"Actor: Michael Palin"

• Worzel Gummidge | DVD | (06/04/2020) from £4.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Children's series about the adventures of Worzel Gummidge (Mackenzie Crook), a scarecrow who comes to life. Two orphans arrive at a farm who meet Worzel and join him in the adventures.

• The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £16.92   |  Saving you £-10.93 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  First screened on BBC2 in 1978, at a time when the standing of The Beatles was at its lowest, The Rutles--All You Need is Cash is the original and (pace This is Spinal Tap) best "rockumentary" spoof. Codirector Eric Idle was then enjoying success with Rutland Weekend Television, while his script displays the same feeling for the inane non-sequitur evident in his Monty Python work. The band's progress from "penniless, untalented nobodies" to "rich, untalented somebodies" is vividly brought to life--with dialogue adapted from actual Beatles interviews and newsreels, and a roster of songs sounding uncannily close to Beatles originals thanks to "Nasty" Neil Innes' genius for pastiche. Interviews with a suitably primed Mick Jagger and Paul Simon give added realism, as do cameos from George Harrison (one-time Beach Boy Rikki Fataar plays his Rutles double Stig) and Stones guitarist Ron Wood. Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi make characterful, pre-Blues Brothers appearances. On the DVD: The Rutles--All You Need is Cash has come up well in this DVD transfer. The fullscreen 4:3 ratio picture and mono sound wear their age well, enhanced by the extra scenes included. There's further interview material with Jagger and Simon, and a specially recorded, though wholly unfunny, DVD introduction from Idle, who also contributes a running commentary. All in all, this is an ideal way to get to know, or renew acquaintance with, a film that brings the swinging 60s back down to earth. --Richard Whitehouse

• The Missionary | DVD | (29/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Fallen women? Does it mean they've hurt their knees? After a decade of soul-saving in Africa Charles Fortescue is asked to minister to the ladies of the night in 1906 London. So Fortescue feeds them shelters them and not infrequently provides them a bed: his! A naive man of the cloth becomes a man of the sheets in this playfully naughty yet always tasteful comedy that stars Monty Python's Michael Palin (who also wrote the script) as Fortescue and features a colourful array of cockeyed characters: a blissful airhead (Phoebe Nicholls) a lusty mission sponsor (Maggie Smith) a bewildered butler (Michael Hordern) an earthy bishop (Denholm Elliott) a cantankerous John Bull (Trevor Howard) and more. Jolly good fun!

• Time Bandits | DVD | (12/10/2015) from £7.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (150.25%)   |  RRP £14.99

  From a script cowritten with his fellow Monty Python veteran Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam pulled out all the stops on his prodigious imagination for this comedy-fantasy from 1981. Film critic Pauline Kael was right when she wrote, "This may be one of those rare pictures that suffers from a surfeit of good ideas," because there's not enough plot to keep pace with the sheer inventiveness of Gilliam's filmmaking. That hasn't stopped Time Bandits from becoming a classic, of sorts, attracting a cult following as a semi-reunion of the Python gang (with Palin and John Cleese making splendid appearances) and a rousing adventure of near-epic proportions. It's about a kid named Kevin (Craig Warnock) who joins a band of mischievous dwarves on a jaunt through various eras and epochs. They've stolen a map to holes in the space-time continuum that belongs to the Supreme Being (suitably played by Sir Ralph Richardson), and as Kevin survives a variety of heroic adventures, including an encounter with King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) and an Evil Genius (David Warner) who pursues the coveted map using his nefarious magical powers. As a warm-up for Gilliam's later, even more ambitious fantasies, Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, this is a dazzling dose of cinematic whimsy, and Gilliam doesn't compromise the darkness of his tale with an artificially upbeat ending. There's as much menace in Time Bandits as there is an awesome sense of wonder, and that gives the movie an extra kick of timeless appeal. --Jeff Shannon

• Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life | DVD | (17/05/2004) from £9.52   |  Saving you £10.47 (109.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Those six pandemonium-mad Pythons are back with their craziest adventure ever! These naughty lads offer the usual tasteful sketches involving favorite bodily parts and functions the wonders of war the miracle of birth and a special preview of what's waiting for us in Heaven. Nothing is too sacred for the probing Python crew. After seeing them in action you'll never look at life in quite the same way again. It's far-out frank and jolly good fun!

• Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Complete Series 2 | Blu Ray | (17/02/2020) from £26.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS FULLY RESTORED IN HIGH DEFINITION FOR THE FIRST TIME! To celebrate the 50th anniversary of a genuinely iconic series, we present Monty Python s Flying Circus, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin in all its HD glory! This unrivalled restoration has been produced from the best available materials, painstakingly restored... and includes just the right amount of lovely spam, wonderful spam... Previously edited sketches have been returned to their original length, while filmed sequences and Terry Gilliam s animations have been newly scanned in High Definition, adding unimaginable depth and clarity to classic moments. From the archive come genuine rarities including previously unseen studio outtakes and extended versions of filmed sketch material, making this the ultimate in television restoration and a must-have for every generation of Python fan! SERIES 2 FEATURES: The Buzz Aldrin Show: Extended & unused filmed material Live from the Grill-O-Mat: Extended Ken Clean-Air System filmed material It's a Living: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio, extended Election Night Special and School [] Prizes filmed material How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body: Reinstated content & alternative, censored sketch audio Scott of the Antarctic: Extended filmed material How Not to Be Seen: Restored animation, unused film material, extended Conquistador Coffee sketch And Now For Something Completely Different: Vic Jamison's 1970 student film shot on location with the Python team Interview with Ian Macnaughton: Recorded in November 1971 at Imperial College London

• Remember Me | DVD | (08/12/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When pensioner Tom Parfitt (Michael Palin) stages a fall in his eerie Yorkshire home in order to escape into residential care, a chilling and macabre mystery unfolds, which challenges weary police detective Rob Fairholme (Mark Addy) and teenage care worker Hannah Ward (Jodie Comer) to risk everything they hold dear to unravel the truth. A traumatic murder investigation, a ghostly haunting and a coming-of-age tale rolled into one, Remember Me takes the audience from the windswept Scarborough coast to the tragic recesses of 20th Century history. Written by Gwyneth Hughes (Five Days, The Girl) and directed by Ashley Pearce (Downton Abbey, the critically acclaimed Accused: Tracie's Story), this three-part drama is a dark and unforgettable voyage into the unknown.

• The Wipers Times - Starring Ben Chaplin, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Michael Palin, Steve Oram & Emilia Fox - WWI Drama As seen on BBC2 | DVD | (07/10/2013) from £6.70   |  Saving you £6.29 (93.88%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In the bombed-out ruins of Ypres in 1916 Captain Fred Roberts and Lieutenant Jack Pearson discovered a printing press. They used it to produce The Wipers Times - a humorous satirical and subversive trench newspaper which proved hugely popular with soldiers - though not entirely with their superior officers. Braving constant bombardment and bitter fighting The Wipers Times survived the Somme and made it through to the end of the war. Roberts and Pearson were highly decorated - yet were unrecognised in their lifetime. The Wipers Times is a story of the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. The Wipers Times stars Ben Chaplin (London Boulevard Me and Orson Welles The New World) Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Hour Green Wing) Michael Palin (Monty Python and the Holy Grail Life Of Brian) Steve Oram (Sightseers Kill List) and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness Merlin) and is directed by Andy de Emmony (Love Bite West Is West The Bletchley Circle) produced by David Parfitt (My Week with Marilyn Parades End Shakespeare In Love) and written by Ian Hislop (A Bunch of Amateurs My Dads The Prime Minister) and Nick Newman.

• Full Circle With Michael Palin | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £15.58   |  Saving you £4.41 (28.31%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In Full Circle Michael Palin sets off from Diomede in the Bering Strait and hopes to return there one year later via Russia Japan Korea China Vietnam the Philippines Borneo Indonesia Australia New Zealand and the whole length of the Americas. But right from the start things don't go to plan...

• Fierce Creatures | DVD | (27/04/2015) from £4.44   |  Saving you £8.55 (192.57%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, John Cleese wrote Fierce Creatures with the purpose of reuniting the comedic cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Media mogul (Kevin Kline) owns a London zoo. He demands that the park raise more profit, so the new zoo director (Cleese) orders that only dangerous animals be displayed in order to maximize ticket sales. In a dual role, Kline also plays the mogul's son, who plans to run the zoo with the help of displaced employees (including Michael Palin) and zoo programmer Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis). The situation lends itself to comedic confusion and split-second timing, and for a few good laughs the film is a pretty safe bet. It's not as hilarious as A Fish Called Wanda (that's a pretty tall order), but Cleese knows comedy, and his efforts are worth a look. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Michael Palin Collection | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £99.99   |  Saving you £-30.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £69.99

  The complete collection containing all the documentaries that Michael Palin has made under the BBC. The following documentaries feature on the collection. Around the World in 80 Days: Michael Palin takes up the famous challenge. Air travel is forbidden and wherever possible he uses the same routes and transport as Jules Verne's fictional hero meeting many interesting characters en route. As he races across continents and against the clock Michael's charm and ingenuity delights the armchair traveller. Pole to Pole: Michael Palin's second televised challenge is to travel from the North to the South Pole by land and sea. The crossing is varied and frequently gruelling passing through Russia just days before the abortive Gorbachev coup then on through Turkey Egypt Sudan and South Africa hopefully arriving in time to catch the only ship from Africa to Antarctica! Full Circle: In Full Circle Michael Palin sets off from Diomede in the Bering Strait and hopes to return there one year later via Russia Japan Korea China Vietnam the Philippines Borneo Indonesia Australia New Zealand and the whole length of the Americas. But right from the start things don't go to plan... Sahara: Michael Palin's lust for travel is as strong as it was when he went around the world in 80 days from Pole to Pole and then Full Circle. His latest objective is one of the great challenges in world travel: crossing the Sahara Desert... Himalaya: In his most challenging journey yet Michael Palin tackles the Himalayas: the greatest mountain range on earth a virtually unbroken wall of rock stretching 1800 miles from the borders of Afghanistan to south-west China. Hemmingway Adventure: Palin journeys to Valencia in Spain following in the footsteps of his favourite author Ernest Hemmingway. Great Railway Journey: Derry or Londonderry depending on religion or which part of Ireland you're from is the starting point of Michael Palin's Great Irish Railway Journey. A journey which will take him from this ancient walled city to the most Western tip of Ireland. But it is far more than a sightseeing tour for veteran traveller Michael Palin. It is a quest for family roots an attempt to trace his great grandmother - Brita Gallagher - who set sail from Ireland 150 years ago during the potato famine bound for a new life in Burlington New Jersey USA. It is a trip along the Palin family line.

• Monty Python Boxset | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  The Holy Grail (1974): Yoiks! Here be the Python's tale of good King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights as they quest for the Holy Grail. Watch as they face great odds and silly sods. See them wage battle against the fierce Killer Rabbit (""Run Away! Run Away!"") and (oh horrors!) see them confront the dreaded Knights Who Say ""Ni!"". Oh these be trying times. Can these good knights pass the test of valour and cut down yon tree with herring? Or will they blow themselves to smithereens with the Holy Hand Grenade? Courage Lancelot! Onward Galahad! A hysterical historical tour-de-farce from Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. The Life Of Brian (1979): You could say this is one of the greatest comedies ever but the Monty Python team said it first! Life of Brian is all about (and here's the big surprise) the life of Brian who was born in a Bethlehem manger next door to Jesus. Three wise men believe he is the messiah but it becomes apparent that he is only Brian. It's written and performed by the Monty Python lads so you know what you're in for; if you don't put this disc down and go out while it's safe! The Meaning Of Life (1983): Those six pandemonium-mad Pythons are back with their craziest adventure ever! These naughty lads offer the usual tasteful sketches involving favorite bodily parts and functions the wonders of war the miracle of birth and a special preview of what's waiting for us in Heaven. Nothing is too sacred for the probing Python crew. After seeing them in action you'll never look at life in quite the same way again. It's far-out frank and jolly good fun!

• Monty Python: Almost Everything | DVD | (26/10/2015) from £71.95   |  Saving you £-26.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £44.99

  Everything a Monty Python fan could ever want in one gloriously fabulous, ludicrously definitive, outrageously luxurious 14 disc boxset! Includes: Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life Special Edition Monty Python's Life Of Brian Special Edition Monty Python And The Holy Grail Special Edition And Now For Something Completely Different The Complete Flying Circus TV Series 1-4

• And Now For Something Completely Different | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £4.65   |  Saving you £8.34 (179.35%)   |  RRP £12.99

  And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python's first feature, is a reworking of their best skits from the first two seasons of the TV series. Originally made for the US market (where the show had yet to be aired), it was shot on film outside the usual studio sets ("Nudge Nudge", for example, is set in a tavern filled with passers-by). The writing and performances are fine and the film is packed with some of their best bits: "How to Avoid Being Seen", " Hell's Grannies", "Blackmail", "The Lumberjack Song" and "The Upper Class Twit of the Year", among others. Many of the sketches have been shortened, however, and the loss of the overly bright video sheen (the film has a muddy, dull look to it) and the invigorating presence of a live audience leaves the film sluggish at times. They're still feeling out the possibilities of the feature length, which they conquered with their next movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974). --Sean Axmaker

• Brazil | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £9.15   |  Saving you £6.84 (74.75%)   |  RRP £15.99

  If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--Brazil is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. In fact it was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek government clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. It's not a software bug but a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets squashed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). When Sam becomes enmeshed in unravelling this bureaucratic tangle, he himself winds up labelled as a miscreant. The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. --Jim Emerson On the DVD: Brazil comes to DVD in a welcome anamorphic print of the full director's cut--here running some 136 minutes. Disappointingly the only extra feature is the 30-minute making-of documentary "What Is Brazil?", which consists of on-set and behind-the-scenes interviews. There's nothing about the film's controversial release history (covered so comprehensively on the North American Criterion Collection release), nor is Gilliam's illuminating, irreverent directorial commentary anywhere to be found. The only other extra here is the ubiquitous theatrical trailer. A welcome release of a real classic, then, but something of a missed opportunity. --Mark Walker

• Monty Python's Flying Circus - Season 4 | DVD | (11/06/2007) from £3.49   |  Saving you £16.50 (472.78%)   |  RRP £19.99

  And now for something completely different... Episodes Comprise: 1. The Golden Age of Ballooning 2. Michael Ellis 3. The Light Entertainment War 4. Hamlet 5. Mr. Neutron 6. Party Political Broadcast

• Do Not Adjust Your Set | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £5.76   |  Saving you £-1.77 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Originally planned as a children's show 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' soon gained a large adult following. With music interludes by Neil Innes' Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and animations by Terry Gilliam the programme brought together some of the great writers and performers who would eventually create Monty Python.

• Michael Palin's Global Adventures | DVD | (13/11/2023) from £10.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Monty Python's Flying Circus - Series 3 | DVD | (21/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  And now for something completely different... The complete third series of Monty Python's Circus! Episodes Comprise: 1. Njorl's Saga 2. Mr. and Mrs. Brian Norris' Ford Popular 3. The Money Programme 4. Blood Devastation Death War and Horror 5. The All-England Summarise Proust Competition 6. The War Against Pornography 7. Salad Days 8. The Cycling Tour 9. The Nude Man 10. E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease 11. Dennis Moore 12. A Book at Bedtime 13. The British Showbiz Awards

• Fierce Creatures | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £5.23   |  Saving you £4.76 (91.01%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, John Cleese wrote Fierce Creatures with the purpose of reuniting the comedic cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Media mogul (Kevin Kline) owns a London zoo. He demands that the park raise more profit, so the new zoo director (Cleese) orders that only dangerous animals be displayed in order to maximize ticket sales. In a dual role, Kline also plays the mogul's son, who plans to run the zoo with the help of displaced employees (including Michael Palin) and zoo programmer Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis). The situation lends itself to comedic confusion and split-second timing, and for a few good laughs the film is a pretty safe bet. It's not as hilarious as A Fish Called Wanda (that's a pretty tall order), but Cleese knows comedy, and his efforts are worth a look. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com