Product Description
ver thirty years ago a group of five Englishmen and one wayward American rewrote the rules of comedy. Monty Python's Flying Circus, an unheralded half-hour of sketches, hilarities, inanities, and animations first appeared on the BBC late one night in 1969. Its impact on the world has been felt ever since. The Pythons is the ultimate word on all things Python-esque. Thirty years of insight, hindsight, and bad sight-now told for the first time. It's full of stuff they're never remembered before alongside stories they'd forgotten to say, coupled with things they couldn't say then and even more things they can't pronounce now (with a healthy dollop of things they would never have said in the first place if any others had been in the room at the time). Here is a unique look at arguably the most important comic team of the modern age. In the style of The Beatles Anthology, it's lavishly illustrated with 1,000 photographs and illustrations, many seen here for the first time. Do you want Spam with that?Amazon.com Review
Python fans will need to clear a large space on their bookshelf or coffee table for The Pythons--a big, vital autobiography of the comedy troupe. This is an oral history by the six members (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) from birth to--in the case of Chapman--death. We get reminisces about childhood, university days, early successes, and rich details about the landmark Flying Circus TV series and subsequent films. The voices are fresh (with expectation of Michael Palin's insightful diary entries), not just complied from earlier publications. "Due to his insistence of being inconveniently dead," Chapham's voice is heard through his longtime partner David Sherlock, his brother and sister-in-law (and some archival materials). As a whole, the six impart a refreshing ability to deal honestly with the frustrations that arose over the years and it comes out in the text even when events are recalled differently. The book is not a light read (figuratively and literally), perhaps a smaller size would have been better for the amount of text; a cursory glance at the coffee table is tough. What does fill the book is an abundance of photos (over 1,000), most never published and many from the troupe's private collections. Along with concept sketches, Gilliam's drawings and doodles, and a few correspondences, this is a keepsake memento of the legendary group. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Insert Laugh Here
The Pythons turn the mirror on themselves and try to explain where all of the brilliance came from.Not a book to read in the library!!!

Simply Awesome
This giant photo-riffic book is the Python equivalent of the now-standard Beatles Anthology. No fan of Cleese, Palin, Jones, Idle, Chapman and Gilliam should be without it.

The Pythons
After purchasing the complete set of DVD's and laughing so hard I was sick, I just had to find out out they did it.This book answered my question.I enjoyed it, but it was a bit long and somewhat redundant.

depressing
This is probably the most accurate history of the Monty Python television program and films.

It reveals the impressing background of the players and their problems in working together which resulted in their dispersing and ill will with each other.

Intriguing but flawed like most oral histories-for the true fan
THE PYTHONS is a must for fans of the group but for the more casual reader it probably won't serve a purpose. It is an oral history of the group with contributions by the living members and statements culled from the late Graham Chapman's auto-biography. (A very funny book, but one that needs to be taken with a 16 ton grain of salt)If you are looking for specifics of how any of this marvelous group put together their sketches, look elsewhere; this is not a breakdown of how Monty Python's Flying Circus came to be, rather it is a bunch of reminiscences of early life, working together( and who worked with whom) and some still not quite healed wounds. Chapman comes off poorly, his drinking a constantly mentioned problem, Gilliam's story is so separate from the rest that he really doesn't seem to be a member of the group until The Holy Grail, although his animations were a key to the show's success, and Cleese is often seen here as standoffish, a bit out of the mix with the others. Memories often don't jibe for each member, an example being who chose "The Liberty March" as the theme, Palin lays claim to it as does Gilliam (with Idle agreeing with Gilliam.)But it is interesting to see how the group's personalities come forward as time goes on, and it does give some insight into the creative processes behind the scenes even though it does fall short of offering the aforementioned specifics. there are a number of great stories here and well worth the time (and strength!) to read this book. I did enjoy this slightly askew look at one of comedy's most influential and funniest groups ever; I just have difficulty recommending it to anyone but the converted. ... Read more

Product Description

A Private Word to the Reader

You are currently holding in your hand . . .

. . . well, actually, God knows what you are holding in your hand, you are after all adults, and what you hold in your own right hand is entirely up to you . . .

. . . you may, after all, have this in your left hand and something else in your right hand and you will probably have held far worse things in both your hands than this . . . and hey! . . . No! . . .

Stop that! Miss Johansson, I said, "Please hold my calls . . ." Honestly. Hollywood!

Anyway, what you are about to read--or have read to you--is a new book that is the first active collaboration of the Monty Python chaps for many, many years. In fact, the first book written and produced by the Pythons, themselves, since 1979. No, they are not all dead. Okay, some of them have been a bit quiet recently, and one or two have DNR notes by their bedsides, but the point is five of them are still technically alive and that, if not exactly cause for rejoicing, may well be cause for a new book. And this is it!

So hold whatever you like in your right hand while you read this book. Because laughter is jolly good for you. Even if it can make you blind.

--The Pythons

Customer Reviews (2)

Perfect for Python fans, young and old!
What a great read!With a surprisingly sizable compilation of photos, stories and scripts from the Python touring years, I was very happy that the book surpassed my already hopeful expectations.

The rich and colorful graphics are classic Python and I loved that so many of the stories and photos in the book were new to me.

This is a right treat for Pyth fans, my family has been cracking up non-stop reciting our favorite lines!

Good But Not Great
I am a huge Python fan and was looking forward to this book a great deal.Although I am generally happy with it I can't help but be a little disappointed.

The idea of the book is a good one: a chronicle of the Python's 70's tours of England, Canada and the U.S. and their early 80's appearance at the Hollywood Bowl.All six Pythons contribute (Graham's comments are from his book "A Liar's Autobiography") as do Neil Innes, Carol Cleveland and several others around the Python's orbit.There's some very funny stories about the tours but most hardcore Python fans will have heard the majority of these tales several times before over the years.However it is nice to have all these stories and comments laid out well and in chronological order.

That's the good part.

The bad part is that the stories of the tours take up less than half the book.The majority of the book are scripts of sketches that have been reprinted many times before.Do we really need to see the script of 'Dead Parrot' again?

The photos are generally quite good (I had not seen a number of them before) and the programme from the Hollywood Bowl show is an especially nice touch.The book is very well put together and it's great to have a product that all the Pythons at least put a little time into.Eric Idle should be commended for his editing of the material.

All in all I think most serious Python fans will want to check this out and it makes an oddly nice companion to the other recent Python book Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian which chronicles the Python's filming of 'Life of Brian' in the late 70's.If you love Python like I do then you should pick this one up.If you're a so-so Python fan then you can probably do better with The First 28 Years of Monty Python, Revised Edition or Monty Python Speaks.



... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa
Sometimes the jokes in »Monty Python's Flying Circus« are fired so fast that you don't catch it all. This is your chance to do so.

Hilarious. The greatest comedians ever. Now on paper. I'm afraid I'll die laughing...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa
Sometimes the jokes in »Monty Python's Flying Circus« are fired so fast that you don't catch it all. This is your chance to do so.

Hilarious. The greatest comedians ever. Now on paper. I'm afraid I'll die laughing...

Brief
Also known as 'All the Words', this is exactly what it says on the tin - the scripts for every single show (minus the two German episodes), plus some amusingly-crude photographs, and an index. There isn't really a way ofreviewing this book without straying from the brief and reviewing the showitself, so I'll stop here. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

As much fun as the movie!
This is a very large paperback that includes both the full script from the movie and a scrapbook of scenes and excerpts. I laughed as hard reading the script as I did at the movie itself -- in part because I now understood what they were saying! Brian was the best Python movie -- the only one with a complete story, and fine mistreatment of Christianity. This book is a great way to remember it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't confuse this large-format trade paperback (isbn 0448165686, 11x14") with the small mass-market paperback (no isbn, 4x7") with the same title which contains only the script (no scrapbook).

Great book from the GREATEST film!
This book has great photos, illustrations, and EVEN DELETED SCENES like one where Brian is trying to pass as a preacher, and rants about variousthings people do wrong ... "...and join false sects..." "What? Enjoy forced sex? "

This book is NOT to be missed.Ifyou can find it that is. I have one, but it is falling apart due tomediocre binding. ... Read more

Product Description

Read by Eric Idle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Comic Tale Read by a Comic Genius
This audio book is absolutely fabulous! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favorite books growing up, so I was delighted to find it read by Eric Idle, my favorite Python. Roald Dahl's text is charming, witty, and slightly dark, and Idle brings all of those dimensions to life. I am amazed by how many different voices Idle uses for the characters. Each character has a distinct voice and personality. My personal favorite voice is Veruca Salt. "Daddy, I want a squirrel!" His Wonka voice is hilarious. Idle definitely could have played Willy Wonka. This is a great product. It's so much fun to listen to at any time. You will get many hours of enjoyment listening to the magic of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ... Read more