The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979) (TV)

Director:

Roger Graef

Writer:

Billy Connolly (writer)

Release Date:

June 1980 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy

Plot:

A series of benefit concerts to raise money for Amnesty International. Performances include comedy skits...

Plot Keywords:

Monty Python | Amnesty International | Live Audience | Revue | Absurd Humor

Cast

Paul Abrahams	...	Himself (Piano Player)
Rowan Atkinson	...	Various Roles
Chris Beetles	...	Beetles and Buckman
Mike Brearley	...	Himself
Eleanor Bron	...	Various Roles
Rob Buckman	...	Beetles and Buckman
Ken Campbell	...	Himself
Suzanne Church	...	Herself
John Cleese	...	Himself - Various Roles
Billy Connolly	...	Himself
Peter Cook	...	Various Roles
Anna Ford	...	Herself
Clive James	...	Himself
Clive Jenkins	...	Himself
Sylvester McCoy	...	Himself
Michael Palin	...	Various Roles
David Rappaport	...	Himself / Various Roles
Tom Robinson	...	Himself
Marcel Steiner	...	Himself
Pete Townshend	...	Himself
John Williams
Terry Jones	...	Himself / Various Roles (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Graef

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Billy Connolly		writer

Produced by
John Cleese	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Pascoe MacFarlaine
Clive Tickner
Ernest Vincze

Other crew
John Cleese	....	stage director

Distributors

• Independent Television (ITV) (1979) (UK) (TV) (via London Weekend Television)
• ITC (1980) (UK) (theatrical)
• Greg Lynch Film Distributors (1981) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Shout! Factory (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Portugal:94 min | UK:94 min (theatrical version) | UK:60 min (TV premiere)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA | Australia:PG

Trivia:

This production was the first time that the the Secret Policeman's cartoon character was seen. Amnesty International's then new fund-raising officer Peter Walker recruited New Statesman cartoonist Colin Wheeler to draw it.

Quotes:

[aside]
Judge:I hope you brought a toothbrush.
Judge:[aloud] Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is now my duty to advise you on how you should vote when you retire from this court. In the last few weeks we have all heard some pretty extraordinary allegations being made about one of the prettiest, about one of the most distinguished politicians ever to rise to high office in this country - or not...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: Episode #18.3" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Pinball Wizard

Uneven but funny...

This film is on the same disk as PLEASURE AT HER MAJESTY'S--and both are benefit performances by various British comics on behalf of Amnesty International. Unlike PLEASURE, however, THE SECRET POLICEMAN'S BALL has the addition of a few musical performances--which, in my opinion, detract from the comedy--though I am sure some will love seeing and hearing them. Like PLEASURE, this film is of rather grainy quality and does not have any captioning of any sort--a definite minus for non-Brits and those who are hard of hearing (and I was screwed because I fall in both categories). Seeing a restored and captioned version would be wonderful, but as far as I know is not possible--especially since this DVD is part of a set that was just released.

As far as the comedy goes, it's a mixed bag. Some of the skits (particularly the ones written by the Pythons) were great and I did enjoy some of Peter Cooke's bits as well. New to the show was Rowan Atkinson, and sadly, his bits were among the worst on the show. However, he was still quite young and the more recent Amnesty International performances have been fantastic. Plus, he was excellent in filling in for Eric Idle in "The Old Codger Skit"--the best thing in the show. Other great Python bits that were recycled include the Cheese Shop and a Python-like skit that opened the show with Cooke and Cleese. But, for every very good bit, there seemed to be a flat one. Perhaps some of this is because Americans like myself are less familiar with the other comics and I had less of an emotional investment in their acts. Part of this also was because some things just weren't funny or the dialog was so hard to follow (without captions) that it was futile--particularly the long and deliberately rapid Shakespeare bit (which, to me, was the worst thing in the show--very tedious indeed). Still, for fans of British comedy, this is an excellent little stroll down memory lane--and worth seeing despite my reservations. And, it's a great deal better than the first film--especially since this film concentrated solely on the performances and not the unnecessary backstage action.