Monty Python

Monty Python’s 10 Funniest Movie Parodies, Ranked

~ Michael Stevenson ~ Leave a comment

Monty Python’s comedy has maintained its impact over the years. But its their movie parodies in particular that stick out.

Widely regarded to stand among the most groundbreaking comics in the history of comedy, Monty Python trafficked in all kinds of humor. The troupe did regular sketches, sketches with a refreshingly absurdist sensibility, sketches with pitch-black comedy, musical numbers, live shows, animated segments, political satire, religious satire, social satire – and movie parodies

The Pythons’ own cinematic offerings were often parodies themselves, with further parodies layered into each scene, while a number of Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketches spoofed classic movies. Across their renowned oeuvre of comedy, the Pythons (each of them being cinephiles) delivered some of the most hysterical movie parodies ever created.

10 Ivan The Terrible, Part I

Prince Herbert, the effeminate prince played by Terry Jones who is pushed into a marriage he doesn’t want by his father in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is a parody of Prince Vladimir from the movie Ivan the Terrible, Part I.

Both princes are shown to have limited intelligence and share the same terrible haircut. The movie was written and directed by Sergei Eisenstein, a pioneer of montage theory and one of the most revolutionary filmmakers who ever lived.

9 Goldfinger

Although Life of Brian is generally a spoof of religious epics, its opening title sequence takes satirical aim at the James Bond franchise.

The song that plays over the opening credits is a spoof of Shirley Bassey’s theme song from Goldfinger, while the title design itself complements that parody. Continue reading →

Cerys Matthews – Sir Michael Palin chats travel music with Cerys

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Cerys Matthews and Sir Michael Palin

Cerys talks to Sir Michael Palin about his travels around the world, Monty Python, music, writing books and acting. Plus there’s live music from The Lost Brothers. They have just released their 6th album “After The Fire, After The Rain” and join Cerys in the Live Room to play tracks from it. And there’s music from Kutiman, Gil Scott-Heron, Stephen Malkmus and Doris Duke

Listen to the interview at: Cerys Matthews – Sir Michael Palin chats travel music with Cerys – BBC Sounds

Michael Palin offers a sweet and sincere tribute to his long-time comedy partner, Terry Jones

~ Michael Stevenson ~ Leave a comment

Although they regularly performed and collaborated together throughout their long careers, the members of Monty Python actually operated, for the most part, as a set of discrete writing teams. As revealed in any number of sources—including the troupe’s own official oral history, Monty Python Speaks!—Graham Chapman worked primarily with his old friend John Cleese, while Michael Palin and Terry Jones formed a similar pre-existing team. (Eric Idle either worked on his own or with Chapman and Cleese, and Terry Gilliam was largely separated from the sketch-writing process by nature of his work in animation.) As such, there’s an especial impact in seeing Palin react to Jones’ death today; the pair had, after all, known each other and been working closely alongside each other for something on the order of almost 60 years.

Source: Michael Palin offers a sweet and sincere tribute to his long-time comedy partner, Terry Jones

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