Monty Python: Almost the Truth - The Lawyer's Cut

This documentary took the road most taken: if you're documenting Python, be Pythonesque. That's why it gets an 8 and not a 10. The mini-sketch at the beginning got to be annoying about half-way through it at the first watching. I really didn't need the joke repeated 6 times. (And it is more reminiscent of the opening scene of Gilliam's Brazil than of anything by Python, anyway.) Then there are the animations meant to be homage's to Gilliam's works. Another miss. And there's the cutting-people-off-in-mid-sentence in interviews (which, of the Pythonesque directorial touches is the one that works best, in my opinion). The interviewee-being-seen-in-a-profile motif also detracted from the documentary. In short, directorially it's in a bad shape.

Having said that, the rest of it I loved. It is a candid tale of a troupe who got together only by some strange series of flukes, remained together for as long as they did because their various antics and inter-group quibbling somehow managed to cancel each other, left us an incredibly funny legacy (the highlights of which were done as quick-and-dirty solutions to some odd problems) and finally were fed up with it and went on to do other great things separately.

At no point does it feel like anyone is holding anything back. For example, the group is very open about their complete lack of interest in each other's personal lives, and how that made them not see what was going on in Graham Chapman's life, even when it was too big to miss.

Intermixed with this are well-chosen bits of archive footage (including interviews with Chapman that are edited in to sound just like the interviews with the five surviving members), some perspective interviews with friends and contemporary comedians (as well as some actors and musicians), and mentions of some notable fans (mostly from the music business).

I am a Python fan, but (like the group itself, apparently) never dug into their personal lives, feeling that their body of work should speak for itself. So, to me, much of this was new, and I thought that just hearing the story of George Harrison's house and its connection to Life of Brian -- that alone would have made the watching of this documentary worthwhile... and there's a lot more where that came from.

A solid, well deserved 8.

I just saw all of this documentary. It is a bit confusing about the episodes but I think I managed to sort it all out. It is a very good documentary, and the "greatest hits" selection of sketches from the series is also very good. I have seen all of Python's TV and film work, and this is a good addition to that ouevre. As we know, Graham Chapman is dead, so it is impossible to unite the group again. However, their impact is so big that it cannot be understated. In this documentary we learn for example that Elvis was a big fan of Holy Grail. This is no surprise since he also liked cool stuff such as Bruce Lee movies. Moreover, we hear from Tim Roth and other actors, musicians and comedians who are fans. Also it is interesting to hear from the Iron Maiden musician who was so inspired by Python that it blended into his reality. Moreover, it is interesting to hear from the people themselves who was involved with it and to hear about the backgrounds of the six characters in the group.

Almost the Truth is a Documentary about everything you'd want to know about them. From their Childhood life to the sad death of Graham Chapman to the creation of their 3 Feature Films to what they all do now! The interviews are very interesting entertaining and funny as hell! And not only that, but they interview famous people (actors, directors, comedians etc. including LOYD KAUFMAN!) and their own opinions of their best sketches, films and lots more! The DVD includes extended interviews, Best sketches and more! If you are a fan of the Pythons (or comedy for that matter), documentaries or just looking for some entertainment, this is a 6 episode long documentary thats worth your time!

4/5 8/10

A documentary on the history on British comedy group Monty Python. Features interviews with the five surviving members plus other comedians and artists whose careers they have influenced.

Superb. Having seen a few Monty Python documentaries, all of which were good but a bit dry, I can confidently say that this the essential Python documentary. Very comprehensive - six episodes each of an hour and each episode covering a stage in Monty Python's history. For example, Monty Python and the Holy Grail gets an entire episode and makes for incredibly interesting viewing, as you see and hear what went into making the classic movie.

What makes this so good is the interviews with the five surviving Pythons (plus archival footage of Graham Chapman interviews). Through this you get the definitive story on what happened, plus some interesting side information. Moreover, just through their discussions you can sense the individual intelligence and creativity that went into the making Monty Python so brilliant.

The interviews with non-Pythons are generally interesting and useful, though some are a bit of a the cheerleading type which tend to litter documentaries. I could have done without Russell Brand showing off how many big words he knows. What a pompous prat.

The only other negative was the intro, involving the lawyer getting nuked. Got very tiresome very quickly and got used in all six episodes!

Despite this, a superb documentary and one of the greatest documentary series ever made.

Its a documentary about a couple of guys. Well more than a couple of guys really as a couple gives the impression that there are about two of them and there is not. There is in fact 6 of them and one of them is now deceased, no more, an ex-python. So actually this is a documentary about 5 guys and 1 dead guy and how they became a group of guys, with the odd female thrown into the mix, that called themselves the Brady Bunch, no wait Monty Python, thats it! I'm a fan, I have been for awhile, ever since I watched one of Terry G's, not to be confused with Terry J, twisted cartoon links and wondered why isn't more comedy like this? 20 something years later, for me it's been longer for the guys, I'm still wondering why there isn't more comedy like this and I have come to the realization that its because....We, meaning I, interrupt this review to say go and see this film if you like Monty Python and if you have never heard of Monty Python, or if you enjoy a laugh and like to see a cow flying through space and if you don't like Monty Python and not 100% certain. If you don't like Monty Python and you are 100% certain, well done for making it this far into the review.