Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a pretty mediocre presentation.
For the most part, sharpness appeared satisfactory. The film came across as somewhat fuzzy and ill defined on occasion, though.
While most of the flick was reasonably accurate and concise, it seemed tentative at times. The overall impact felt inconsistent.
I saw no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, but light edge haloes appeared, and noise reduction left the image with a smeared feel. Print flaws caused mild problems, as the image came with a smattering of specks and marks.
Colors varied. Some looked pretty accurate and well defined, but the tones often came across as somewhat flat and lackluster.
Black levels tended to be reasonably dense but slightly on the inky side, and shadows were a bit thick and dull. The image of Meaning didn’t do much that seemed particularly wrong, but it also rarely presented a picture that stood out as very positive.
On the other hand, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Meaning of Life worked better than expected – at least within the movie’s limited scope. As a comedy, no one should expect a lot of sonic fireworks.
Still, music showed nice spread, and effects added to the impression when necessary. Sequences like the pirates at the film’s start or other more dynamic pieces managed to fill the spectrum in a moderate manner.
Audio quality showed its age but seemed reasonably good. Though speech occasionally felt a little reedy, the lines remained intelligible and acceptably concise.
Music and effects both also varied, as they could seem slightly rough at times. Nonetheless, they came with generally appealing range and impact. This was a pretty good soundtrack for a movie of this one’s vintage and goals.
As we move to extras, we open with an audio commentary from actor/director Terry Jones and actor/animator Terry Gilliam. Both recorded separate running, screen-specific tracks that got edited into one piece.
The commentary looks at various aspects of the movie’s different sketches. At times, the Terrys offer useful insights about the material and the shoot.
However, more than a little dead air comes along for the ride, and we get a ton of praise for the film and its participants – especially from Gilliam, who often tries to convince us the movie represents peak Python. Gilliam also seems confused about chronology, as he occasionally indicates that he thinks Meaning of Life was shot after 1985’s Brazil.
All of this leads to a highly disappointing commentary. While not devoid of informational value, too much of the track simply feels banal and dull.
An alternate audio option appears via Soundtrack for the Lonely. With it, Michael Palin plays a man who watches the movie.
As he views, the Palin character laughs, hums, farts, and occasionally makes phone calls. Some entertainment results – but not nearly enough to sustain the viewer across the whole film. Though a clever concept, the end result drags.
In addition, the movie can be viewed with a Sing-Along. It simply provides onscreen lyrics during songs and offers nothing more engaging than that.
As we go to video extras, a 30th Anniversary Reunion lasts one hour, 15 seconds. Four Pythons – Michael Palin, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam – gathered together in London, while Eric Idle joined them via video call from LA.
After a few minutes of general chitchat, they discuss aspects of Meaning of Life as well as the then-current state of comedy and various Python memories. This becomes a good collection of thoughts and a fun way to see the Pythons together.
A 2003 Prologue by Eric Idle goes for one minute, 17 seconds. He presents a comedic poem to introduce the movie and gives us a quick little bit of entertainment.
Titled The Snipped Bits, we get seven cut sequences that fill a total of 18 minutes, 22 seconds. Two – “Martin Luther” and “The Hendys” – come with non-optional commentary from Jones.
“Martin Luther” presents that religious icon as a horny weirdo and proves pretty amusing. Jones regrets its omission and I agree, as it offers the sort of oddball weirdness that Pythons did well.
The rest prove more erratic. “Hendys” just extends an existing scene, and the others feel mediocre.
Jones’ commentary delivers a few notes about the two aforementioned segments. He gives us some minor insights, but the fact we can’t watch the scenes without his chat annoys.
Under The School of Life, we get four elements. The Meaning of Making The Meaning of Life spans 49 minutes, two seconds and involves Palin, Cleese, Jones, Gilliam, Idle, and Python Graham Chapman.
The show looks at the project's origins and development, writing and the pursuit of a narrative theme, Jones as director, aspects of the shoot, and the movie's release/reception. It provides a pretty enjoyable overview of the different topics.
Education Tips runs six minutes and offers a circa 2003 Python sketch that involves Palin and Cleese. Though it doesn’t embarrass, it lacks much real amusement value.
Next comes Un Film de John Cleese, a one-minute, 31-second segment. Also from 2003, it offers a Cleese-centric version of the Meaning of Life trailer. While predictable, it seems mildly entertaining.
Remastering a Masterpiece lasts eight minutes, 21 seconds and offers notes from Jones, Gilliam and film restorationist James C. Katz. It offers a tongue in cheek look at efforts to bring the movie to DVD.
With that we head to Show Biz, a section with three components. Song and Dance occupies 11 minutes, 32 seconds and involves Jones, choreographer Arlene Phillips and dancer Jane Leeves.
This one looks at some of the movie's musical numbers. It turns into an engaging reel.
Songs Unsung brings alternate versions of the movie’s tunes. We get “Every Sperm Is Sacred (Eric Idle Version)” (3:09), “It’s The Meaning of Life (Terry Jones Version)” (2:54) and “Christmas in Heaven (Eric Idle Version)” (3:13). All match 1980s recordings with 2003 lipsynch footage of Idle and Jones to become mildly interesting.
In Selling The Meaning of Life, we get the film’s trailer and two TV spots. “US Promotion” (2:03) shows some dude who impersonated Mr. Creosote – and who did so without a hint of humor.
“Rejects” (0:59) displays nine poster concepts, and “UK Radio” (2:19) presents three English ads. “Telepathy” (2:27) finishes matters with an unusual trailer – one that seems more clever than almost anything in the actual film.
Fish ends the disc with two segments. 2003’s Virtual Reunion (3:09) takes the five surviving Pythons as they get digitally inserted into settings and sort of pretend to interact. It proves moderately amusing.
What Fish Think spans 16 minutes, five seconds and shows aquatic life with occasional “thoughts” voiced as well. It feels more like a glorified screen saver than anything to brings entertainment value.
The final Monty Python film, The Meaning of Life becomes a tremendous disappointment. Little of the usual Python wit and cleverness appears in this largely flat and uninspired collection of sketches. The Blu-ray comes with erratic visuals, good audio and a sizable set of supplements. Little of the anticipated Python genius appears here.