A collection of skits that made the Monty Python troupe famous, performed live at the Hollywood Bowl. Included are the singing philosophers, lumberjacks, the pope, and a suspiciously-male looking seabird vendor.Written by
Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>
The "Custard Pie Lecture" was actually done close to intermission in order for Terry Jones to get cleaned off, as he took the worst of the pie throwing in the skit. See more »
Goofs
Taking into account Chinese naming conventions, Mao Tse Tung's placard during World Forum should read Mao T.T. instead of M.T. Tung. See more »
The film's opening also features spanning shots of the audience, including some obvious die-hard Monty Python fanatics. Amongst them are someone dressed as a Spam vendor, someone dressed as Gumby (the Monty Python sketch character, not the green clay guy), and someone with a "Monty Python for President" sign. See more »
Alternate Versions
Some older VHS versions of the show omit the "Little Red Riding Hood" segment. See more »
I consider the Pythons to be one of the best comedy groups that ever appeared on the screen, perhaps even THE best (it's either them or the Marx Brothers). If you agree even partially, you should not miss "Live at the Hollywood Bowl". Irreverence and surrealism in abundance - as you would expect from the Python guys at their best. Sure, devoted fans have probably seen many of these sketches before, but that won't stop them from enjoying them again - it certainly didn't stop the live audience at the time. There are some slow spots and the picture quality is fairly poor (as the show was videotaped and then transferred to film), but how can you say anything bad about a film that has you crying from too much laughter at least twice? ("What? Only one Christ?") (***)
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I consider the Pythons to be one of the best comedy groups that ever appeared on the screen, perhaps even THE best (it's either them or the Marx Brothers). If you agree even partially, you should not miss "Live at the Hollywood Bowl". Irreverence and surrealism in abundance - as you would expect from the Python guys at their best. Sure, devoted fans have probably seen many of these sketches before, but that won't stop them from enjoying them again - it certainly didn't stop the live audience at the time. There are some slow spots and the picture quality is fairly poor (as the show was videotaped and then transferred to film), but how can you say anything bad about a film that has you crying from too much laughter at least twice? ("What? Only one Christ?") (***)