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Python (Monty) Pictures Limited is composed of the four surviving members of the main Monty Python team, who now serve as the directors. Python (Monty) Pictures was incorporated in 1973 and now manages ongoing activities resulting from their previous work together. In the accounts return, the company describes its activities as the 'exploitation of television and cinematographic productions'. In the last financial year for which accounts are available (to March 2004), the company's turnover was £4.9 million. [1]
When Monty Python's Flying Circus was shown in the U.S. by ABC in their Wide World of Entertainment slot in 1975, the episodes were re-edited to allow time for commercials, thus losing the continuity and flow intended in the originals. When ABC refused to stop screening the series in this form, the Pythons took them to court. Initially the court ruled that their artistic rights had indeed been violated, but refused to stop the ABC broadcasts as this would cause "financial damage" to ABC. However, on appeal the team gained control over all subsequent U.S. broadcasts of its programmes. The case also led to them gaining the foreign rights to all Python shows from the BBC, once their original contracts ended at the end of 1980 (a unique arrangement at the time). [2]
As revealed in The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen (included on the bonus DVD of the 20th Anniversary Edition of Python member Terry Gilliam's 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ), Python Pictures was to originally bring in part of the funding for Munchausen but eventually the deal didn't come to fruition.
Graham Chapman was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as the Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python. It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Jewish-Roman man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.
Monty Python were a British surreal comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series. The Python phenomenon developed from the television series into something larger in scope and influence, including touring stage shows, films, albums, books and musicals. The Pythons' influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Regarded as an enduring icon of 1970s pop culture, their sketch show has been referred to as being "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".
Sir Michael Edward Palin is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980 he has made a number of travel documentaries.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film inspired by the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group, directed by Gilliam and Jones. It was conceived during the hiatus between the third and fourth series of their BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Terrence Vance Gilliam is an American-born British film director, screenwriter, animator, actor, comedian and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
Eric Idle is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle is a former member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Spamalot.
Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan, and David Warner.
Moral rights are rights of creators of copyrighted works generally recognized in civil law jurisdictions and, to a lesser extent, in some common law jurisdictions.
Sue Jones-Davies is a Welsh actress, singer and local politician. She played Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and was Mayor of Aberystwyth from 2008 to 2009.
Python Night was an evening of Monty Python-related programmes broadcast on BBC2 on 9 October 1999, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first broadcast of Monty Python's Flying Circus. It featured newly written sketches, three documentaries and a screening of Monty Python's Life of Brian.
Spite Your Face Productions, or SYF, is an animation production company based in London, England, consisting of animation directors Tony Mines and Tim Drage. They have created a variety of animated content for broadcast, web and DVD, but are best known for their series of stop-motion animated LEGO shorts.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring the comedy group Monty Python, consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, aka the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV.
Monty Python: Almost the Truth is a 2009 television documentary series in six parts that covers 40 years of the surreal comedy group Monty Python, from Flying Circus to present day projects such as the musical Spamalot. The series highlights their childhood, schooling and university life, and pre-Python work. The series featured new interviews with surviving members John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, alongside archive interview footage of Graham Chapman and interviews with several associates of the Pythons, including Carol Cleveland, Neil Innes and Chapman's partner David Sherlock, along with commentary from modern comedians.
Calon is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was formerly known as Siriol Animation and Siriol Productions.
Time Life Television was a division of Time Life Films and was the television production and distribution arm of Time Inc. With CBS, they led a partnership to export their shows overseas.
Holy Flying Circus (2011) is a 90-minute BBC television comedy film first broadcast in 2011, written by Tony Roche and directed by Owen Harris.
Monty Python v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. was a case where the British comedy group Monty Python claimed that the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) had violated their copyright and caused damage to their artistic reputation by broadcasting drastically edited versions of several of their shows. An appeals court found in favor of Monty Python, directing a ban of further broadcasts by ABC on the basis of violation of the Lanham Act, which could provide protection in the United States similar to that provided by moral rights in Europe, and gave the opinion that the group's copyright had probably also been infringed.
The Pythons is a BBC documentary film about the Monty Python team which was shot in Tunisia in 1978, during the making of Monty Python's Life of Brian. As well as promoting their upcoming film, the documentary also serves as a tenth anniversary profile of the team, despite the original broadcast date of 20 June 1979 being some months ahead of both the tenth anniversary of their TV debut and the UK release of their new film.