Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 4

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

In three years, Monty Python’s Flying Circus has [ grown, matured and envolved a style of humour that ‘i has completely seized Britain’s comic consciousness. The Ministry of Silly Walks,, Hell’s Grannies, to say nothliing of the Pantomine Princess Margaret, have already been iwoven into Britain’s popular! ■i culture of the 70s. The programme began in J 1969 with a sublime irony ; almost worthy of Monty P. himself: the first series jwas a replacement for a latenight religious programme on 'Sundays. It was the brainchild of, [Barry Took, comedy drama-' turge of the 8.8. C., to bring •together under one umbrella

the five, now infamous: writer - performers — John[ i Cleese, Graham Chapman,; |Terry Jones, Michael Palin 'and Eric Idle. All five were Oxford or Cambridge graduates, and each had contributed to many; of the comedy programmes' of the late 60s. Each was tired of writing; [conventional material, all found it increasingly difficult' to get certain of their scripts' accepted—those which reflected their own way-out sense; of humour, but which per-i formers and producers believed to be too “involved! and childish.” So the five seized the oppor- [ tunity offered. John Cleese; had known Terry Gilliam in' New York; when Gilliam; accepted the invitation to' contribute his own brand of; graphic surrealism to the project, the five became six,; and the 8.8. C. light enter-i tainment department was delivered of a programme. The offspring is flourishing.' Now in its third series,; Python has also spawned; book ventures, a feature' film, two German television; programmes, and two L.P.s.i Two of the band were invited to provide comic transfusions to other 8.8. C. program-' mes. Two others have a com-; mission for a Play for Today.; Another feature film is plan-! ned. Unique style Along the way,. Python has', created a unique style of comedy and manner of pre-} sentation which have perco-; lateci throughout the televis-; ion community, not only at! an audience level, but among; many television producers as| well. When the series began itl was erratically scheduled, ft i sometimes went out as late i as 12.15 a.m. or was dropped} completely. “Anything,” in-; sists Chapman, “gets cancel-! led for showjumping.” Early on, MacNaughton' was summoned to a! superior’s offee and asked! point-blank: “Who really! wants this programme you’re! doing?” Convinced, then, of its imminent failure, Mac-' Naughton set about looking! for another job. But the programme was; nurtured by several journal-} ists in Fleet Street, and for! a time became a cult obses-l sion.

| Its audience, which began! [at 1| million, grew to 4 mil-( ilion when the first series was' repeated and the second initiated. With the Silver Rose from Montreux, and; growing recognition and appreciation, Python returned [triumphant this season to an| immutable Thursday slot, and' to even larger viewing [figures, which now approach I, 110 million. Not easy writing Writing for Python, it;: seems, is infinitely more diffiicult than writing for more [conventional situation comedies. For an ordinary'' comedy series, “you’ve got!’ characters and a plot to fol-;, [low,” says Chapman. “You: [don’t need nearly so many;, [ideas per minute as you do (for Python.” Because of the way their [ consortium works, he refers; !to the group of six as a [“comedy commune.” Once the draft scripts are , ready, the group meets Col- ( ilectively, and goes to work ; ion each other’s offerings— [ 'suggesting, altering, adapt-! [ing, improving, collating. “You may sit down to a session with only half at. I[ [idea. While working on it,, it: 1 [just becomes looney.” ‘ If they find it impossible 1 [to finish a sketch, it’s usually at that moment that they ’“call for that awful animator : [Terry Gilliam” to provide 1 • them with a bathetic de- ' nouement or insane linking” ; graphic sequence. MacNaughton, as well, is [ supplied with draft scripts 1 for the series, and makes his [own suggestions and contri- ' [bution. Though moments of creative tension and compromise are not completely' 1 unknown, all decisions are committee-made, and are usually unanimous. The film inserts are shot!' [and edited in advance. But: 'once into productkin. the!' (Pythons are reheated and recorded on a weekly turna-H bout. In the studio for one day,[ leach episode is taped con-j' itinuously that same evening; [before a live audience of; about 320. Post-recording; [work includes an eight-hour' [electronic editing session.; :supervised by MacNaughton.; [and usually attended by at; ; least one of the group. There is no canned laughter} dubbed onto the track. “We j (don’t need it,” exclaims Mac-.; Naughton exultantly.

Indeed, the problem is sometimes over-enthusiasm ion the part of the studio audience. During the recording of one of this, season’s .programmes, there was conisiderable difficulty getting one of the segments right. I On the first take, one of the actors dried; on the second [a camera angle was wrong; on the third, a gun failed to go off. But the fourth take was sound and vision perfect. The audience, pleased and relieved, exploded in rapturous applause and cheering—thereby ruining the recording/ They finally got the sketch on take five. The Python style of hum-; our is savage and anarchic.! Like its namesake, it com-' pletely crushes its prey by I the strength and weight ofj its assault. Careening as they do between total silliness and pure' satire, the writers find theiri targets, with deadly accuracy,! and then proceed, according, to Chapman “to kick them in the groin.” There is no quarter. Anti-' conservative, the comedy i launches a full-frontal attack' on reverence, prejudice, and; dishonesty. The team bludgeons the! the audience with images and situations which are searing! in their intensity and absurd-! ity. The effect is meant to be' cathartic — to expand sensi-' bilities and to make people, more aware of their own! hypocrisies. For, more than anything, the Python team likes response to its work; the out-. rageousness is pure provoca-l tion. “Apathy is the saddest! thing," says Chapman, “and! the whole point of most tele-' vision is blandness.” He affirms a belief in the positive potential of tele-; vision as a medium “to im-| prove people’s knowledge.”' but voices despair over the, way it is being managed at! the moment.

“Watching the box for rhe last few years. I thought I’d developed a grumbling appendix,” he says, “until I realised my malaise was a chronic case of Lord Hill.”

The team are proudly paternalistic of their material. and are wary of the requests or demands that are sometimes made for alteration or excision of lines or of entire sketches.

Both Chapman and MacNaughton admit that Python could never have been done by any broadcasting organisation other than the 8.8. C But Chapman is weary of being reminded of the “current climate of opinion” and of the need to respect it. Respect is not a word in the Python vocabulary.

CHTV3 2.00 p.m.: News. 2.03: Chronicle — “Lord Elgin and the Parthenon.” Documentary (repeat). 2.50: The Man and The City. Drama. 3.42: The Challenging Sea. 4.08: Bewitched. Comedy. 4.51: Huckleberry Hound. 5.12: The Andy Griffith Show. Comedy. 5.37: News, weather. 5.43: Wild Animal Men. Documentary. 6.36: Your Money’s Worth. Consumer series — “Financing a House.” 6.55: Racing—Waikato Centennial Cup (recorded). 7.00: Network news. 7.22: Weather. The South Tonight. 7.45: Coronation Street. 8.15: Ironside. Drama. 0.11: Newsbrief 0.13: Gallery. Current affairs (new series). 9.41: The Name of the Game. Drama. 11.01: Late news, weather.

NATIONAL LINK i (Including 3YA Christchurch ' <690 kilohertz); 2YA Wellington <370 kilohertz); 4YA ■ Dunedin (750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth <930 kilohertz).] 7 p.m.: Sports News. 7.8:, Heinz Kiessling and his Orchestra. 7.30: On Stage New Zealand. 8.30: Weather and News. 9.0: Brothers in Law. 9.30; Filmharmonics. 10.0: Jazz Tonight. 10.30: News. Weather. 10.45: Benny Hill sings Benny Hill. 11.0: 8.8. C. News and Commentary. 11.15: All Night Programme. 3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 7 p.m.: Carl Maria von Weber, (3) Margaret Hunt (soprano); Loretto Cunninghame (piano). 7.22: Schumann: String Quartet in A minor. Op. 41 No. 1 — Kohon Quartet. 7.45: Letter from America. 8.0: Stravinsky: 'Capriccio — John Ogdon (piano), Academy of St , Martin-in-the- Fields under

Neville Marriner. 8.18: Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor ’ (From ’ the New World) — New Symphony Orchestra of London under Enrique Jorda. 9.0: International Rostrum of Composers (final). Sandor Balassa (Hungary). 9.32: Bach: Suite in D minor for solo cello (B.W.V. 1008) — Bohus Heran (cello). 9.56: Man in Society, (11) Attitude Change. 10.10: Verdi, Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass), Leslie Fyson (tenor), Ambrosian Singers, London Symphony Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. 10.32: Falla: Homage to Debussy; Ponce: Sonata No. 3 in D minor; Villa-Lobos: Etude No. 11 in E minor — Oscar Ghiglia (guitar). 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) 7.32 p.m.: Top of the Top 40. 8.02: Motoring with [Robbie. 9.02: Easy Beat. 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz)