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Post by kingkoopa on Apr 4, 2017 1:47:03 GMT
I've tried.
I just don't see what's so funny about it.
I'm a viewer from the USA, so I accept there may be a little cultural divide. None of this stuff does anything for me though. Am I an alien???
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Post by moviemouth on Apr 4, 2017 2:08:31 GMT
I get it, it's just not my kind of humor. Same with spoof movies.
Though I do kind of like The Meaning of Life.
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Post by geekesmind on Apr 4, 2017 11:14:16 GMT
have never watched it so I couldn't tell you. but I do like British comedies like these   |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2017 12:02:51 GMT
I get it and i think its brilliant. Best sketch show of all time in my opinion.
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Post by deeznutz on Apr 4, 2017 14:04:31 GMT
It might be hard to get the humor overseas but it's deffo a real classic same as their films.
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Post by mikef6 on Apr 4, 2017 14:26:03 GMT
I saw my first Python show simply because I had PBS on the TV. I had never heard of it, didn't know what to expect. I was so stunned that I still remember exactly how it floored me (this was in 1973). Yes I am U.S. (Texas) born and reared. No, there was no cultural divide. Yes, I "got" it immediately and so did everybody I know. This is surreal comedy that is not just fall-down in helpless laughter funny but also which somehow touches something in the subconscious. The wordplay is dazzling. The visual comedy coupled with the concept of the sketches is sheer surreal genius.
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Post by kingkoopa on Apr 4, 2017 17:12:37 GMT
I saw my first Python show simply because I had PBS on the TV. I had never heard of it, didn't know what to expect. I was so stunned that I still remember exactly how it floored me (this was in 1973). Yes I am U.S. (Texas) born and reared. No, there was no cultural divide. Yes, I "got" it immediately and so did everybody I know. This is surreal comedy that is not just fall-down in helpless laughter funny but also which somehow touches something in the subconscious. The wordplay is dazzling. The visual comedy coupled with the concept of the sketches is sheer surreal genius. I do remember the dialogue being entertaining when I gave "The Life of Brian" a try. That was years ago. My wife is from NZ and while I'm more of a movie watcher than she is, we seem to belly laugh at different parts of different movies. She favors (favours) British comedy. I like it too, but some of it doesn't hit me like it hits her, hence bringing up wondering if it was a cultural thing. As a comedy fan, Monty Python seems like this really cool party that I'd like to get into. I'm open-minded to it. You seem to know your stuff, any suggestion on where someone like me would start? For example, I wanted my wife to understand why I find "Always Sunny" so hilarious, so I got her started with one of their better episodes. Where would you suggest starting with Monty Python? BTW, the knight who gets dismembered in (I believe) "Holy Grail" is hilarious. 'Tis but a scratch! |
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Post by Terrapin Station on Apr 4, 2017 17:16:51 GMT
I've tried. I just don't see what's so funny about it. I'm a viewer from the USA, so I accept there may be a little cultural divide. None of this stuff does anything for me though. Am I an alien??? Are you having any problem with the language?--the accents, the phrasing and cadence of the language, the vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.? That's the first obstacle that a lot of folks have to get past. It's difficult to appreciate it from a comedy perspective if you're struggling with or even just having to concentrate really hard on figuring out just what they're saying. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 4, 2017 17:21:08 GMT
Some people think that Mel Brooks comedy is Great. Some people don't.
Some adore Jerry Lewis. Some cannot stomach him or his humor.
Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Lenny Bruce people either love them or hate them.
It's pretty much the same with Monty Python.
Nothing to do with cultural differences.
Finding something funny is not something that can be forced.
Pythoners not Pythoning, I recommend
John Cleese and Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda
Cleese - Fawlty Towers
Palin's several TV series where he travels Pole to Pole and around the globe in other directions.
Python Movie that I really REALLY like is Holy Grail which became the play Spamalot. I did not like Life of Brian at all
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Post by kingkoopa on Apr 4, 2017 17:29:03 GMT
I've tried. I just don't see what's so funny about it. I'm a viewer from the USA, so I accept there may be a little cultural divide. None of this stuff does anything for me though. Am I an alien??? Are you having any problem with the language?--the accents, the phrasing and cadence of the language, the vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.? That's the first obstacle that a lot of folks have to get past. It's difficult to appreciate it from a comedy perspective if you're struggling with or even just having to concentrate really hard on figuring out just what they're saying. That's a good observation. I've worked (and currently do) in a mostly international setting, so while I understand the accents, the cadence and once in a while the vocabulary (particularly slang) is a bit unusual to my ears. Since sometimes it means deciphering that part, I think it messes with how the comedic timing (which is skillfully turbo charged) hits me. I said in an above post, I'm from the USA and my wife is from NZ. Our first languages are both English, but we occasionally misunderstand each other to this day. I can hear the words she's saying, but sometimes they mean different things. When I hear "it's on the bench," there is still a delayed reaction in my brain before I realize she's talking about the "counter top." Vice versa with her. I wonder if this perhaps affects how I receive the timing of the comedy in Monty Python. And it's all about timing with comedy most of the time. I hope you or anyone else in the thread don't think I'm ripping on it...I just want to figure out where a good place to jump in might be to get a feel for what they're doing. No question, it has solidified itself as classic comedy. I want to get in on it too! |
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Post by kingkoopa on Apr 4, 2017 17:34:13 GMT
Some people think that Mel Brooks comedy is Great. Some people don't. Some adore Jerry Lewis. Some cannot stomach him or his humor. Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Lenny Bruce people either love them or hate them. It's pretty much the same with Monty Python. Nothing to do with cultural differences. Finding something funny is not something that can be forced. Pythoners not Pythoning, I recommend John Cleese and Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda
Cleese - Fawlty Towers
Palin's several TV series where he travels Pole to Pole and around the globe in other directions. Python Movie that I really REALLY like is Holy Grail which became the play Spamalot. I did not like Life of Brian at all Thanks for the recommendations. I enjoyed what little I've seen of "Fawlty Towers." I may have misspoke when I said 'cultural divide' in my OP, probably meant more like vernacular and colloquialisms. For example, American humor based on southern life is often lost on me...not always, but sometimes I feel like I can't find my way inside it. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 4, 2017 17:52:51 GMT
I've always enjoyed much of British humor. I prefer "As Time Goes By" and "Keeping Up Appearances" to US "family comedy shows". Much of my early exposure to films was British films because my mother loved them and missed none of them. Films like Genevieve, The Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts and Coronets.
As I said, you can't force yourself to like what you don't like... especially "funny".
I don't "get" the Mike Myers spy things, the Ace Ventura films, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller etc so I just don't bother trying with them any more. They don't seem to mind one little bit.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 4, 2017 18:01:22 GMT
kingkoopaRE: Accents and cadences. I am a big fan of the British Mystery series on PBS (no surprise there, I bet) With each new series, I have to disk the shows so that I can replay them and mentally translate them into USA English. "Shetland" has been the hardest because the cadences are so different from Midsomer Murders, Morse, Lewis etc. Back to Python. Have you seen and, if so, do you like "Laugh In". That's another you do or you don't kind of show.
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Post by kingkoopa on Apr 4, 2017 18:09:01 GMT
I've always enjoyed much of British humor. I prefer "As Time Goes By" and "Keeping Up Appearances" to US "family comedy shows". Much of my early exposure to films was British films because my mother loved them and missed none of them. Films like Genevieve, The Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts and Coronets. As I said, you can't force yourself to like what you don't like... especially "funny". I don't "get" the Mike Myers spy things, the Ace Ventura films, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller etc so I just don't bother trying with them any more. They don't seem to mind one little bit. I adore "As Time Goes By" and "Genevieve." My wife introduced me to her favorite, "Pride and Prejudice" (the BBC production with Colin Firth). It was delightful and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Based on what your taste appears like, I'll check out the ones you listed I haven't seen. I also share your dislike of a few of the things you mentioned at the bottom. Mike Myers is the big one, though I think he's good in the right places. "Wayne's World" was great, but "Austin Powers" did nothing for me. It isn't so much that I want to force myself to find MP funny, but more that I feel I don't fully understand it enough. I worked on ships for many years and our Russian crew mates would laugh at how Americans couldn't figure out if they were joking or not. Getting to know these guys a little better, I got to hear some really funny jokes I still can laugh at today. MP's status is undisputed. I might not find it truly funny at the end of the day, but I want to give it a proper shot. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 4, 2017 18:17:23 GMT
kingkoopaWith so much going on in each show some skits are stupid and you just wish that they would stop and try again and some are a riot. I think that's part of it. It's just not ALL funny. Some of the skits fall totally flat but they keep on plugging away. I'm not really REALLY huge on the Pythons but "I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition", "Bureau of Funny Walks". some of the things that happen in the shops strike my fancy. WHO is in the sketch affects the humor quotient too.
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Post by NishmatHaChalil on Apr 4, 2017 18:44:36 GMT
I strongly disliked their justification of imperialism in Life of Brian. Other than that, there were some jokes I enjoyed in their movies and in the sketches I watched, but I don’t feel too strongly about them. Personally, I felt they focused too much on the absurd and on the silly per se, without using the contrast to highlight any point that could strike me as interesting. Taking that into account, I believe Python’s style would not be close to my type of humor either.
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Post by drystyx on Apr 4, 2017 21:15:05 GMT
You must want to be a lumberjack. |
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Post by mikef6 on Apr 5, 2017 4:12:44 GMT
I saw my first Python show simply because I had PBS on the TV. I had never heard of it, didn't know what to expect. I was so stunned that I still remember exactly how it floored me (this was in 1973). Yes I am U.S. (Texas) born and reared. No, there was no cultural divide. Yes, I "got" it immediately and so did everybody I know. This is surreal comedy that is not just fall-down in helpless laughter funny but also which somehow touches something in the subconscious. The wordplay is dazzling. The visual comedy coupled with the concept of the sketches is sheer surreal genius. I do remember the dialogue being entertaining when I gave "The Life of Brian" a try. That was years ago. My wife is from NZ and while I'm more of a movie watcher than she is, we seem to belly laugh at different parts of different movies. She favors (favours) British comedy. I like it too, but some of it doesn't hit me like it hits her, hence bringing up wondering if it was a cultural thing. As a comedy fan, Monty Python seems like this really cool party that I'd like to get into. I'm open-minded to it. You seem to know your stuff, any suggestion on where someone like me would start? For example, I wanted my wife to understand why I find "Always Sunny" so hilarious, so I got her started with one of their better episodes. Where would you suggest starting with Monty Python? BTW, the knight who gets dismembered in (I believe) "Holy Grail" is hilarious. 'Tis but a scratch! Somewhat similar to Laurel and Hardy, two comedy legends whose short films are their great legacies, Stan and Ollie’s feature length movies that they did late in their career were not at all on the high level they had maintained for some many years spanning the silent and sound eras. I feel much the same about Monty Python’s movie output. Their great work – their collaborative genius – was in the comedy sketch. Look for an attitude – if not life – changing experience with their BBC TV show which ran four seasons from 1969 to 1974. It is best to watch full episodes because many of them contain running gags (“No one expects the Spanish Inquisition”), but YouTube is filled with individual skits that are worth checking out. They are easily found with a simple search so forgive me if I don’t provide links. Try these preceded by “Monty Python”: Coal Miner’s Son (turns a classic movie cliché inside out) Cheese shop (my favorite) Argument clinic Dead parrot Dirty fork (answers critics who complain that their skits have no punch lines) Ministry of Silly Walks Deadly joke |
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Post by 🌵 on Apr 5, 2017 15:44:08 GMT
My girlfriend doesn't get them either. I love them. I'm really into absurdist/surreal humour though.
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Post by Dayodead on Apr 5, 2017 16:00:44 GMT
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