| Monty Python Speaks!: The Complete Oral History of Monty Python, as Told by the Founding Members and a Few of Their Many Friends and Collabo Contributor(s): Morgan, David (Author), Oliver, John (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0380804794 ISBN-13: 9780380804795 Publisher: Dey Street Books OUR PRICE: $14.39 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2005 Annotation: When the innovative comedy group Monty Python embarked on their unique partnership, combining intelligence with silliness in a stream-of-consciousness display of nonsense, satire, sex and violence, they made a mark on popular culture which is still being felt today. Now, on their 30th anniversary, the five surviving Pythons -- along with some chief co-conspirators including the BBC's Barry Took and Ian MacNaughton, the late Graham Chapman's companion David Sherlock, and the legendary Douglas Adams -- remember what it was like to build a comedic collaboration for the ages. Monty Python was a state of mind -- a way of looking at the world as a place where walking like a contortionist is not only considered normal but is rewarded with government funding, where people speak in anagrams or operate a cheese-less cheeseshop, where highwaymen redistribute wealth in floral currencies and knights hop around on imaginary steeds. Here, in their own words -- and with rare backstage photographs never before published -- is a look into that rare collective mind: the story of the Python's meeting, their collaboration, their clashes, their struggles to maintain artistic control over their work, and their efforts to expand themselves creatively -- from television to films, books, recordings and stage shows. Here are the artists who made their personal mark on humor, engendered amazing passion from their fans worldwide, and built a lasting monument to spam (the luncheon meat, not the e-mail). In short, it's ... |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Performing Arts | Television - History & Criticism - Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism - Social Science | Popular Culture |
| Dewey: B |
| LCCN: 99020146 |
| Physical Information: 0.95" H x 6.05" W x 8.1" (0.77 lbs) 352 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1950-1999 - Chronological Period - 1970's - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Broadcast by the BBC between 1969 and 1974, Monty Python's Flying Circus introduced something completely different: a new brand of surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness comedy that pushed the traditional boundaries of format, style, and content. Blending brilliant satire with slapstick silliness, The Pythons--Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin--spoke to a generation eager to break free of the conventional. Making their way across the Atlantic and the world, the Pythons' zany approach to comedy would have a monumental influence on modern popular culture, paving the way for farcical entertainment from Saturday Night Live to The Simpsons to Austin Powers. In Monty Python Speaks, David Morgan has collected interviews with Monty Python's founding members, actors, producers, and other collaborators to produce a no-holds-barred look at the Pythons' legendary sketches and films, including Monty Python's Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Spamalot), and The Meaning of Life. |
Contributor Bio(s): Morgan, David: - David Morgan is the author of Monty Python Speaks! (Spike, 1999) and editor of Sundancing (Spike, 2000). He has written on film production and media issues for a variety of publications. Mr. Morgan lives in New York City. |