Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (book)

Last updated
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (book).jpg
Cover of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life paperback, 1983.
Authors Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Terry Gilliam
Eric Idle
Terry Jones
Michael Palin
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreHumour
Publisher Methuen
Publication date
9 June 1983
Published in English
Print (softcover)
ISBN 0-413-53380-8
Preceded by Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK  
Followed by Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words  

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is the tie-in companion book to the final film by Monty Python. [1] It contains the screenplay, illustrated by many colour stills from the film.

Contents

The book contains sections of the film which were cut before the premiere, including "The Adventures of Martin Luther", which was later reinstated for the film's 20th anniversary "Director's Cut" DVD release in 2003. The Crimson Permanent Assurance is placed where it was to originally appear in the film, before it was excised and presented as the supporting feature.

The book concludes with a correspondence of letters between John Cleese and The Sun newspaper, regarding an alleged incident during the film's shooting.

Contents

Credits

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Chapman</span> English actor, comedian and writer (1941–1989)

Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).

<i>Monty Pythons Life of Brian</i> 1979 film by Terry Jones

Monty Python's 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monty Python</span> British surreal comedy group

Monty Python 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. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".

<i>Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life</i> 1983 film by British comedy group Monty Python

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, also known simply as The Meaning of Life, is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. The Meaning of Life was the last feature film to star all six Python members before the death of Graham Chapman in 1989.

<i>The Crimson Permanent Assurance</i> 1983 British film by Terry Gilliam

The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a 1983 British swashbuckling comedy short film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Sydney Arnold and Guy Bertrand. It plays as the prelude to the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr Creosote</span> Fictional character

Mr. Creosote is a fictional character who appears in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. He is a monstrously obese and vulgar restaurant patron who is served a vast amount of food and alcohol whilst vomiting repeatedly. After being persuaded to eat an after-dinner mint – "It's only wafer-thin" – he graphically explodes. The sequence opens the film's segment titled "Part VI: The Autumn Years".

John Du Prez is a British musician, conductor and composer. He was a member of the 1980s salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several film scores including Oxford Blues (1984), Once Bitten, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus (1992). He contributed to The Wild (2006) soundtrack.

<i>Monty Pythons Contractual Obligation Album</i> 1980 studio album by Monty Python

Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album is the final studio album by Monty Python, released in 1980. As the title suggests, the album was put together to complete a contract with Charisma Records. Besides newly written songs and sketches, the sessions saw re-recordings of material that dated back to the 1960s pre-Python shows I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, The Frost Report, At Last The 1948 Show and How To Irritate People. One track, "Bells", dates from the sessions for Monty Python's Previous Record, while further material was adapted from Eric Idle's post-Python series Rutland Weekend Television. The group also reworked material written but discarded from early drafts of Life Of Brian, as well as the initial scripts for what would eventually become The Meaning Of Life.

<i>Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life</i> (album) 1983 soundtrack album by Monty Python

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is the third and final soundtrack album by Monty Python, released in 1983 alongside their last film. Billed as "The only soundtrack album to be introduced by live fish! ", it consists of sketches and songs from the film, with a few links performed by Michael Palin and a brief appearance from Terry Gilliam.

<i>The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album</i> Studio album by Monty Python

Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck is the name of a bootleg of an unreleased album by Monty Python, mostly made up of outtakes from the 1980 sessions for their Contractual Obligation Album. The album was compiled by producer Andre Jacquemin in 1987 but pulled from release in favour of a compilation of previously released material, The Final Rip Off.

<i>Monty Pythons Personal Best</i> British TV series or program

Monty Python's Personal Best is a miniseries of six one-hour specials, each showcasing the contributions of a particular Monty Python member. Produced by Python (Monty) Pictures Ltd., the series first aired on PBS stations between 22 February and 8 March 2006, although the Eric Idle and Michael Palin episodes were initially released by A&E on two Region 1 DVDs in 2005; the remaining episodes were released in late February 2006.

<i>Python Night – 30 Years of Monty Python</i> British TV series or programme

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.

<i>Monty Python Live at Aspen</i> American TV series or program

Monty Python Live at Aspen was a reunion show featuring the surviving members of the Monty Python team: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, appearing on stage together for the first time since their Hollywood Bowl shows in 1980. Filmed on 7 March 1998 at the Wheeler Opera House in Colorado as part of The US Comedy Arts Festival, it featured the five Pythons in an interview with host Robert Klein. The late Graham Chapman was also allegedly in attendance as his "ashes" were brought out in an urn with his portrait attached to the front, only to be knocked over by Terry Gilliam.

<i>Monty Pythons Flying Circus</i> British sketch comedy television series (1969–1974)

Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or 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. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.

<i>A Liars Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Pythons Graham Chapman</i> 2012 British film by Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson, and Ben Timlett

A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman is a 2012 British animated semi-biographical comedy film that is a portrayal of the life of Monty Python alumnus Graham Chapman. The film is loosely based on A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI, a book written by Chapman and David Sherlock. It received a limited theatrical release on 2 November 2012 in the United States, and aired on the Epix TV channel on the same day.

<i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Book)</i>

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Book), also known as Mønti Pythøn ik den Hølie Gräilen (Bøk), is the literary companion to the 1975 film of the same name, assembled by co-director Terry Jones.

<i>Monty Pythons The Life of Brian / Monty Python Scrapbook</i> Verry fynny movie that strongly

Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK is a large format book by Monty Python, released in 1979 to tie in with their film Monty Python's Life of Brian. As the title suggests, it consists of two separate books joined together. The first contains the film's screenplay, illustrated by black and white stills. On the reverse side is the scrapbook, which contains a variety of material such as scenes cut from the film, newly written material plus unrelated items, including the lyrics to Bruces' Philosophers Song. The book was assembled by Eric Idle, with assistance from Michael Palin.

<i>The Fairly Incomplete & Rather Badly Illustrated Monty Python Song Book</i>

The Fairly Incomplete & Rather Badly Illustrated Monty Python Song Book is a compendium of songs by Monty Python, released in 1994 on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. The book contains the lyrics and musical scores for songs from the group's Flying Circus TV series, albums and films. Also included are "The Ferret Song" and "Rhubarb Tart Song", which originate from I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again before appearing on At Last The 1948 Show. The musical scores were edited by regular Python collaborator, John Du Prez.

<i>A Pocketful of Python</i>

A Pocketful of Python is a series of five books by the Monty Python team, in which each of the surviving members selects their favourite material from the group’s TV series, films, records and books. The first two volumes, by Terry Jones and John Cleese, were released in 1999 as part of the team’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Two further volumes, by Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, followed in 2000 while the final volume, by Eric Idle, was eventually released in 2002. Each team member’s volume includes a preface written by one of the other Pythons. In 2006 all five volumes were released as a single paperback edition, entitled The Very Best of Monty Python.

<i>The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons</i> Official autobiography of the Monty Python team

The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons is the official autobiography of the Monty Python team, released in 2003. It covers the whole of Python history, from their childhoods all the way through to the 30th anniversary celebrations in 1999.

References