Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1976) (TV)

Directors:

Roger Graef
Jonathan Miller

Writers:

Alan Bennett (writer)
Graham Chapman (writer)

Release Date:

February 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Amnesty International | Stage Show | Cult Movie Cast | Monty Python | Independent Film

Cast

Alan Bennett	...	Various
John Bird	...	Various
Eleanor Bron	...	Various
Tim Brooke-Taylor	...	Various Characters
Graham Chapman	...	Various
John Cleese	...	Pet Shop Customer / The Pope / Various
Carol Cleveland	...	Various
Peter Cook	...	E.L. Wisty / Various
John Fortune	...	Various
Graeme Garden	...	Various
Terry Gilliam	...	Various
Barry Humphries	...	Edna Everage
Neil Innes	...	Various
Des Jones	...	Various
Terry Jones	...	Various
Jonathan Lynn	...	Michelangelo / Various
Jonathan Miller	...	Various
Dudley Moore	...	Narrator
Bill Oddie	...	Various Characters
Michael Palin	...	Pet Shop Owner

Also Known As:

Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe

Runtime:

UK:74 min | USA:85 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12 (re-release) | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company:

Amnesty International

Trivia:

This was the film version of the Amnesty International stage show "A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick)".

Quotes:

E.L. Wisty: They're not so rigorous, the mining exams, they only ask you one question. They say "who are you?" and I got 75% on that.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Secret Policeman's Private Parts (1984)

Some excellent stuff here, some rare, and not all Python

It's been years since I saw this show, but some of it still rings in my memory.

It should be noted that this is a filmed record of a live performance, a benefit for Amnesty International, which became an annual festivity. (There are 2 other documentaries of later installments of this event, "The Secret Policeman's Ball" and "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball".) It was a gathering of most of the famous "Oxbridge" comedians, including several members of the "Beyond The Fringe" troupe of the early 60's (Peter Cook and Jonathan Miller), most of the Pythons, and such other comedy luminaries as Barry Humphries doing his Dame Edna Everedge character. It includes some behind-the-scenes footage (which is good) but it cuts short some of the performances (which, we hope, improves them, but we'll never know.)

Th Python material is mostly familiar, although a few things do happen in Live performance to vary the known script. But the real delight is the other stuff. Jonathan Miller's dry wit, and the late Peter Cook's absolutely devastatingly funny routines, "I Wanted to be a Judge" and "I've a Viper in this Box."

Overall, it is as full of good material as any single Python show ever was, perhaps more full. For a true Python fan, it represents a chance to see where the Pythons drew much of their style and inspiration from. For everyone else, it is an excellent chance to see some of the best British comedians of the 60's and 70's.

"I wanted to be a judge, but I didn't 'ave the Latin. You need a lot of latin to pass the judgin' exams. They're very rigorous. the judgin' exams are. People come staggerin' out, going 'Ow my Gawd, wha' a rigo'ous exam!" So I decided to become a miner instead. A coal miner. They're not near so rigorous, the coal miner's exams. They've only got one question, "What is your name?" And I scored 75%!"