Global InformationMonty Python information
| Monty Python | |
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 Monty Python in 1969: Back row: Chapman, Idle, Gilliam Front row: Jones, Cleese, Palin | |
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| Nationality | British[1] |
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| Website | montypython.com |
Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons)[2][3] were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music.[4][5][6] Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".[7]
Monty Python's Flying Circus was loosely structured as a sketch show, but its innovative stream-of-consciousness approach and Gilliam's animation skills pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content.[8][9] A self-contained comedy unit, the Pythons had creative control which allowed them to experiment with form and content, discarding rules of television comedy.[10] They followed their television work by making the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983). Their influence on British comedy has been apparent for years, while it has coloured the work of the early editions of Saturday Night Live through to absurdist trends in television comedy.
At the 41st British Academy Film Awards in 1988, Monty Python received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 1998, they were awarded the AFI Star Award by the American Film Institute. Holy Grail and Life of Brian are frequently ranked on lists of the greatest comedy films. A 2005 poll asked more than 300 comedians, comedy writers, producers, and directors to name the greatest comedians of all time, and half of Monty Python's members made the top 50.[11][12]
- ^ Gilliam was born American and obtained British citizenship in 1968. In protest at George W. Bush, he renounced his American citizenship in January 2006 and is now only a British citizen. "Kopflos am Potsdamer Platz", Der Tagesspiegel (in German), DE, 10 February 2006, archived from the original on 28 August 2007, retrieved 15 September 2007
- ^ Wilmut (1980), p. 250.
- ^ Chapman, Graham; Gilliam, Terry; Cleese, John; Idle, Eric; Jones, Terry; Palin, Sir Michael (2003). The Pythons. Orion. ISBN 978-0-7528-5293-5.
- ^ Leopold, Todd (11 December 2003). "How Monty Python changed the world". CNN. Retrieved 30 March 2007.
Python has been called 'the Beatles of comedy'.
- ^ Free, David (January 2013). "The Beatles of Comedy". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (2003). "Monty Python's Flying Circus". BBC Comedy. Archived from the original on 20 September 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
In essence, the Monty Python team are the comedy equivalent of the Beatles.
(The live version of the Web page does not contain the quoted line, but the archived version does.) - ^ "Monty Python Celebrates 25th Anniversary But Nixes Reunion". Orlando Sentinel. 2 October 1996. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ Wieselman, Jarrett (3 April 2012). "'Holy' Monty Python History Lesson". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ Martin, Sami K. (27 January 2012). "'Monty Python' Reunion Planned for New Movie". The Christian Post. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "George Harrison's remarkable love affair with Monty Python". Far Out magazine. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Cook tops poll of comedy greats". The Guardian. 2 January 2005.
- ^ "Cook voted 'comedians' comedian'". BBC News. 2 January 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2008.