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The Complete Monty Pythons Flying Circus - Collectors Edition Megaset | 
 enlarge | Director: Terry Hughes;ian Macnaughton
Actors: Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland, Terry Jones
Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
Category: DVD
List Price: $159.95
Buy New: $79.34
You Save: $80.61 (50%)
New (32) Used (6) Collectible (1) from $78.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 13071
Format: Box Set, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 21
Running Time: 1869
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 6.1 x 3.9
MPN: 145540
UPC: 733961145540
EAN: 0733961145540
ASIN: B001E77XNA
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 11/18/2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Great Christmas Present - Husband Very Happy January 6, 2009
Excellent collection, husband was very happy. Only thing I could fault it is that it wasn't digitally remastered... Other than that we were very pleased.
Good set for those who don't have the previous ones! January 4, 2009
The material on this set is actually 5 stars (great comedy here)....this is a review for the boxset itself. This is a good set with 21 discs of Monty Python goodness....but it could have been great! There are a few problems with this set:
1) It's not really complete! - Wheres the second German episode? If they're gonna mention it's existence, they should include it - otherwise, it ain't complete. If they don't have the master, I suggest that they start looking! Also, where's 'Life Of Python'? A&E has released this separately at one time, but it is no longer available. They also show a clip of this in the extras but their failure to include the complete show here boggles the mind. The omission of these 2 items really ticks me off.
2) The first 14 discs here appear to be the original discs from way back in the early days of DVD......I can't even use my remote to see the time remaining on the episodes as I watch them. Also, there are some glitches in the video master that A&E used...most notably in the 'Biggles dictates a letter' sketch. Fortunately, it's not a disc problem but perhaps a remaster is in order here.
3) Yeah...the personal bests are somewhat redundant. I think I've seen the 'fish-slapping dance' to the point of nauseum watching these. However, they are still worth keeping as each of these discs do include new interviews(from the remaining pythons for Chapman's best) and new sketches by the individual pythons in their personal best episodes.
Other than the above, it is still a good set if you have yet to get Monty Python on DVD. Also, I should note that the package is actually smaller than the 16-ton set consisting of the box you see with 2 DVD booklets inside. The larger booklet consisting the original episodes on 14 discs with the second booklet holding the remaining 7 discs. They are all in plastic trays (2 discs: 1 overlapping the other in each tray) and are all securely snug in the hubs....at least it was in the copy that Amazon sent my way.
If you want the most 'complete' collection currently out now, buy this set......but keep a lookout for 'Life Of Python' if you can find it and hope that A&E gets around to releasing that final German episode one day.
The Nitpicker's Guide to MPFC DVD sets December 27, 2008
For those who are on the fence about this set, I have to say I highly recommend it. Yes, most of the material has been released before, but the two new discs, along with the very compact new packaging, make this a must-have in my opinion. Each of the two new documentaries are an hour long, but to me they felt like two hours each. I don't mean that in a bad way... they are just chock-full of rare footage and new revelations, so I got more out of them than what you'd normally expect out of an hour-long DVD featurette.
Before The Flying Circus is completely black-and-white, but given that the bulk of the vintage film clips would be b&w themselves, leaving the new interviews in color would be rather jarring, since every five minutes or so it'd cut back to b&w film. Python Conquers America is in full-color, which is just as appropriate, and watching both back-to-back (in chronological order) makes each seem stronger. Terry Gilliam's quite detailed description of each of the four different title sequences appears on the "Before The Flying Circus" disc, as does the long-lost "Political Choreographer" sketch, both in full color.
For those like me who don't have time to watch every single disc before deciding whether to sell/trade their existing sets, I have checked the data size and creation date/time of each disc. Apart from DVD 12, all of the 14 main discs are identical to the original Mega Set (including DVD 1 being listed as a "fix", which may have happened before the original set hit store shelves). The data size for #12 is the same as the original one, but the creation date is from 2008 and for some reason the DVD-ROM content is missing. That means the link to pythonshop.com won't work, but there doesn't seem to be any other alterations to the disc.
I did notice that the disc artwork lists the first episode as "L. Henry Thripshaw's Disease" rather than "E. Henry..." as it's supposed to be, but the menu on both versions simply calls it "Henry Thripshaw's Disease". My best guess is that there was a very minor correction that needed to be made, whether in the navigation of the menus, a typo in someone's filmography or a wrong answer to a trivia question. I'm fairly confident that there's no significant difference in the new #12, and whatever may have changed is probably an improvement. The only potential worry would be if something was censored on the disc. The opening sketch is the Tudor Job Agency, so I thought there may have been something in the background that needed to be blurred out (an underage model, obscene material, etc.), but I didn't notice anything like that. It's possible that a word or two may have been dropped out of the audio track, but I've not had time to listen that carefully.
The contents of the two discs of Monty Python LIVE! are also identical to the originals at the data level, although the disc art has been updated a bit for this new set. As for the Personal Best specials, the six episodes are now on 3 dual-layer (NOT double-sided) discs rather than six individual single-layer ones. I did notice that each program is missing approximately 50MB of data as compared to the original DVDs, but the "Holy Grail" DVD trailer found on the individual "Personal Best" DVDs has been dropped, which could account for some of that. All the extras seem to have been ported over.
All in all, even if you have one of the previous sets, I would recommend buying this set and selling off the old one(s), partially for the great new documentaries, but also because the packaging for this set is the best yet, and one of the nicest sets I've ever owned. As has probably been mentioned elsewhere, the discs are in two separate fold-out "Digibook" packages. One minor gripe is that each pair of discs overlap, meaning that to get one out, you often have to remove the one in front of it (they don't actually touch). This is much better than some recent sets that put the discs in fragile cardboard pockets that could scratch them.
Come on A&E!!! The five stars is for the Python stuff,not the set!!! November 21, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Enough is enough A&E,here we go again with another Monty Python Megaset,add a some personal best DVD's + the 16 ton set DVD's and few more small extras and there you go,another Monty Megaset(w/high price tag!),this IS the 3rd to date!!! For the $,the 16 ton megaset IS the way to go,and much chaeper to boot!!! Love Monty Python,sick of A&E,such a nice thing to do to us in these economic times!
Dead Parrot, Silly Walks, Cheese Shop and More... November 15, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
"Monty Python's Flying Circus" was created in 1969 by the BBC as Britain's response to "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," the NBC show that was enjoying huge ratings at the time. The Monty Python troupe consisted of Cambridge and Oxford graduates John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. American-born Terry Gilliam provided the show's surreal animated sequences, which were interspersed among the skits.
"The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus Collector's Edition" is a massive, 21-disc box set containing every episode of the show's four-season run. The series is uneven and has its share of misfires, but when the comedy lands, the skits are hilarious. The "Ministry of Silly Walks" hangs on the long-legged Cleese's unbridled lunacy in high-stepping around the office, making methodical turns with precisely looney leg contortions and never skipping a beat delivering the dialogue. The skit is slapstick performed magnificently, and it's hard not to break up watching it.
"The Cheese Shop" also features Cleese, this time as a customer trying to order a bit of cheese from proprietor Jones only to be told, after requesting by name every type of cheese on the face of the earth, that it is either sold out, no longer available, not carried, or on order. Watching Cleese go from mild annoyance to apoplexy is a riot. Other highlights include the "Dead Parrot," the lumberjack song, and "The Spanish Inquisition."
The set also contains "Monty Python Live," a collection bringing together nearly 30 years of live performances, including the vintage 1972 "Live at the Hollywood Bowl," the 1998 reunion "Live at Aspen, 20 Years of Python," and the original 1972 "Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus #1" rare German episode. In addition, there are are six mini-documentaries in the "Monty Python's Personal Best Collection," with songs and sketches from the entire series. There are two new documentaries chronicling how the Monty Python team was born that feature interviews with the Pythons, rare vintage photos, and home movies. The set is also chock full of bonus features that take the viewer behind the scenes, offering insight into how comedy routines are created and developed.
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