[.ca] Monty Python: Season 4: Set 7

From Amazon.com:
Don't expect the Spanish Inquisition in these six episodes from the fourth--and final--half-season of Monty Python's Flying Circus. By this time (1974), John Cleese had departed. His absence is keenly felt, but Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam--with invaluable assist from Carol Cleveland, Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), and songwriter Neil Innes--pick up the slack with some of the most surreal material Python ever produced. Like the third season's Cycling Tour, several of these episodes, including The Golden Age of Ballooning, Michael Ellis (set mostly in a very silly department store), and Mr. Neutron, are extended, near-program-length sketches. But there are memorable bits throughout: some indecipherable RAF Banter ("Bally Jerry hanged his kite right in the how's-your-father"); a Hamlet tired of people wanting him to recite "To Be or Not to Be"; a parade of bogus psychiatrists; a doctor whose nurse keeps stabbing, shooting, or garroting his patients; and The Most Awful Family in Britain competition, which achieves "the really gross awfulness that we're looking for." These episodes do not loom large in the Python legend, except perhaps as the basis for a lawsuit the troupe filed in 1975 against ABC, which aired them during late night in severely tampered-with versions. While, literally speaking, no Monty Python collection is complete without this box set, initiates are bound to watch these episodes with a disappointed, "Well, what's all this then?" --Donald Liebenson

Some new directions taken, not all well directed:
When the second season ended for "Monty Python's Flying Circus," John Cleese announced he had had enough, but he was talked into a third season. The fourth season came to pass without him and the effect was not all that good, as you can tell from the A & E release of the very last six Monty Python episodes: (AAE 70088). Some of the six try to stretch a single idea into a full show. The first concerns the Montgolfier Brothers and "The Golden Age of Ballooning" and falls flat. The second is the best of all with the classic "Michael Ellis" sketch and comes as close to Kafka as this show ever did. The Court Martial sequence in the third, however, comes very close to pornography but makes up for it with the wonderful "Anything Goes" (not the Cole Porter one) lyrics. The "Bogus Psychiatrists" of the fourth merely repeats a formula done many times in the past, as does the "Mr. Neutron" sketch in the fifth. The latter, though, does have the hilarious bit of Master CIA Agent Teddy Salad disguised as a dog. The very last show gives us a bloody cricket match that is still not as gory as the "Salad Days" sketch from an earlier season. At the end, it was Eric who put thumbs down on a fifth season--and the show passed into history. For those who own the other sets, this is a must for the sake of completeness. Cleese is missed but the others--Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, et al--are in top form. The menu system of the DVD is just as complicated as were all the others and at times it really is difficult to find your way into the episode. Still the ability to directly access your favorite parts (even the naughty ones) is a great advantage over having these shows on videotape. The added features are not particularly exciting.

Series four:
In 1973, the Pythons decided to do another series. But John Cleese (who had been anxious to leave for a while) decided to leave the series to the rest. Although this isn't the best material Python could have put out, there performances are quite good in these episodes. Only a few sketches here rank with the best. I love the end of Golden Age of Balloning "I've enjoyed being in it." (Note: During the credits right after that, Jaques Mongolfier, is still trying to put his tongue in Carol's mouth.)Well here's the play-by-play for each of these episodes. 40- The worst one of the season. It just gets weak and boring during that whole stupid "It's not a ballon", and all of the bodies in the German's drawing room. Ironically, the season opener. 41-One of the few actual stories in the series. One of the strangest Python episodes (that's saying alot). I use Micheal Ellis as my fake name. 42-Probably the best of the season. Lots of strong sketches, but still a few turkies. (Note: Look for Neil Innes in the closing credits). HALFWAY BREAK- It says in different books, that there's no more it's man in this season, and "Flying Circus" isn't in the title anymore. Well that's not exactly true. The It's man is in ep.42, and in the first half, you can see flying circus on the screen, with the two strange men with breasts. 43-Another weak and boring one. The father in law is funny, but that's almost it. Almost nothing happens in this, that Hamlet thing is dumb with the recurring line. 44-MR. Neutron episode. Most of this is funny. But it's annoying to hear the Pythons trying to do American accents. 45- Last one. Not good or bad. The awful family is pretty funny, but the cartoon in this one goes on too long. Gilliams cartoons are usually good though. Well these aren't really as good as the others, and new Python fans shouldn't start here. Cleese was a key element, and losing him (just for the series for that matter)took off a lot of force. Skip this, and get the whole set. What I decided to do, when I had no idea what I was getting myself into...

Monty Python Are Still At The Top!:
While John is not in these last 6 episodes, the others take a different turn, making some of the most twiztid (and my personal favorite) humour ever seen by BBC audiences. This is not a set for people not familiar with Monty Python. Those people should buy one of the first two seasons. However, if you LOVE Monty, then you'll probably love these last episodes. The memorable episodes are: The golden Age of Ballooning, Michael Ellis(my favorite of the last six shows), The Light Entertainment War, Hamlet, Mr. Neutron (very funny, I love Teddy Salad, and Conjuring Today), and the final episode Party Political Brodcast. If you like Monty, you'll still love 'em without Cleese.

Hmmmmm..... Was it worth it?:
The forth series of Python is essentially the only moment when the performances outweigh the script. Terribly under-written episodes like THE GOLDEN AGE OF BALLOONING do feature some excellent performances, like the embarrassed pauses between Palin 's psuedo-French King and Idle. There are still some classic bits of writing, but they seem stranded between vast slabs of underwriten tripe. Highlights include the Most Awful Family in Britain (particulary Gilliam's bean-eater), the Courtmartial sequence in the third episode, and the wonderfully exaggerated Banter sketch. Sketches like these make the videos worth buying alone (just fast-forward throught the other sketches...)

Good, but no Cleese:
I give this 4 stars just because it IS Monty Python (note, no "Flying Circus" in the title for the last year), but the absence of John Cleese's physical humor does detract from this set as well as the relative brevity in terms of number of episodes. If you're a Python newcomer, get the earlier series first.