Monty Python's Flying Circus: Live at Aspen

I love Monty Python, like many Americans, but I was glad to see relative newcomer Eddie Izzard worked into the intro ('Python Imposter'). Who was it, please, who threw something at him as he was leaving the stage? Ahem! Anyway, it was a charming bit they conceived for him and I only wished there could have been more time for Eddie (it was supposed to be a retrospective for the Python Players; I know, I know...) I figured this was the reason, at least in part, that he was in Aspen in 1998 - as he mentioned in his 1998 show 'Dress to Kill'. Deductive reasoning!

Robert Klein is the host for this reunion in Aspen. It is the guys sitting on stage and talking. There are plenty of greatest hit clips from the show and movies. John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin are brought in. They kick out Eddie Izzard and bring in the ashes of Graham Chapman.

Normally, I downgrade a clip show, but there is no way I would do that for Monty Python. The clips are simply superior. The boys have some good stories. For newcomers, this is a solid introduction although I don't know any newcomers. For old-timers, this is a nice time with friends.

This stage production is a must see for any Monty Python fan. We the all the Python Cast , including Graham Chapmans ashes,on stage talking about how they all started and about the famous sketches and films and we see lots of clips of the show and films.What is great is that they all seem to get on with each other and enjoy reminissing .There are some very funny moments involving the Late Graham Chapman and the exeptance speech from John Cleese at the end had me laughing. The audiance seem to be celebrities. I bet they paid a lot of money for the privilage. 8 out of 10.

HBO special. Although billed as an awards ceremony, it's mostly a retrospective of their past work with a couple of great new little bits that remind the viewer that their humor, intelligence, and bad taste still haven't changed much through the years. All of the Pythons are there (including Graham Chapman in powdered form), and is MC'd by a surprisingly un-annoying Robert Klein. Memories of the group's past are interspersed with bits from the Flying Circus show and their movies (except for Life of Brian, which is curiously censored due to legal reasons), along with a couple of contrived - but funny - new bits to spice things up. We've seen most of this stuff before, but it still brings a smile to the face nonetheless. Flashes of the audience center mostly on the previous cast of Cheers (why? who knows). All in all, a funny and enjoyable way to blow an hour.

"Live at Aspen" reunites the five remaining Pythons (the sixth one, Graham Chapman, also "appears" in the form of his ashes - a gimmick that is both macabre and moving) on stage for the first time in about 16 years. But although it's included in the same DVD ("Monty Python Live!") with "Live at the Hollywood Bowl", it's not really a live show. It's more of a documentary / tribute. It's nice to see that the Pythons still haven't lost their bad taste and unpredictability, and their fans will no doubt enjoy the archival footage from their movies and TV shows. It's a nice tribute and a minor diversion, but I got the feeling it could (and should) have been a lot meatier. (**1/2)