MONTY PYTHON 16 TON MEGA SET released Sept 27

Russell G · 08-11-2005, 01:45 PM

Has anyone heard about this? It appears to be a re-release of the previous mega collection, with 2 bonus discs. According to AMazon.ca, the one bonus disc is the "Life At The Hollywood Bowl", I have no idea what the second disc would be, unless the "LATHB" was a 2 disc set.

does anyone know if this is a simple repackaging of the previous discs? I understand that some of the episodes had some edits in them, could they be corected here? Are the 2 German episodes included?

Paul Arnette · 08-11-2005, 02:18 PM

The 2-disc set Monty Python Live! includes Live at the Hollywood Bowl, so perhaps that is it.

The German episodes are on the Monty Python: The Life Of Python, which is also 2-disc set.

While I cannot say for certain, I would expect nothing more than recycled content here.
--
Paul Arnette

Bill GrandPre · 08-11-2005, 04:15 PM

It is the previous 14-disc set of the complete series and the 2-disc "Monty Python Live!" all repackaged in slim cases. I don't know why A&E didn't make it an "18 Ton Mega Set" by including the 2-disc "Life of Python" but it's still available so it's not the end of the world. Maybe someday we will see the "18 Ton Mega Set" packaged in 9 double slipcases

Jonathan_Clarke · 08-11-2005, 04:25 PM

Maybe someday we'll see more than 3 episodes per disc!

I was just thinking how much I paid for this series compared to Season one of the Muppet Show. Things were different in 1999.

Russell G · 08-11-2005, 05:24 PM

thanks for the heads up!! I'm going to order the set, and I think you can still grab "Life Of Python" at HMV on their "2 for $30" racks!

For those who bought these seperately, I feel your pain. This set is in the $150-$190 CDn range, I don't think I ever saw the previous set for less than $280Cdn.

Is the quality pretty decent, and are any edits very glaring?

**HTF Ads**

WillLon · 08-11-2005, 05:38 PM

There are a few edits/glitches on the A&E DVD release. I posted some info to the MP newsgroup about this. So unless this boxed set is a re-pressing or remastering from scratch these apply.

The following episodes are effected by edits and/or glitches:

17. The Buzz Aldrin Show 29:48 [audio spike at end of show during Gumbys]
19. School Prizes [It's A Living] 29:35 [altered cancer/gangrene line]
30. Blood, Devastation, Death, War and Horror 29:41 [GC bus conductor singing bit missing on DVD]
31. The All-England Summarize Proust Competition [GC hobbies line edited on DVD] 30:23
33. Salad Days 28:24 ["Biggles Dictates a Letter" digital glitch]
35. The Nude Man [The Nude Organist] 30:29 ["James P. Burke" DVD caption missing?]
38. A Book at Bedtime [edited on DVD 24:42] [Paramount VHS 26:36]

Another episode omits the song "The Girl from Ipanema" [or something like that] heard on a TV set in 1 sketch. Can't recall which episode.

To complete the series with major material missing from the A&E DVDs you need to find unedited versions of at least Episode 30, 31 & 38 or if you have or can find the old Paramount tapes keep Volume 3, 10 & 12.

Overall I'm personally quite pleased with the quality of the A&E DVDs. Just get unedited versions of a few episodes and you're set.

-----------

Jean-Michel · 08-11-2005, 08:01 PM

Quote:

I don't know why A&E didn't make it an "18 Ton Mega Set" by including the 2-disc "Life of Python"

Because "18 Ton Mega Set" would ruin the joke.

Russell G · 08-11-2005, 08:33 PM

WillLon,

Thanks for the list of glitches. I do have copies taped off a bravo airing in the 90's that I think are complete. They included the German episodes in viewing order for the series, and each episode went over the 30 min mark due to one comercial break in the middle. I guess I could rip those edited episodes onto DVD and coble togteher a truly complete set.

Jean-Michel · 08-12-2005, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Another episode omits the song "The Girl from Ipanema" [or something like that] heard on a TV set in 1 sketch. Can't recall which episode.

"Whicker's World." It's in the "penguin on the television" sketch. Apparently the edit was done awhile ago since they overdubbed it with another song in what seems to be Graham Chapman's voice.

The missing bits in episode 38 are a) previews for upcoming TV shows called "Dad's Doctors" and "Dad's Pooves" (supposedly the bozos at A&E's mastering department snipped these because they come after the credits and they assumed they weren't actually part of the show) and b) a fake Conservative Party political broadcast at the beginning of the show (apparently edited from the 1979 repeat, possibly because there was an actual election that year and the BBC has traditionally been rather paranoid about airing political satire during election years -- remember what happened to That Was the Week That Was). An alternate version of the opening exists ("TONIGHT'S EPISODE BEGINS STRAIGHT AWAY WITH THE OPENING TITLES"/"NO IT DOESN'T, IT BEGINS WITH THESE CAPTIONS"/"OH YEAH"), but A&E didn't use this for some reason.

One point in favor of the A&E releases: the "Wacky Queen" sketch in episode 2 ("Sex and Violence") is usually missing (as it is on the Paramount VHS releases), but it's present and accounted for on the DVD.