It’s time to break out the spam, put on your best lumberjack outfit and let your killer rabbits fly again, because a Monty Python reunion is coming!
Yes it’s true. The surviving members of Monty Python, the groundbreaking surreal British comedy team that brought us to unimaginable heights of silliness in television, film, audio, and several other forms, are set to reunite for the first time in fifteen years. All five of the living members, including John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin are set to come together for a new project. The specifics of this project are unknown, but it will be the first time that all five living members have collaborated on a non-documentary project since their HBO special Monty Python Live At Aspen in 1998. The only thing that’s been confirmed is that the sixth Graham Chapman will not be involved due to his hefty “being dead” schedule, as it has been since 1989.
So, let’s get this out of the way; I love Monty Python. Most geeks on the internet love Monty Python. Their television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus inspired numerous comedic talents worldwide, their work in films like Holy Grail, Life of Brian & The Meaning of Life has been quoted countless times and their work on comedy albums like The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief and Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation is still pretty innovative in of how damn bizarre it still is. In fact, most of Python’s works have managed to stand the test of time, feeling just as brilliantly odd as it did when it originally aired.
Now, that all being said… this project scares me. If there’s anything that Hollywood’s recent plunge into full on nostalgia has taught me, it’s that most of the time you don’t want to see your heroes try to get back on the horse when they’re past their prime. The sad thing is, I’ve seen most of the Pythons try this before. Back in 1999, most of the living Pythons (sans Eric Idle) did several sketches for Python Night, a special on BBC2 which commemorated the 30th anniversary of Flying Circus and boy, did they leave a lot to be desired. It just felt like these former titans of comedy had lost all their spark, all their motivation, all of their life… and that was 14 years ago. I really don’t want to imagine how much less spark the Pythons have now that they’re in their 70s.
Then again, there aren’t many details on the upcoming reunion project. I’ve heard some (including /Film) speculate that it will most likely be a stage sketch tour rather than another TV show or film. That seems more feasible, given that some of the members are still hard at work on solo projects, such as Terry Gilliam trying to do his Don Quixote again or John Cleese & Eric Idle appearing in ten different films/animated projects/commercials/other efforts. So, we’ll have to wait and see what exactly these living legends have in mind.
Still, the question remains; are the Pythons merely a washed up group of has-beens trying to grasp once more at glory or is their creative energy not dead yet? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
Via The Sun
