Monty Python: Almost the Truth - The Lawyer's Cut

Let's get the background out of the way first - this 6 part series for television is the first in- depth profile of the Monty Python group, who recorded their first TV show forty years ago. So the reviewer who complained that the five surviving members of Python look old only really need do their maths - by the end of this year their ages will range from 66 to 70!

Almost The Truth is set out as a series of interviews on six loose themes over the series - as well as Cleese, Palin, Idle, Gilliam and Jones we also hear from Carol Cleveland, Neil Innes, a number of celebrity fans and, in archive footage, the late Graham Chapman. It is a good format and doesn't distract from the tales that, yes, any casual fan will have heard before.

So why is this an essential purchase for Python followers? First, it presents them all with a fair chunk of screen time to share their views on the success of the series, films, etc. Second, it has a couple of rare extras - but nothing to get too excited about. Third, it has the benefit of 40 years distance from the original BBC transmission; now we know that Python had a legacy both in the UK and the US and we can hear about it.

Perhaps the last hurrah of a marvellous comedy troupe - yes they all went on to other things but Pythons they will always be.

This documentary took the road most taken: if you're documenting Python, be Pythonesque. That's why it gets an 8 and not a 10. The mini-sketch at the beginning got to be annoying about half-way through it at the first watching. I really didn't need the joke repeated 6 times. (And it is more reminiscent of the opening scene of Gilliam's Brazil than of anything by Python, anyway.) Then there are the animations meant to be homage's to Gilliam's works. Another miss. And there's the cutting-people-off-in-mid-sentence in interviews (which, of the Pythonesque directorial touches is the one that works best, in my opinion). The interviewee-being-seen-in-a-profile motif also detracted from the documentary. In short, directorially it's in a bad shape.

Having said that, the rest of it I loved. It is a candid tale of a troupe who got together only by some strange series of flukes, remained together for as long as they did because their various antics and inter-group quibbling somehow managed to cancel each other, left us an incredibly funny legacy (the highlights of which were done as quick-and-dirty solutions to some odd problems) and finally were fed up with it and went on to do other great things separately.

At no point does it feel like anyone is holding anything back. For example, the group is very open about their complete lack of interest in each other's personal lives, and how that made them not see what was going on in Graham Chapman's life, even when it was too big to miss.

Intermixed with this are well-chosen bits of archive footage (including interviews with Chapman that are edited in to sound just like the interviews with the five surviving members), some perspective interviews with friends and contemporary comedians (as well as some actors and musicians), and mentions of some notable fans (mostly from the music business).

I am a Python fan, but (like the group itself, apparently) never dug into their personal lives, feeling that their body of work should speak for itself. So, to me, much of this was new, and I thought that just hearing the story of George Harrison's house and its connection to Life of Brian -- that alone would have made the watching of this documentary worthwhile... and there's a lot more where that came from.

A solid, well deserved 8.

A documentary on the history on British comedy group Monty Python. Features interviews with the five surviving members plus other comedians and artists whose careers they have influenced.

Superb. Having seen a few Monty Python documentaries, all of which were good but a bit dry, I can confidently say that this the essential Python documentary. Very comprehensive - six episodes each of an hour and each episode covering a stage in Monty Python's history. For example, Monty Python and the Holy Grail gets an entire episode and makes for incredibly interesting viewing, as you see and hear what went into making the classic movie.

What makes this so good is the interviews with the five surviving Pythons (plus archival footage of Graham Chapman interviews). Through this you get the definitive story on what happened, plus some interesting side information. Moreover, just through their discussions you can sense the individual intelligence and creativity that went into the making Monty Python so brilliant.

The interviews with non-Pythons are generally interesting and useful, though some are a bit of a the cheerleading type which tend to litter documentaries. I could have done without Russell Brand showing off how many big words he knows. What a pompous prat.

The only other negative was the intro, involving the lawyer getting nuked. Got very tiresome very quickly and got used in all six episodes!

Despite this, a superb documentary and one of the greatest documentary series ever made.

Monty Python's last work was Meaning of Life in 1983, but generations have been affected by them and their own whatever-you-call-it-style. It's incredibly smart and incredibly stupid in the same sentences or breath. While a song may be making light of philosophers throughout the ages, it's always put with a joke that is completely crude and tasteless. And there's always a seg-way or some way of cutting a joke off at the knees before the expected punchline to something else. You never know with the show or the movies - even if you've seen them two or ten or fifty times, you're always on the edge of something about to happen. Or you just love to see a man running away to his death chased by a horde of topless women.

This is the story of 'Python', all five surviving members interviewed plus archival clips of Graham Chapman (his interview bits fill in just about right with the rest of the other testimonies about everything else, even as the enigma of the group). From their humble upbringings they just wanted to do silly comedy things, just go wild with it, and from their starts in the 1960s they somehow all got together by accident and decided to do a show with no title (Monty Python came after about a hundred other titles were considered). The show gained its audience with young people, and it became a controversial but bonafide hit. This then led to the movies, first the hit-or-miss And Now for Something Completely Different, followed by their most notable films 'Holy Grail', 'Life of Brian' and 'Meaning of Liff' (Life, sorry).

The documentary is basically essential for any Python fan, even if you know most of these stories or recollections or talk about who thought what of another or a bunch. For newcomers or those who just want to know who these guys were at the time, it's really quite revealing, and often very funny by themselves. The clips chosen are all pretty much the fantastic choice clips from the show (can't ever go wrong with the Fish Slapping sketch or the Ministry of Funny Walks, albeit Mr. Hilter isn't featured), as are from the films. Best of all are some of those archival footage bits spliced in, specifically from an interview done right during the fuss over Life of Brian when Cleese and Palin were on a show with two old super-Christian headmaster figures (how they get there's is simple and thrilling in its hilarity).

No flaws are left unturned really, at least in the scope of a career retrospective that runs just shy of two hours. But we also see just how, maybe despite all that shouldn't of worked, everything did click for at least most of their time as a team. For any sketch that might fall flat five others would just make one keel over in laughter. That they also had attention to detail as artists- we hear Pasolini mentioned as a big influence on the work of the 'Terrys', directors of the films- is also useful and cool to hear. And in case you're wondering if any real goodies are here that can't be seen anywhere else, watch as Eric Idle prepares a song with John DuPrez, perfectly lovely until "F*** Christmas" comes out of Idle's mouth. Python was a mix of gentle innocence and throw-bombs-at-society craft, and it's a fitting tribute and history.

Almost the Truth is a Documentary about everything you'd want to know about them. From their Childhood life to the sad death of Graham Chapman to the creation of their 3 Feature Films to what they all do now! The interviews are very interesting entertaining and funny as hell! And not only that, but they interview famous people (actors, directors, comedians etc. including LOYD KAUFMAN!) and their own opinions of their best sketches, films and lots more! The DVD includes extended interviews, Best sketches and more! If you are a fan of the Pythons (or comedy for that matter), documentaries or just looking for some entertainment, this is a 6 episode long documentary thats worth your time!

4/5 8/10