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The Meaning of Life (1983)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
31 March 1983 (USA) moreTagline:
What it is, Where it is, and how to avoid treading in it [Video Australia] morePlot:
The comedy team takes a look at life in all its stages in their own uniquely silly way. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment: The 30-Second Snippets (From MTV Newsroom. 3 November 2009, 10:40 AM, PST)
Science Discovers 32 New Planets... And Monty Python's Seen Them All
(From MTV Movies Blog. 20 October 2009, 7:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
More hilarity on film from the Monty Python team; this time, in sketch-comedy form more (164 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Graham Chapman | ... | Fish #1 / Doctor / Harry Blackitt / Wymer / Hordern / General / Coles / Narrator #2 / Dr. Livingstone / Transvestite / Eric / Chairman / Guest #1 / Arthur Jarrett / Geoffrey / Tony Bennett | |
| John Cleese | ... | Fish #2 / Dr. Spencer / Humphrey Williams / Sturridge / Ainsworth / Waiter / Eric's Assistant / Maître D' / Grim Reaper | |
| Terry Gilliam | ... | Window Washer / Fish #4 / Walters / Middle of the Film Announcer / M'Lady Joeline / Mr. Brown / Howard Katzenberg | |
| Eric Idle | ... | Fish #3 / 'Meaning of Life' Singer / Mr. Moore / Mrs. Blackitt / Watson / Blackitt / Atkinson / Perkins / Victim #3 / Front End / Mrs. Hendy / Man in Pink / Gunther / Noël Coward / Gaston / Angela | |
| Terry Jones | ... | Fish #6 / Mum / Priest / Biggs / Sergeant / Man with Bendy Arms / Mrs. Brown / Bert / Mr. Creosote / Maria / Leaf Father / Fiona Portland-Smyth | |
| Michael Palin | ... | Window Washer / Fish #5 / Mr. Pycroft / Dad / Narrator #1 / Chaplain / Carter / Spadger / Regimental Sergeant Major / Pakenham-Walsh / Rear End / Lady TV Presenter / Mr. Marvin Hendy / Harry / Padre / Debbie Katzenberg | |
| Carol Cleveland | ... | Wife of Guest #1 / Heaven Receptionist | |
| Simon Jones | ... | Chadwick / Jeremy Portland-Smyth | |
| Patricia Quinn | ... | Mrs. Williams | |
| Judy Loe | ... | Nurse #1 | |
| Andrew MacLachlan | ... | Groom / Wycliff / Victim #1 / Guest #3 | |
| Mark Holmes | ... | Victim #2 / Guest #2 / Elephant Waiter | |
| Valerie Whittington | ... | Mrs. Moore | |
| Jennifer Franks | ... | Bride | |
| Imogen Bickford-Smith | ... | Nurse #2 (as Imogen Bickford Smith) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (UK) (complete title)El sentido de la vida (Argentina) (DVD title) (Spain) [es]
Der Sinn des Lebens (West Germany) [de]
Estamos todos locos (Argentina) [es]
Monty Python - Elämän tarkoitus (Finland) [fi]
Monty Python - O Sentido da Vida (Brazil) [pt]
Monty Python's Der Sinn des Lebens (West Germany) (complete title) [de]
Monty Python, le sens de la vie (France) [fr]
Monty Python: il senso della vita (Italy) [it]
Monty Pythons meningen med livet (Sweden) [sv]
Monty Pythons, to noima tis zois (Greece) [el]
O Sentido da Vida (Portugal) [pt]
Sens zycia wedlug Monty Pythona (Poland) [pl]
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
107 min | Germany:112 min (2003 restored director's cut)Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Iceland:12 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/18 | Canada:18A (re-rating) | Canada:R (original rating) | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) (1983-1990) | Brazil:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2000) | UK:18 (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During the opening sequence, the title is struck by lightning on the bottom of the final "e". The resulting words, "The Meaning Of Liff", is also the title of a book written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in 1983. The coincidence was discovered shortly before either movie or book were released, but too late in production to change either. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the vomiting scene right after the bucket is taken away, the end of the hose the liquid comes out of can be seen. moreQuotes:
Grim Reaper: You are all dead. I am Death.Host: Well, that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?
more
Soundtrack:
Accountancy Shanty moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (164 total)
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The third and last real film by the Monty Python crew. First, they made fun of the medieval times and its beliefs. Then, they gave the earliest followers of Jesus a whooping'. Now, they... well, they pretty much cover every stage of life in the search for the 'meaning of life'. The film, unlike the two other ones(Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian) is basically a series of sketches(whereas the two aforementioned films had progressive plots), much like the series(Monty Python's Flying Circus). As such, it's pretty much like watching an episode of said series, if the episodes were nearly two hours long. Of course, this means that if you like the series, you'll like the film. To this date, I have yet to meet anyone who likes the group and doesn't like the series, so I guess it was a good idea. Despite the title, it has reasonably little actual philosophy and such, but I doubt any Python-fans will be completely devastated by this. As another new thing for a Python-film, it's also a musical. There have been one or two musical numbers during the previous films and the series, but nothing this major. There are about 8-9 musical scenes in the film, complete with choreographed dancing, lead singers and backup vocals. Of course, it's all done in typical Python-style, so not a single one of them is what you'd normally expect from a musical. The comedy is pretty much the same as usual from the Python troupe, with some misses, but mostly hits. Plot is pretty much nonexistent, but what there is, is good. The pacing is good, but because of the film's all-sketch content, it gets somewhat dull around the middle(as Cleese also points out in the 'making of' featured on the DVD). The acting is all pretty good. The special effects are nice. Not much else to say, since you already pretty much know the Pythons' style of humor from the series and the two earlier films. And if you don't, you should probably check out either of the films first, or, even better, one of the more sober episodes of the series. I recommend this to any fan of the Monty Python group, particularly those who prefer the Flying Circus over the two other films, since it's more sketch-comedy than the others. 8/10