Monty Python
Starring: Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, John Cleese
I believe Monty Python to be the most hilarious group ever to come to be. They are a group of six people namely: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin; who put together a bunch of sketches and movies about things you would never dream of. Their creations are comic genius, witty and clever and have been recognised for decades. They have composed titles such as the "Holy Grail", "The Life of Brian", "The Meaning of Life" and "And Now for Something Completely Different", each masterpieces in themselves, my favourite being the "Holy Grail": in which King Arthur and his Knights of the round table fore fill a task from god to find the Holy Grail.
I would say that Monty Python’s method of humour is probably surrealistic, because the gags they perform are so random, it almost forces you to laugh. For example, in the meaning of life, an obscenely fat man enters into a French restaurant, eats too much and explodes! Monty Python is that all the time. Their sketches are never predictable because of this randomness, it can range from albatrosses, to floating banks; whatever it is, the arbitrariness is bound to make you smile.
Focusing on the characters:
1) Graham Chapman usually has the leading roles in the movies- if there is one, he usually takes more of a realistic part in the movie compared to the rest of the crew, but this doesn’t liberate him of any humour, since whilst not being the funniest of the group, he still has his share of the laughs.
2) Secondly John Cleese: a tall eccentric individual who usually holds a posh, or angry part, his accents are extremely funny and every move of his is emphasised, John Cleese gives a whole new entity to the word funny.
3) Terry Gilliam often plays an old man, he has a lot of funny accents and raises a few laugh, but he hasn’t stood out to me as much as the other members in the group in what I’ve seen, although a few would probably beg to differ.
4) Eric Idle has a very distinct voice, in "Holy Grail" he played Sir Robin: a wimp, "Life of Brian" he played a man who wanted to be a woman, "The Meaning of Life" he played various characters e.g. the rear end of a tiger etc., And now for something completely different a fairy godmother. He was particularly funny as Sir Robin, his voice really suited the part and the way he played it was riotous.
5) Terry Jones has regularly played the part of a squeaky woman, (which is what I recognise him for) often in a dusty black robe, but sometimes in different calibres of uniform, but his talents principally lie in the lines of playing a woman. I think the way he plays the part- his voice slovenliness, everything, its pure genius, a really entertaining part.
6) Michael Palin is probably my favourite in the group. He has a very wide range in voices from a curious American tourist to a paranoid Roman with a lisp! He usually takes on the silly little parts and performs them with a flair, everything about his routines are funny from his barmy to his floundering actions, he is just dazzling!
You can find Monty Python films and series in most retail outlets that sell DVD’s or videos and all the movie stores, they are not oto expensive and often on offer, but they rarely appear on television. I give all of their sequences ten out of ten and haven’t met many people that haven’t loved them too. If you want to buy one of the movies I would advise you to get “Holy Grail”, I consider it to be the best out of their work- it’s a cracker, buy it!
