And now for something completely different. Instead of the character driven dramas of Taxi Driver and I'm Not There, here's a film that is pure enjoyment. I had thought I had never seen this film before, but now after watching it, I remember a couple scenes that I guess my dad must have shown me years ago. I specifically remember the final sequence with the Grim Reaper, and I know I had at least seen part of the restaurant scene, which just for the record, is maybe the best and funniest gross out humour scenes I've ever seen. When you see shows like Family Guy and MadTV doing short scenes or sketches based off of vomit humour, just know that these guys did it right, and did it first. 
I was actually surprised at how artistically the film was shot. Knowing that Terry Gilliam was the head of the animated sequences was no surprise, but the rest of the film was just as good in terms of composition and continuity. The only thing I noticed was that there were many scenes that were poorly lit, in that you would miss out on part of an action that was in shadow, or just that there were too many light sources and things got confusing in terms of space (like in the short before the film).
The challenge that I thought was met well was that you essentially have a cast of 6 guys playing dozens of characters, and having to slightly change themselves for each. While John Cleese and Eric Idle are more recognizable to me than the rest, I rarely felt like they were playing the same character in different scenes. Sometimes they had barely changed their appearance, but it never took you out of a scene or lessened the impact of a joke.
My favourite element of the film, and it is the essence of their comedy, is sheer ridiculousness. They play perfectly realistic scenes with attitudes and twists and combinations that are absolute genius. For example, in the battle/trench scene, when the general is about to make a charge, the soldiers understandably say what they believe might be their final words to this man. But then proceed to present him with 'going away' gifts, like a grandfather clock, a swiss watch, a cake, and a statue. Even better, they become bitter towards him when he doesn't acknowledge the gesture the way they expected, and are upset that he didn't want to eat the cake now. In my experience I've only ever seen two examples of comedy that reached this level of ridiculous sophistication, that is well planned out, and in my opinion, perfect for animation. Those two would be Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show with Bob and David. I can see many examples of how Monty Python led to the birth of these shows.
For one, practically all the women are played by the men. They do it well, in that easily recognizable british screech. I did at some moments wish that the role of women (actual women) had been used better in the film. I truly believe that one of the signs of great comedic writing is the abilty to use women not as exposition loud speakers, but as comedic equals. I've seen this in Mel Brooks' films, most often it was Madeline Kahn, one of the funniest women ever, and more recently in the Apatow movies, but not to the same extent. Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks and Catherine Keener in 40-year old virgin and Katherine Heigl and Leslie Mann in Knocked Up are far better characters than in 99% of any female roles in comedies these days.
I can definitely say that this was one of the best comedies ever, and not only is the movie funny as hell, but its well shot and the characters work.
No comments:
Post a Comment