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Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Terry Jones Mum/Priest/Biggs/Sergeant/Strange man/Mrs. Brown
Terry Gilliam Private Walters
Graham Chapman First Fish, Tony
John Cleese Second Fish, Grim
Eric Idle Fourth Fish
Michael Palin Father
Carol Cleveland Headmaster's wife
Simon Jones Chadwick, Jeremy
Patricia Quinn Mrs. Williams
Imogen Bickford-Smith Nurse
Mark Holmes Severed Head
Judy Loe Nurse #1
Sydney Arnold
Movie Details
Genre Comedy; Fantasy; Musical
Director Terry Jones; Terry Gilliam
Producer John Goldstone
Writer Graham Chapman; John Cleese; Eric Idle
Photography Peter Hannan
Musician John Du Prez
Studio Image
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 107 mins
Country USA
Color Color
IMDb Rating 7.4
Plot
Perhaps only the collective brilliant minds of the Monty Python film and television troupe are up to the task of tackling a subject as weighty as The Meaning of Life. Sure, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and their ilk have tried their hands at this puzzler, but only Python has attempted to do so within the commercial motion picture medium. Happily for us all, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life truly explains everything one conceivably needs to know about the perplexities of human existence: from the mysteries of Catholic doctrine, to the miracle of reproduction, to why one should avoid the salmon mousse, to the critical importance of the machine that goes "Ping!" Using fish as a linking device (and what marvelous links those aquatic creatures make), The Meaning of Life is presented as a series of sketches: a musical production number about why seed is sacred; a look at dining in the afterlife; the quest for a missing fish (there they are again); a visit from Mr. Death; the cautionary tale of Mr. Creosote and his rather gluttonous appetite; an unflinching examination of the harsh realities of organ donation, and so on. Sadly, this was the last original Python film, but it's a beaut. You'll laugh. You'll cry (probably because you're laughing so hard). You may even learn something about The Meaning of Life. Or at least about how fish fit into the grand scheme of things. --Jim Emerson
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 126
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
The Meaning Of Life at Movie Collector Connect
IMDB
Amazon US
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Widescreen (16:9)
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
UPC (Barcode) 014381422627
Release Date 10/17/2000
Subtitles English (Closed Captioned); French; Spanish
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 [English]
Dolby Digital Mono [French]
Dolby Surround [English]
DTS 5.1 [English]
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Widescreen Dolby