Review of Monty Python`s The Meaning Of Life

Introduction

The Meaning Of Life was the last film that the Python team made together, and some would say that it was the weakest. Having dropped the successful idea of having one main story running through the film, The Meaning of Life reverts to a more sketch based format, with each sketch being based on a certain stage of someone`s life. The stages run from birth to death, with things like "fighting each other" in between.

Like the TV series which started it all, there`s a feeling of hit and miss running through this film.

Video

A non-anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. Whilst some discs still present you with a very good picture with this type of transfer, this one doesn`t. It`s got loads of scratches everywhere, there are some artefacts, there`s some grain on the image and everything smacks of no effort being invested.

The only good thing to say is that the film is in the original ratio, as many of us will have only ever seen it in pan`n`scan on the TV.

Audio

Just a plain DD2.0 soundtrack, which is functional without ever being very much else. At least the dialogue is clear and audible, and those classic songs come across nicely. Perhaps not as much quotable dialogue as the other Python films, but still some very funny sketches.

Features

Nothing at all. Criminal.

Conclusion

A veritable mixed bag of a film, on a very lacklustre disc. There are great moments - Mr Creosote, the British Army, the School and of course "the machine that goes `ping`". Perhaps the one advantage of this DVD is that you can instantly skip over "The Crimson Permanent Assurance Company" and "Christmas in Heaven".

This disc is only really recommended for die hard Python fans who just have to replace their worn out VHS copy. My advice is to wait and see if a better version of the film comes out, unless you can pick this one up for about 5 pounds.

On the whole, it`s still a good film, but the disc is poor.