Monty Python's Flying Circus Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Written by by Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese etc.
UK 1969 - 1974

Years in the making, Network is proud to present the entire original television series of Monty Python s Flying Circus, fully rejuvenated for the first time. Sketches, some edited for timing, taste and copyright reasons, have been carefully restored to their intended length and the majority of Terry Gilliam's animations have been newly scanned in High Definition and restored to a specification way beyond their original format. Hitherto unseen outtakes, film inserts and studio recordings have been retrieved, adding yet another dimension to this exclusive release. This is the ultimate television restoration and a must for every generation of Python fan.

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Monty Python's Flying Circus makes absolutely no sense. I mean this in a good way. It is a British TV sketch comedy show considered a classic among connoisseurs. The six members of the Monty Python troupe - John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam - make us laugh with a type of humor that you rarely see: nonsensical humor. Each episode is unstructured, eccentric, silly, chaotic, random, and surreal. But most importantly, it's funny. Think of the show as Surrealism and Dadaism crashing into your TV set.

If you watch the show expecting some kind of typical order, you won't understand the appeal. You have to think of the show as like a dream. How many times have you dreamt of something, recall it upon waking up, and laugh at how unrealistic and absurd it is? This is why the humor of Monty Python is best described as surrealistic humor. The concepts in the sketches make no sense in reality, yet they can be funny if you just go with the flow and see where it takes you. The sketches often transition smoothly from one to the next by little steps, like a train of thought. Sometimes, there's an abrupt change, which would be considered relatively unusual on the show. Hence, the catchphrase "And now for something completely different."

Excerpt from Anthony's Film Review located HERE

Poster, Promo, DVD covers etc.

Broadcast Release: October 1st, 1969

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Review: Network - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: The Complete Series is also being released on Blu-ray, in Region 'A' United States in November 2020:
Distribution	Network - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	0:33:31.175 X 45
Video	Episode Sample: 1.33:1 1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,588,035,091 bytes Feature: 6,404,653,056 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.87 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Sample Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese , None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Network Episode Sample: 1.33:1 1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,588,035,091 bytes Feature: 6,404,653,056 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.87 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: SERIES 1 • Sex and Violence: Reinstated content, studio outtakes • Full Frontal Nudity: Studio outtakes • The Ant, an Introduction: Studio outtakes • Untitled: Extended Ron Obvious filmed material and clean end titles footage SERIES 2 • The Buzz Aldrin Show: Extended & unused filmed material • Live from the Grill-O-Mat: Extended Ken Clean-Air System filmed material It’s a Living: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio, extended • Election Night Special and School Prizes filmed material How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio • Scott of the Antarctic: Extended filmed material • How Not to Be Seen: Restored animation, unused film material, extended Conquistador Coffee sketch • And Now For Something Completely Different: Vic Jamison’s 1970 student film shot on location with the Python team Interview with Ian MacNaughton: Recorded in November 1971 at Imperial College London SERIES 3 • Whicker's World: Extended Mrs Premise & Mrs Conclusion Travel to Paris filmed material • Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror: Extended The Pantomime Horse is a Secret Agent filmed material and Bus Conductor extended scene • The All-England Summarize Proust Competition: Reinstated content Salad Days: Reinstated content • The Nude Organist: Reinstated content with extended Trees animation, studio outtakes, alternative Terry Gilliam-approved sound mix E Henry Thripshaw's Disease: Extended Gay Boys in Bondage animation and Sir Philip Sidney filmed material • Dennis Moore: Extended Redistribution of Wealth filmed material A Book at Bedtime: Reinstated content, original opening, extended Heath Tango animation • Grandstand: extended Grandstand filmed material, studio outtakes, extended • Charwoman animation, unused Betty Blood Donor animation Series 3 Monologue Rushes (mostly mute) SERIES 4 • The Golden Age of Ballooning: Extended Barry Zeppelin filmed material (2:02) Michael Ellis: Deleted Icelandic Honey Week filmed material, extended Toupee Department and Football Pundits filmed material • LE War: Repeats extended voiceover & unused M2 filmed material, When Does a Dream Begin (clean closing titles) • Hamlet: Extended Queen Victoria Handicap filmed material Mr Neutron: Reinstated content, extended Mr Neutron Takes Tea filmed material • Party Political Broadcast: Extended Fanshawe-Chumleigh Dinner Party filmed material, deleted Ursula Hitler filmed material • Restoring Flying Circus with Terry Gilliam • In Vision archive interview from December 1974 • Birds Eye Peas, Harmony Hairspray and Close-Up Toothpaste product prelaunch Four Booklets (viewing notes) Blu-ray Release Date: November 10th, 2019 Custom Cardboard Digi-pak box' Blu-ray Case (see below) Chapters 3 X 45

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Network Blu-ray (November 2019): Firstly, I admit to not having seen the entire 30+ hours of content yet although I watch it all the time.

Network have transferred the entire TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus to Blu-ray, to the thrill of fans of the eclectic and hilarious seminal TV show. The 45 1/2 hour episodes are on seven dual-layered discs presented series-by-series, for the first time totally uncut and beautifully restored from original film and videotape elements. So mostly being shot on video (and transferred in 1080i), - 16mm original negative being available for only a few episodes for series one to three but existing for all episodes of series four - means that the unconverted quality is not at premium levels.... but saying that it does look even better than original broadcast standards. Colors have more depth but the visuals are, predictably waxy and, well, video-like. However, this is severely diminished on my OLED TV. Black levels are deep and it looks impressive considering the source. The 'film' (16mm) segments and extras look fabulous with plenty of depth.

There are prefaces that certain material was lost and reinserted from poorer quality sources.

The description of the restoration is as follows: "After nearly a decade of research and planning, this is a ground up restoration by Network’s award-winning in-house team working from the best available materials – from first generation 2-inch videotape masters to surviving negative and print film material, scanned in 2K. The wildly varying picture sources have been graded scene-by-scene and intensively cleaned up.

State of the art upscaling of Standard Definition videotape has been deployed with careful use of noise reduction for both video and film grain, resulting in a vastly improved viewing experience all round on Blu-ray High Definition format, far exceeding anything previously available."

These are the episodes:

Series 1
1.1 1. Whither Canada?
1.2 2. Sex and Violence
1.3 3. How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away
1.4 4. Owl Stretching Time
1.5 5. Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the 20th Century
1.6 6. It's the Arts (or: The BBC Entry to the Zinc Stoat of Budapest)
1.7 7. You're No Fun Anymore
1.8 8. Full Frontal Nudity
1.9 9. The Ant, an Introduction
1.10 10. Untitled
1.11 11. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Goes to the Bathroom
1.12 12. The Naked Ant
1.13 13. Intermission (or: It's The Arts)

Series 2
2.1 1. Face the Press (or: Dinsdale)
2.2 2. The Spanish Inquisition
2.3 3. Déjà Vu (or: Show 5)
2.4 4. The Buzz Aldrin Show (or: An Apology)
2.5 5. Live from the Grill-O-Mat
2.6 6. It's a Living (or: School Prizes)
2.7 7. The Attila the Hun Show
2.8 8. Archaeology Today
2.9 9. How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body
2.10 10. Scott of the Antarctic
2.11 11. How Not to Be Seen
2.12 12. Spam
2.13 13. Royal Episode 13 (or: The Queen Will Be Watching)

Series 3
3.1 1. Whicker's World (or: Njorl's Saga)
3.2 2. Mr. and Mrs. Brian Norris' Ford Popular
3.3 3. The Money Programme
3.4 4. Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror
3.5 5. The All-England Summarize Proust Competition
3.6 6. The War Against Pornography
3.7 7. Salad Days
3.8 8. The Cycling Tour
3.9 9. The Nude Organist (or: The Nude Man)
3.10 10. E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease
3.11 11. Dennis Moore
3.12 12. A Book at Bedtime
3.13 13. Grandstand (or: The British Showbiz Awards)

Series 4
4.1 1. The Golden Age of Ballooning
4.2 2. Michael Ellis
4.3 3. The Light Entertainment War
4.4 4. Hamlet
4.5 5. Mr. Neutron
4.6 6. Party Political Broadcast

On their Blu-ray, Network use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is seems at the mercy of the production levels but has the familiar music by frequent Python contributor Neil Innes (Erik the Viking, The Missionary, Life of Brian) and, of course, the opening theme of John Philip Sousa's The Liberty Bell performed by The Band of the Grenadier Guards. Network offer optional English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

NOTE: There are 4 booklets included (one for each series), but I only have the screener discs at present.

The Network Blu-ray has a girth of supplements such as reinstated content, extended & unused filmed material, 'rushes', 'clean' end titles footage, an interview with Ian MacNaughton, a 1975 archival interview, deleted filmed material (ex. Ursula Hitler), promos, extended animation, studio outtakes, reinstated 'originally censored' sketch audio and much, much, more. It is not always the most organized or explained but that would suit the show's content.

Everyone has their favorite episode: "Spam", "The Cheese Shop", "The Dead Parrot Sketch", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Killer Joke", "The Spanish Inquisition", "Hell's Grannies", "Michael Ellis", "Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook" although I am still seeking within the set, the song "Eric the Half-a-Bee" giving me a chuckle, I think it was from an LP in the 70s (looked it up - Monty Python's Previous Record) and "Arthur Lemming of the BDA!" but maybe it is still to come in my viewings.

This is easily one of the most desirable and nostalgic comedy shows of all time. It's a package that I am thrilled to own on Blu-ray. You can stick it on any time - the absurd humor never grows old - even if you recall the sketch - it never fails to amuse. This is 'Year-End Poll' stuff... a very strong recommendation! Big kudos to Network!

Gary Tooze