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Holy Flying Circus

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    Ian Jane
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  • Holy Flying Circus



    Released by: Acorn
    Released on: September 4, 2012.

    Director: Owen Harris

    Cast: Darren Boyd, Charles Edwards, Stephen Fry, Ben Crispin, Steven Punt

    Year: 2011

    Purchase From Amazon


    The Movie:


    When Monty Python finished making their take on the story of Jesus, Monty Python's Life Of Brian, in 1979 they returned home to England after a stint in Tunisia. When the film was finished, it premiered theatrically in the United States where it was protested by religious groups as an act of sacrilege. Making matters worse is that on their home turf, The People's Church Of Sophia petition to have the film banned, occasionally with some success. Members of the comedy troupe have their lives threatened and things are going quite poorly for the Python's in many ways. All of this stems from the fact that those who took issue with the film saw Brian as a metaphor for Christ, but that was never the point of the film - those who seen it know that Brian is simply Brian, he is not Jesus nor was he ever intended to be.


    Eventually a TV producer show host named Alan Dick convinces Pythons John Cleese and Michael Palin to come on national television and debate the merits of the film with the Bishop of Southwark and a prominent religious commentator Malcolm Muggeridge. The two men agree, the debate is broadcast, and Cleese more or less saves the day.


    While recent events in the middle east involving the Libyan attack on the American embassy resulting in the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens have brought the power and controversy of a movie that pokes fun of one religion or another to the international forefront, 2012 is hardly the first year that this has happened. Granted, what happened with Monty Python and Life Of Brian was not on the same scale as what has happened in Muslim countries around the world these past few days, but the parallels are there if you want to draw them.


    Made as sort of a docu-drama, the film is well cast with Steve Punt as Eric Idle, Charles Edwards as Michael Palin, Rufus Jones as Terry Jones, Thomas Fisher as Graham Chapman, Phil Nichol as Terry Gilliam and Darren Boyd absolutely nailing his take on John Cleese (right down to the infamous silly walk). Using interesting Gilliam-esque animation in scenes also helps to make this feature look and feel like a Monty Python movie, even if none of the actual Pythons are involved with it. Originally made for British television, the feature runs just over half an hour and does a very good job of not only filling us in on the controversy that erupted over the film but also, even more so really, of enlightening us as to just how exactly Cleese and Palin took the issue to the country on television, fearlessly but respectfully trouncing their opponents in the debate that would inevitably ensue. The fact that the whole production is made to seem like a series of Python sketches helps to keep it fun to watch and ensures that it never gets dry or dull, while the creativity behind the art direction and set design makes sure that this all works on a visual level as well. Behind it all is an important message that is certainly just as true today as it was when Life Of Brian was made in 1979 - religious intolerance regardless of denomination can, does and will cause problems, particularly when those who take such offence to such things are so completely and utterly without humor.


    Video/Audio/Extras:


    Holy Flying Circus looks very good on Blu-ray from Acorn. Though the 1.85.1 widescreen AVC encoded high definition transfer is in 1080i, there aren't any obvious interlacing issues noticeable during playback (even if you can see some in the screen caps). Colors are good, fine detail is impressive and skin tones look nice and natural. There are no issues with print damage, dirt or debris and all in all, the transfer is quite strong.


    Audio chores are handled by a decent English language LPCM 2.0 Stereo mix that offers up clear dialogue that is free of any hiss or distortion. The levels are properly balanced and everything is easy enough to understand. The score sounds good as do the effects. A surround mix might have been fun for some scenes but otherwise, no complaints here. No alternate language options or subtitles are provided but English closed captioning is available.


    Extras start off with The Making Of The Holy Flying Circus Phonotrope, a four minute featurettes that details how the opening sequence was created. It's short, but interesting. Aside from that, look for almost twenty minutes of moderately amusing outtakes and a trio of minor deleted scenes. Rounding out the extras are trailers for a few unrelated Acorn properties, a still gallery, menus and chapter selection.


    The Final Word:


    Monty Python fans should put their reservations aside and snatch this one up - the features does a fantastic and incredibly detailed job of capturing all of the lunacy that made the original material so much fun while at the same time shedding some light on an interesting part of the troupe's history. Acorn's Blu-ray looks great, sounds pretty good and contains a handful of extras - check this one out, it's very good.


    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!



















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