Review of Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) by Alexander C — 05 Sep 2012

After Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) came out to protests and critical acclaim, it made the Monty Python team global superstars. To capitalise on their fame, their new manager Denis O'Brien booked them to play 4 nights at the Hollywood Bowl in September 1980.

It would be the last time all 6 Python's would perform live together, and the film is a good laugh as well. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, along with Carol Cleveland and Neil Innes, perform before 18,000 fans some of the best sketches from their TV series, including The Ministry of Silly Walks, The Argument Sketch, Travel Agent, Crunchy Frog and Nudge Nudge.

They also perform songs like Never Be Rude To An Arab, Sit On My Face, Bruces' Philosophers Song and The Lumberjack Song. Innes sings I'm The Urban Spaceman and How Sweet to Be an Idiot. As well as featuring filmed bits from the German Specials they did in 1971 and 1972, there's one or two new sketches, like The Last Supper and Colin 'Bomber' Harris.

It's a good live show, filmed over 4 nights, and subsequently released in cinemas. They were at their best creatively and as a team when they did this, and it shows. The only thing missing is The Parrot Sketch, but they were sick of it by that point, you can't have everything, but it's a good time piece of how, for a moment, America went Python mad.