles, Terry Grant, Robin Hewlett, Tommy Isley, Juba Kennerley, Anthony Lang, John Murphy, Terry Rendell, Ronald Shilling, Albert Welch, Luke Baxter, Stephen Beasley, Paul Bourke, Bonnie Bryg, Charlotte Corbett, Geoff Davids, Emma-Kate Davies, Sandra Easby, Jane Eve, Donna Fielding, Roy Hamlyn Gayle, Dawn Gerrard, Natascha Gilbrooke, Donnette Goddard, Heavon Grant, Alison Jane Hierlihy, Laura James, Kim Elizabeth Leeson, Maddie Loftin, Michelle Mackie, Paul Madden, Helen Mason, Caroline Meacher, Lorraine Meacher, Sue Menhenick, Kerri Murphy, Tammy Needham, Garry Noakes, Trudy Pack, Floyd Anthony Pearce, Wanda Rokicki, Peter Salmon, Lizie Saunderson, Steve St. Klonis, Voyd, Timothy Ward, Michelle Welch, Gess Whitfield, Lorraine Whitmarsh, Dominique Wood, Lynne Hazelden (uncredited), Jane Leeves (uncredited), Keith Macey (uncredited), Sean Maguire (uncredited), Gerald Paris (uncredited), Monty Python (uncredited), Lee Sheward, John Simpkin, (uncredited), Guy Standeven (uncredited), Carole Anne Stevenson (uncredited), Reg Thomason (uncredited), Cy Town (uncredited) and Fred Wood (uncredited)
Director: Terry Jones
Producer: John Goldstone
Screenplay: Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
Cinematography: Peter Hannan (Director of Photography) and Roger Pratt, B.S.C. (segment “The Crimson Permanent Assurance”) (Director of Photography)
Make-up Department: Chris Tucker aka Christopher Tucker (Make-up Artist) (Segment Mr. Creosote), Elaine Carew (Make-up Artist) (segment “The Crimson Permanent Assurance”), Mary Hillman (Make-up supervisor), Hilary Steinberg (Hairdresser / Make-up Artist), Maggie Weston (Hair Designer / Make-up Designer), Maureen Stephenson (Hairdresser) (segment “The Crimson Permanent Assurance”), Mike Jones (Hairdresser / Make-up Artist),Pamela Rayson (Hairdresser / Make-up Artist) and Sallie Evans (Hairdresser) (segment “The Crimson Permanent Assurance”)
Costume Design: James Acheson aka Jim Acheson
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 107minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / Fabulous Films
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ [1983] informs us that mysteries of life are always around us, but no one has the answers to these cosmic questions. Until now, as Monty Python has released a motion picture that answers all of your questions, plus ones you’d never even thought of.
‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ didn't have to be made, but thank goodness it was. Unlike previous Python films, this 1983 film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ was given a larger budget and more production time: this gives certain aspects of the film a less spontaneous quality, which pulls double duty as a benefit and a handicap. Performances are first rate, from the multi-tasking troupe members themselves to familiar faces like “honorary Python” Carol Cleveland. Even better are the lively musical numbers peppered throughout, including certified Python classics like “Every Sperm Is Sacred” and “The Galaxy Song.”
The Monty Python troupe tackles questions that plague us all. Why are we here on earth? What is the purpose of life? Well, sort of. Less philosophical musing than it is highly satiric of many aspects of human behaviour; ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ spares no aspect of the human condition from ridicule. From the cradle to the grave, the six Python comedians, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin present a series of skits in a seven part comedy romp.
This silly British satire is certainly not among the favourites of Python fans, whereas ‘The Life of Brian’ and ‘The Holy Grail’ are the undisputed Python classics. But ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ still remains pure Python, replete with their disdain for organized religion and constant mocking of what they must surely see as hypocritical human morals. Python is more agreeable to the tireless social critic with a penchant for irreverent British humour. Unlike many contemporary British comedies popular in the U.S.A. Monty Python team mixes dire social critique amongst the fart and penis jokes. And, for the most part, they are successful at this.
When ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ we're treated to some of Monty Python's very best material. The film's first 45 minutes are nearly flawless from start to finish, and I've lost count of how many times I've simply looped that run of perfectly timed comedy for a quick Python fix.
Things get a little spotty during the second half; it's not unusual during most films, but several weaker sketches combined, again, with the lack of a strong narrative and threatens to derail the film's considerable momentum. In its defence, the consistently terrific song breaks and the final few sketches help to keep the ship upright, allowing most of this production to feel as entertaining, absurd, accessible and thought-provoking as the very best stretches. Ranking them is a purely subjective matter, but I'll be diplomatic and say that I'm glad all three exist.
In ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ you will be guided through the entire cycle of life, from birth through childhood to adulthood, then old age and finally, the inescapable embrace of death. But the journey doesn’t end when the casket closes, as this movie takes us beyond the mortal coil and gives us a glimpse into what awaits in the afterlife. All of this is explained through animations, fish with important thoughts, drill sergeants, nuns, musical numbers, and doctors with cutting edge equipment, a unique organ donor program, and so much more. So get set to take a trip and have all of your questions answers, as this is ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE.’
If you want to talk about genius in the world of comedy, no conversation would be complete with a lot of time spent on Monty Python. With an incredible television series in BBC’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and movie classics like ‘Monty Python and The Holy Grail,’ the troupe built quite a legacy of laughs. On the lesser end of their work is ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ but is a lesser work of genius still on a higher level than most?
‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ unlike ‘Life of Brian’ is episodic in nature and out of the three films, the most similar to the original television series. Not as consistent however, as some sketches disappoint, but most of the material is good, some even great. The group does seem to go for the visceral a little more than usual, but this is Monty Python, so you have to expect some offensive moments.
A good example of the silliness: the questioning of two men dressed as a tiger in the African jungle during the height of the Zulu Wars. The strong cultural criticism comes in scenes like the mutiny of bookkeepers against their corporate masters or the explosion of the supremely gluttonous Michael Palin. In fact, whether intentional or not, The Meaning of Life is the Monty Python film that contains their most bold-faced critical social commentary. It is good for a chuckle, but unquestionably funnier to those fed up with many aspects of culture which seem to defy logic.
Anyway, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones do their usual stuff. Delightful as well as hilarious film but plenty with profanities, nudism, sex, grossing humour and obscenity. This film being the last of Monty Python’s outings, explores the meaning and aim of life in a lot of sketches from conception, boyhood, adult world, war, to death when the group suffered from food poisoning, and then the Grim Reaper brings for the final stage of human life and beyond. So enjoy folks!
But on the other hand, by the time this film came out, the Monty Python style of humour was already becoming a bit, well, dated. It'd lost the freshness which made the original TV show and their earlier films such classics. In short, the lads were trying TOO hard to be funny, and it shows. Not that's it's a bad movie, there's enough funny stuff to give nearly every viewer a good laugh at some point or another, but it's just not consistently funny, which is the mark of any great comedy. My favourite was probably the bit about the English Army officers fighting in Africa in the 1870's, when one of them wakes up to find his leg missing by saying:
The doctor says “Must have been bitten off by a tiger.”
“A tiger, here in Africa?”
“Well, maybe it escaped from a zoo.”
This was the sort of lunatic dialogue which made their earlier work great. But too much of it is just gross out humour. The fat guy was pretty funny, but the liver sketch was just over the top and quite disgusting. And John Cleese doing his live “sex-education” in front of a bunch of bored schoolboys just made me want to cringe. Like I said, it seemed to me the Monty Python guys knew and realised they were past their prime, and instead of just letting the humour flow naturally, they tried too often to force it out and with decidedly mixed results.
At the end of the film, it mentions that the producers would like to thank all the fish who have taken part in the film. We hope that other fish will follow the example of those who have participated, so that, in future, fish all over the world will live together in harmony and understanding, and put aside their petty differences, cease pursuing and each other and live for a brighter, better future for all fish, and those who love them.
MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE MEANING OF LIFE (Lyrics by Eric Idle) (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez) [Performed by Eric Idle]
OH LORD DO NOT BURN US (Lyrics by Michael Palin and Terry Jones) (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez) [Performed by Michael Palin, John Cleese and chorus]
EVERY SPERM IS SACRED (Lyrics by Michael Palin and Terry Jones) (Music by André Jacquemin and Dave Howman) [Performed by Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Andrew MacLachlan, Jennifer Franks, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle]
GALAXY SONG (Lyrics by Eric Idle) (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez) [Performed by Eric Idle]
ACCOUNTANCT SHANTY (Lyrics by Eric Idle and John Du Prez) (Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez) [Performed by Russell Kilmister and chorus]
PENIS SONG (Lyrics by Eric Idle) (Music by Eric Idle) [Performed by Eric Idle]
CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN (Lyrics by Terry Jones) (Music by Eric Idle) [Performed by Graham Chapman]
Toccata und Fuge in d-Moll, BWV 565 (Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach)
THE LIBERTY BELL (uncredited) (Written by John Philip Sousa)
SALUTE TO GREATNESS (uncredited) (Composed by Earl Ward) (Published by De Wolfe)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films presents us the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ with a 1080p image and shown in the 1.85:1 anamorphic aspect ratio and may not be the best image, but it's the best it's going to get. Terry Gilliam's opening short “The Crimson Permanent Assurance” is probably the best looking portion of this Blu-ray release. There's some great detail both in the shots of the offices and while the crew is sailing through those skyscrapers. The colours are a little dim, but also spot-on. The rest has decent colours, but can be noisy at times. For the most part, the thick layer of grain sort of detracts from the wider shots. However, there are some nice close-ups with good facial details and the outdoor rugby match probably offers some of the brightest, best imagery of the movie. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures and Fabulous Films brings us the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and considering the action throughout the film the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is pretty tame. The dialogue is clear and crisp, as is the other sounds in the film. With the exception of a few atmospheric tit bits for those surrounds, the rears are mostly reserved for the film's soundtrack. That leaves all of the swashbuckling, gunshots and puking sounds to hover up front. The music in particular could use a boost, but since dialogue is solid, I doubt many fans will complain that much.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Outrageous Bonus Features Created Exclusively By The Monty Python Team
Special Feature The Meaning of Monty Python: 30th Anniversary Reunion [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1] [60:15] With this featurette, we sit down with the Monty Python team for a funny, enlightening trip down memory lane. 30 years after making ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ where John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin reunite for a new hour-long conversation about their last movie ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ they made together and re-live every side-splitting comedic moment, every outrageous vignette and every tasteless joke, as ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ commands your attention once again. They all talk about the beach in Jamaica where it was written to the hilarious ideas that didn't make the cut, the Pythons provoke laughter and thought with a wide-ranging discussion about comedy, society, the universe and the biggest mystery of all – why are fish funny? Again it reunites Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Michael Palin as they talk thirty years on not only about the film ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ but also about comedy, creativity, appreciation, food, fish and their own mortality. As ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ brought all the loyal Pythonites back together, sharing writing responsibilities as they returned to their much loved sketch show format, with Terry Jones directing and John Goldstone producing. At the start of this featurette we find it is Los Angeles, California at 2:30am and we meet Eric Idle in his home and next we are in London, England at 10:30am and we get to meet Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Michael Palin for a grand reunion after and it is 30 years after the release of the 1983 film ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and sadly Eric Idle has to it remotely via a video link in Los Angeles at 2:30am which he moans about, but in a good half-hearted way, and of course they start reminiscing over the making of the film ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and talk in-depth about the parts of the film they really liked and the other parts of the film they did not like. They talk about bringing to life roles ranging from “The Grim Reaper” to the legendary Mr. Creosote.” They also mention that scripts that had been written for other sketches they wanted to appear in the film, but eventually they found that these extra sketches would not have worked, as it would of mate the film much longer and slow the pace of the film. They talk about the great English comedians that came to the forefront of British comedy after the Second World War and they mention “The Goon Show” which was a highly surreal BBC Radio 4 adventures that helped take British comedy into a new age and starred Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe. Also features Michael Bentine. Then came BBC Radio 4’s “Beyond The Fringe” which was a 1960’s satirical comedy show starring Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. Then they talk about the great British comedians in the 1960’s who included Max Wall, Tommy Cooper, Peter Cook, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, John Bird, John Fortune and Eleanor Bron who was an English stage, film and television actress, and an author, which they comment that all these comedians came about fifteen years after the end of the Second World War around the 1960’s period and that they feel when comedy went really wild, and then along came British television and again the comedy scene changed dramatically, but they say that at the same period in Europe television was not so popular and if you were French, Spanish or Italian, then these European actors preferred to be in films and felt television was just second rate. They once again go back to reminiscing about the time building up to filming ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and what a fun time they had and wondered if they could ever do a ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ Part 2, but feel that comedy has moved on so much and not sure if they could pull it off or even be able to raise the money. Anyway, all in all, it was a really interesting featurette, and especially with five wonderful comedians reminiscing and was a really enjoyable hearing all of their hilarious anecdotes and is well worth viewing. Once you hear the Monty Python team’s perspective on “The Meaning of Life” in general, you will never see the movie ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ the same way again.
Special Feature: 2003 Prologue by Eric Idle [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:16] With this featurette, we get to hear from Eric Idle, along with an entire pitch that the producers gave to Universal Pictures in 1982 to be able to fund and distribute the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ we see Eric Idle across from the Universal Pictures office building and now tells us exactly what the producers said to the Universal Pictures executives and this is what was said, “There’s everything in this movie, from “The Meaning of Life” in the Universe to girls with great big tits. We’ve got movie stars and foreign cars, explosions and the lot, and filmed as only we know for the budget we have got. We spend a fortune on locations and quite a bit on drink, and there’s even the odd philosophical joke, just to make you buggers think. Yet some parts are as serious, as they are deep as you could wish. But largely, it’s all tits and ass and quite a lot of filth. Other bits are fairly childish, and some are frankly rude, but at least we’ve got nice girls banging around in the nude. So take your seats, enjoy yourselves, and let’s just hope it is funny. Because it’s not just done to make you laugh, but to make us money. Relax and just enjoy yourself for this is ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE.’
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes: With this featurette, we get to view seven deleted scenes that did not get featured in the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and this is what we get to view: The Adventure of Martin Luther [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [2:54]; An Expert [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [0:47]; The Cheese Lady [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [1:03]; Randy In The Jungle [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [1:14]; The Hendys [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [4:58]; Mr. Creosote Arrives At The Restaurant [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [1:30] and Gaston Takes Us For A Good Walk [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [4:55] Please Note: With each of the seven deleted scenes we get an audio commentary from Terry Jones explaining why they felt they could not be featured in the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ because of different circumstances.
Special Feature: The Meaning of Making “the Meaning of Life” [2003] [480i / 1080p] [1.78:1] [49:02] With this featurette, is a rather interesting documentary on the making of ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE.’ It is comprised entirely of interview bits with all six, and sadly including the deceased Graham Chapman, but of course we get to meet the five surviving Monty Python members, not all from the same year or time, occasionally inter-cut with clips, almost all of which are from the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ itself, and a little bit of actual behind-the-scenes footage does make its way into their comments as well. It's much more entertaining than what they are describing. Their description of the process, stuff that didn't make it into the movie, their differences, quite a bit of it is marvellous to listen to. It's interesting and fun, throughout the interview. There are facts, accounts that fit more or less with each other, and genuine Monty Python weirdness, in the bits. The anecdotes are total golden. The editing is spot-on throughout, sharply cut and clever, all the way. There is some language and graphic content, as well as nudity. It's best to watch this after having seen the movie, so as to not spoil any of that experience and can perhaps best be described with the words “pure Monty Python.” As an added bonus we get to view a lot of rare behind-the-scene filming. One thing I thought was totally hilarious, is that Eric idle comments on the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ feels it is still quite shocking, but says he is still very proud of the film, because it is like a “punk” film, with some parts of the film is just very nasty as you wish, still today, there are extremes of grossness as you could want, like Mr. Creosote exploding or the liver sketch which is totally disgusting. But overall, the rest of the serving five Monty Python team felt the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ was most of the time a really good jolly hilarious film and feels it has stood the test of time since it was released in 1983. I can also recommend this interview to any fan of Monty Python. Contributors include: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Eric idle.
Special Feature: Education Tips [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [6:00] With this featurette, we get the sub heading “Education Tips No. 41: Choosing a Really Expensive School” and we are taken on a Travelogue-style tour of St. Titarse's, eh, St. Titus's Academy by the well-known Monty Python team, back for this totally new sketch and total send up of choosing a posh school to send your child to and is narrated by Michael Palin. Utterly devoid of taste, this sketch of a mere six minutes is so rich in material, both as far as amount, and as how solid it is, go. The jokes are based around sex education, corporate “ethics” and the Monty Python zaniness that we know and love. The pacing is spot-on, there is some repetition, but not too much. Two of the Monty Python’s join forces and bring us this all-new sketch, including John Cleese as Dik Bonkers, PhX, M.R. (Natal) and also as Dr. Ken Enron Chaney, and of course we have Michael Palin as R.Q. Thistlewaite, B.I. (G) T.I.T.S.
Special Feature: Remastering A Masterpiece [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [8:21] With this featurette, is basically informing us about the story of remastering the 1983 film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ with the famous James C. Katz who is an American film historian and preservationist who has restored and reconstructed a number of classic films and his film preservation projects include: ‘Spartacus,’ ‘My Fair Lady,’ and Alfred Hitchcock's ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Rear Window.’ James C. Katz frequently collaborates with Bob O’Neil and Robert A. Harris, with whom he shared the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the 2000 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival and this featurette offers a tongue in cheek look at efforts to bring the movie ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ to DVD release. We also get to meet Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam to help out James C. Katz clean up the film in a very naughty Monty Python way, because you see Terry Jones puts the film in a washing machine in a Launderette, then you see Terry Gillian using a scrubbing brush on the film to get rid of dirt spots. But of course with this so called help from Terry Jones and Terry Gillian is what I call really taking the piss about cleaning up and restoration the movie ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and if you want to find out what all this means, you will of course have to watch this featurette.
Special Feature: Song and Dance [2003] [480i / 1080p] [1.78:1] [11:32] With this featurette, we get to see two clips from the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE,’ and the first one relates to the “Catholic Family” sketch and the massive dance routine that they felt it was just like a scene from the film ‘Oliver,’ but we also get and in-depth analogy of the process of getting what Terry Jones wanted out of the massive big dance routine with mainly young children and some adults and they were just ordinary children who were not trained as dancers. But we also get comments from Arlene Phillips who was of course the choreographer for the “Catholic Family” sketch dance routine, but was also involved with the “Heaven” sketch dance routine near the end of the film and we also get comments from the dancer Jane Leeves who performed in the in the “Heaven” sketch and what hard work it was to perfume in 5” heals with the rest of the female dancers. We also get to view several clips from film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE.’ Contributors include: Terry Jones [Director], Arlene Phillips [Chorographer] and Jane Leeves [Dancer in the “Heaven” sketch].
Special Feature: Virtual Reunion [2003] [1080i] [1.78:1] [3:09] With this featurette, we get to meet the four remaining Monty Python team in a remote video link, which includes Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones and we first meet them in an unknown bar, but we also see them all appear in another remote video link in another unknown location, and to be honest it was a really pathetic, stupid and not at all funny and was a complete waste of time and effort for this featurette.
Special Feature: What Fish Think [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [16:05] With this featurette, we get to view a fish tank aquarium with tropical fish swimming about, with the Monty Python members providing a so called comical voiceover to communicate the inner thoughts of the tropical fish inhabitants who just swim about the aimlessly, but to be honest, I felt this was the ultimate most boring featurette for me to ever have to sit watching for just over 16 minutes and to be honest it was right load of boring ultimate crap and personally I would have preferred watching paint dry.
Special Feature: Songs Unsung: With this featurette, we get to view Eric Idle and Terry Jones in two separate recording studios and recording three songs that did not end up in the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and they were as follows: EVERY SPERM IS SACRED [Eric Idle Version] [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:09]; IT’S THE MEANING OF LIFE [Terry Jones Version] [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:54] and CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN [Eric Idle Version] [2003] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:13].
Special Feature: Audio Commentary with Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam [Audio only] [2013] [1080p] [1.85:1] [104:59] With this featurette, we get to hear from both Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones and are here to talk about the film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ who were recorded separately, but smoothly edited together, and we first get to hear from Terry Jones informing us in-depth why they started the film with “The Crimson Pirate Permanent Assurance” sketch and mentions he wanted to employ the old retired men actors, because they still had a lot of life left in them, as in their youth they were song and dance men, as well as stunt men. But when the actual film ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ starts we get to hear from Terry Jones and his contribution to this audio commentary, and Terry Jones pipes up, “Ah, we finally rid of that Terry Gilliam and this is what people have come to hear is my audio commentary. Throughout the audio commentary it is a little on the sluggish side, with participants struggling to come up with anecdotes and observations as the film unfolds and there are plenty of unfortunate dead spots. When Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam find something to talk about, the audio track imparts an understanding of the Monty Python creative process and assessment of the work. However, those highlights are few and far between. They both offer recollections about writing and producing material that is repeated in other features and appreciate the work of their fellow troupe members. Even with Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam talking, and unfortunately there is far too much of dead silence throughout this audio commentary. But as we come to the near the end of this audio commentary and also near the end of the film, we again hear from Terry Jones and says that there it is “The Meaning of Life” and mentions the following people in the end credits and they are Carol Cleveland, Simon Jones, Patricia Quinn, Judy Loe, Andrew MacLachlan, Mark Holmes and Valerie Whittington, and that folks is the end of a not so enjoyable audio commentary.
Special Feature: Audio Track For The Lonely [Audio only] [2013] [1080p] [1.85:1] [105:23] With this featurette, we get to hear another audio commentary, supposedly intended to provide some company for the viewer, with a restless man [Michael Palin] drinking, farting, calling friends, and commentating on the film as it plays. To me this was total garbage and a complete waste of space for a featurette and totally 100% complete load of rubbish.
Special Feature: Selling ‘THE MEANING OF LIFE’ and what we get to view is seven short featurettes and they are as follows: Trailer [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [2:41]; TV Spots [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:03]; USA Promotion [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:03]; Rejects [1983] [1080i] [1.37:1] [0:58]; UK Radio [1983] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:18]; Telepathy [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:27] and Un Film De John Cleese [1983] [480i / 1080p] [1.78:1] [1:31].
Finally, ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ [1983] and with the final reckoning, Director Terrys Jones directed the film with flair and style, and all of the songs are very memorable, catchy and very funny. There are one or two moments of pure genius. But then there are also padded out jokes and others that slightly miss the target. It’s a worthy addition to the Monty Python’s body of work, but it falls short of the unrelenting brilliance of the 1970’s films. But of course there was of course a slightly sad aspect in viewing this Blu-ray disc is that Graham Chapman was long dead by then, and of the assembled living members, Eric Idle could only join remotely on screen. But there is the added poignancy that since it was recorded, Terry Jones fell ill and has subsequently passed away. Fans will feel warm, nostalgic and perhaps a little sad watching this affectionate yet joshing get-together. ‘MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE’ Blu-ray looks immaculate, and can be enjoyed in the highest definition. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
