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Original poster

Monty Python - age-appropriateness?

28 replies

Bink · 04/08/2008 13:52

I was thinking my ds (9) would enjoy dead-parrot, no-cheese, and combustion-engine sketches. And the Holy Grail movie.

But it's so long since I saw them that I can't remember anything about age-appropriateness (except I do remember being given the Papperbok in hospital when recovering from appendicitis aged 13, which was sort of not appropriate on a number of levels). I definitely remember the TV show was banned (when I was ds's age).

Does anyone have a view?

OP posts:
mumblechum · 04/08/2008 13:55

DS saw Life of Brian and the Holy Grail at 11 & "got" the humour. Guess it depends on the 9 yr old.

suzywong · 04/08/2008 13:57

I remember watching it at about 8 or 9 and finding it comical on one level - look at the funny man dressed as a lady, but then I also remember being SERIOUSLY freaked out by the image of Terry Gilliam dressed as an Indian getting electrocuted by Eric Idle while wired up to a tv set. (Imagine my distress when he sat down next to me at the GPs in Highgate brandishing a dark green bottled urine sample many years later).
I'd watch it with him to begin with and then guage his reaction.
And watch out for that scene in The Meaning Of LIfe when John Cleese does sex education lessons. Yuck

HumphreyPinCushion · 04/08/2008 13:59

I think they films are rated 15, but not sure.
We have some sketches on audio cd, which my two boys love (aged 12 and 10).
They both loved Spamalot, and I have to say that not much went over their heads.

HumphreyPinCushion · 04/08/2008 14:01

Oh yes, John Cleese as a teacher 'performing' a practical biology lesson with his wife.
You might want to fast forward that bit.
Although that might make things a whole lot worse.

Original poster
Bink · 04/08/2008 14:07

Audio CD a great idea - hadn't thought of it minus the visuals (suspect it was the naked piano player that meant I wasn't allowed to watch, all those decades ago).

(As for Meaning of Life, I don't think I could cope with that one again. Takes all kinds of strong, er, stomachs.)

OP posts:
singersgirl · 04/08/2008 14:09

DH has just shown DS1 (10 this month) Life of Brian and he thought it was very funny. He's watched some other Monty Python with him too (not sure what - definitely not The Meaning of Life) and it is right up DS1's street.

katiechops · 04/08/2008 14:15

My younger sister absolutely loved Monty Python at the age of 9 or 10. She used to drive us all mad doing the routines in the back of the car on long journeys. She's now a comedy writer!

Piffle · 04/08/2008 14:21

ds1 has adored monty python since age 8 upwards
Depends on the child their parents and sense of humour. Would be fair to say v few of his mates/peers get python properly even now aged 14-15.

Piffle · 04/08/2008 14:22

actually ds started off loving fawlty towers first.

AMumInScotland · 04/08/2008 14:27

I think the sketches would be ok, but the films have a few bits you might be uncomfortable with - we watched Holy Grail with DS when he was about that age, but I'd forgotten the bit in Castle Anthrax (all the girls) where they talk a lot about spanking (fair enough, they've been naughty so they're going to get spanked) then say "and after the spanking, the oral sex". Which led to a few questions...

Original poster
Bink · 04/08/2008 14:35

Thanks MuminS - that's exactly the sort of detail I was wanting to know about. I will go with sketches on CD first then.

(Poor ds - he's terribly fastidious & would no doubt be shocked - someone was talking about girlfriends the other day and he said emphatically "I'm much too young for sexy stuff." (Which I thought was a good response, by the way.))

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MrVibrating · 04/08/2008 15:21

Careful Bink, the CDs of the live shows are definately NOT OK for kids, although the TV ones are (the films are in between I suppose). But with audio only you will miss out on Terry Gilliam's wonderful animations. I'd say go for the TV series on DVD - Amazon have it very cheap. Remember this was produced to suit the prudish TV audiences of 40 years ago - I don't think a rear view of a naked man seated at a piano is going to permanently harm your 9yo DD.

DumbledoresGirl · 04/08/2008 15:29

My 10 and 12 year old discovered Monty Python and the Holy Grail film a few months ago and were highly amused by it and watched it several times.

I am pretty liberal about these things though. Make no mistake, there is adult humour in it and I find the scene where Sir Lancelot meets the nuns who want to be spanked and have oral sex extremely awkward. My boys don't understand it and I felt if I sensored that bit, it would only lead to embarrassing questions, so they watch it but I would rather they did not.

I will let them watch Life of Brian once I have had a chance to check it. I remember seeing it at the cinema when it first came out when I was about 14 so I suppose ds1 is not far off that age.

I am not keen on them watching the film (forget which one it is) where the man overeats and vomits everywhere. That was one step too far IMO.

roisin · 04/08/2008 15:32

ds1 (now 11) started watching them when he was about 8: it is exactly his sort of humour and he loves them.

I'm not a fan myself really, so dh watches them with him.

When they're back from haircuts I'll ask them for details of 'appropriateness'. In general I find that sort of thing far more acceptable than the incessant undermining of values that you find in soaps these days.

scanner · 04/08/2008 15:35

dd1, almost 9 has seen some of the sketches on You Tube at a friends house, she thought they were hilarious. I was wondering about Life of Brian, but think I should watch it again first, which is no great hardship tbh.

EyeballsintheSky · 04/08/2008 15:40

Mr Creosote in the Meaning of Life, Dumbledore. Ugh!!

I can't remember ever not watching Monty Python so we must have been shown it very young. But then my dad is a big fan. Don't think there's much wrong with Life of Brian - one brief full frontal scene and a few f words. TV series fine as well I think.

edam · 04/08/2008 15:43

Oh, I have very happy memories of Monty Python. My little sister and I thought 'Every Sperm Is Sacred' was particularly amusing, for some reason. Can't imagine why...

roisin · 04/08/2008 16:07

ds1 says there are lots of rude bits in Monty Python, some just a little bit rude, and some very rude.

Dh says The Meaning of Life is explicit and inappropriate in many ways for a 9 yr-old.

Holy Grail would be a good one to start with says dh.

Life of Brian should be fine. Some brief female front nudity, and men's bottoms.
He says an intelligent 9 yr-old might understand some of the sexual inuendo in LoB, but most wouldn't.

Swearing generally mild, no F* word from memory.

ds2 has now heard dh saying ds1 watched them when he was 9. Maybe I should watch them myself now and consider the censorship issue!

DumbledoresGirl · 04/08/2008 16:48

LOL roisin, I don't remember full frontal female nudity in L of B. (not saying there isn't any, just that I don't remember it!) For me, as a young teenage girl, the one scene I remember as hysterically funny, extremely risque and not a little bit educational was the brief bit of male full frontal nudity (when Brian opens the shutters in the nude and finds a crowd waiting for him outside). How innocent I was in those days! That was probably the only male penis outside my family I had ever seen!

I just know that my ds1 and ds2 would love such scenes as Pilate's and his friend's respective lisps, and the "what have the Romans ever done for us?" scene.

roisin · 04/08/2008 16:51

I've just looked at the DVDs and they all say certificate 15. Dh says they wouldn't be that now

I really should watch these, shouldn't I?

EyeballsintheSky · 04/08/2008 16:55

There are F words in LoB.

The fucking Judean Peoples' Front
I'm not the Messiah...now FUCK OFF!

I'm sure there are more, someone at the beginning threatens to smash his nose across his fucking face...

God I'm a saddo!

PuppyMonkey · 04/08/2008 16:55

PMSL at there being no f-word in Life o Brian.

What about the infamous: "How shall we fuck off, Messiah?" etc

Having said that, my dd has been into all the stuff since age nine. It's all very good humoured swearing and nudity and sexual inuendo if you ask me.

Original poster
Bink · 04/08/2008 17:27

Continuing thanks to everyone! - this is so helpful.

Somehow I'm not at all upset at the consensus of giving Meaning of Life a huge wide berth. I've always thought it a very oddly & sourly conceived thing anyway.

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roisin · 04/08/2008 17:59

PMSL at my assertion of no f-words in LoB! I was depending on dh's memory, honestly not mine. I don't know these films

I think I may need to acquaint myself though

Having said that earlier today I was talking to ds1 (11) about cinematography techniques and sound tracks and put on the start of Atonement. After about 15 mins I suddenly remembered what was coming next and turned it off pronto!

edam · 04/08/2008 18:29

I'm particularly fond of the graffiti scene in Life of Brian, when the Roman guards come and correct all the Latin grammar.