SO DON'T OPEN IT! All right, if you must. But beware: there's new material you can't repeat verbatim (yet). Before the Flying Circus employs rare vintage footage to explore the influences that shaped six young lunatics into the world's most innovative comedy troupe, while Monty Python Conquers America documents their tremendous, yet astonishingly unlikely, American success. The six Personal Best collections present the best sketches and songs, as selected, arranged, and hosted by the individual Pythons themselves. And, of course, Monty Python Live shows what happens when absurd TV sketches are inflicted on live audiences. Now stop reading and put a disc in your DVD machine. This bloody box of buffoonery can't watch itself.
 
"Without the boys from Britain, we might not have SCTV, The Kids in the Hall, or the still-running-strong Saturday Night Live."  FilmCritic.com
"...at turns silly, bawdy, slapstick, tasteless, bizarre, and thoroughly British."  Nicholas Sylvain, DVD Verdict
"In the heavenly hierarchy of humor, Monty Python's Flying Circus is God."  PopMatters
"...a wild blast of off-the-wall humor that is surprisingly potent and highly recommended..."  Preston Jones, DVD Talk
"They cover the full spectrum of comedy, everything from the extremely intellectual to the extremely rude and primordial..."  The Movie Hooligan
 


Editor's Note

It seems impossible that the monumental, rambunctious comedy of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS could be contained in a single set, but it's all here: the cheese shop, Atilla the Nun, the dead parrot, and even the fish-slapping dance. In one fell swoop, fans can trace the troupe's Absurdist arcs, and revel in the inimitable talents of Cleese, Palin, Jones, Idle, Chapman, and Gilliam, collectively the most celebrated sketch comics of the modern era. This more-than-complete collection includes every single episode from the legendary show's four-year run on the BBC, as well as four additional performances and rarities: LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL, MONTY PYTHON LIVE AT ASPEN, PARROT SKETCH NOT INCLUDED, and MONTY PYTHON'S FLIEGENDER ZIRKUS. For fans who crave a glorious death-blow of even more Python material, the set offers a "Pythonism" glossary and an art gallery of Terry Gilliam's animations.