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Rating: For those who don't know, the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was one of the most innovative and historic shows of the BBC. Rarely have so many talented comedians come together to create a new, bizarre, forward-looking comedy. England in 1969 was still accustomed to the brilliant comedy of Blake Edwards and the zany humor of Peter Sellers. This was nothing compared to what John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle were about to bring to life.
Even today, the first encounter with this kind of comedy is rather challenging and disorienting: no one expects a myriad of unreal situations, sharp jokes, and unusual characters mingling in a succession of sketches, each more entertaining than the last. Pindaric flights from one setting to another are the order of the day. All this is polished with Terry Gilliam's animations (the director of "12 Monkeys"). Admit it: it sounds like total chaos!
Yet the genius of Monty Python lies in their ability to ridicule and desecrate any aspect, even the most mundane, of everyday life. Insensitive London businessmen, obtuse farmers, accountants constantly immersed in their own unrealizable dreams are the protagonists of this varied and subtle comedy.
In some ways, "And Now for Something Completely Different" is a selection of the best sketches from the Flying Circus made in a theatrical version. The epic opening "How Not to Be Seen" puts the viewer in a state of indecision, not knowing whether to laugh or stop watching the film immediately. The puzzlement increases with "The Man with a Tape Recorder Up His Nose" and "The Man with a Tape Recorder Up His Brother's Nose." On with the fake Hungarian-English dictionary and Gilliam's animations depicting killer cars and building-eating cats. STOP! Are you getting any of this? No? Good. And now for something completely different.
A man (or two?) is trying to organize an expedition to build a bridge between the two (?) peaks of Kilimanjaro. He needs one (or two?) climbers and one (or two?) mountaineers. But here comes a dead parrot and its seller who dreams of becoming a lumberjack. A writer invents the funniest joke in the world, and it is used during World War II against the Germans. Are you starting to get it? No? Well, let's move on to something completely different!
An accountant who wants to become an anteater tamer, the Battle of Pearl Harbor reconstructed in mud by middle-aged ladies... No, enough! It's pointless to continue! The comedy of Monty Python cannot be explained in words; it's an experience to be tried personally! Apparently, there is no logical connection, but every statement, every grimace, hides the doubts, uncertainties, and customs of a society constantly worried about its image. It's no coincidence that at the end of this film, these six madmen wanted to include a masterpiece like "The Upper Class Twit of the Year," where five London sirs compete to humiliate themselves and finally commit suicide, manipulated like puppets by the temptation of being the king for at least five minutes.
These films don't exist just for laughing at apparent absurdities; they are meant to make you think: they talk about dreams and nightmares coming true, fears coming to life, and paradoxes we could never have imagined. Let's not stop at the appearance of things. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it.
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