DVD Talk Forum - Meaning of Life SE on Sept 2

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Meaning of Life SE on Sept 2

looks like I'll have to replace my current Dvd with this new Disc

NO BONUS MATERIAL!!!???

Univeral should have let Criterion handle this.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pants
NO BONUS MATERIAL!!!???

Univeral should have let Criterion handle this.

huh??? I rarely see extras listed on that sight on feature loaded discs, why would it be barebones if it's called an SE

Quote:

Originally posted by Canadian Bacon
huh??? I rarely see extras listed on that sight on feature loaded discs, why would it be barebones if it's called an SE

Oh well good news then :up: :up: I don't know anything about that site. Does anyone know what kind of features this will have then?

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NO BONUS MATERIAL!!!???

I don't quite understand this either... does the site imply that this so-called "SE" is bare-bones, or simply that the extra features are yet to be determined?

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Originally posted by Richard Malloy
I don't quite understand this either... does the site imply that this so-called "SE" is bare-bones, or simply that the extra features are yet to be determined?

I interpreted it as yet to be determined, because a bunch of fields were empty and it is a couple of months away.

Got a list of special features over at The Digital Bits

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html

I realize that this is The Rumor Mill, but I have my fingers crossed ;)

The circle is now complete.

Well, unless I wanna keep my hopes up for the "And Now For Something Completely Different" Special Edition.

Now, as for special features, I must admit to being spoiled by other Python product, namely the Holy Grail SE & Life of Brian CC.

This means that I will settle for no less than two audiocommentaries, one with two Pythons, the other with three.

Also, I expect the deleted scenes to include the complete "Adventures of Martin Luther" sketch, the one hinted at on the soundtrack album, available in its entireity on the video game (but in crappy quality).

What else?

Oh, and I should add that I personally expect this to be another in my growing lists of Gilliam commentaries (That is, for The Crimson Permanent Assurance). Still hoping for Criterion to revisit Munchausen and Fisher King, as I believe both of these featured commentaries on laser disc.

Wait a tic.

My "two commentary" idea might not work so hot after all, as it would most likely make the most sense to have Gilliam solo during Crimson. I suppose the second track could be the other four during that portion. I'd love to hear Cleese complain about Gilliam spending the whole budget on his part.

I've gone on long enough, but let me just say that I think it's also a great opportunity to allow the disc to allow you, by seamless branching, to view the film edited in the format described by a Python associate in "Monty Python Speaks," whereby the film is structured completely differently, with

Spoiler:

You could also "seamlessly branch" in the Martin Luther piece and stick Crimson back in the middle where it belongs.

Final note:

Ignore everything I've said here. I'm insane.

Quote:

I've gone on long enough, but let me just say that I think it's also a great opportunity to allow the disc to allow you, by seamless branching, to view the film edited in the format described by a Python associate in "Monty Python Speaks," whereby the film is structured completely differently, with Eric Idle as the french waiter escorting the viewer to his childhood home playing over the final credits. You could also "seamlessly branch" in the Martin Luther piece and stick Crimson back in the middle where it belongs.

In spite of your insanity can you elaborate on this? Link?

Quote:

Originally posted by Pants
In spite of your insanity can you elaborate on this? Link?

Well, OK, here's a link, but I'll be more specific (now that I'm home and have the book handy).

Quote:

JULIAN DOYLE, EDITOR, MEANING OF LIFE:One of the things about sketch films is you must end well. Like my old jazz teacher used to say, "Your applause on the end of a jazz song is how long you hold the last note." So you must leave them with a good memory at the end of a sketch film because they haven't got an overall experience of the thing; they just think it's been fun if they feel fun as the leave the cinema.

Spoiler:

Now we get to Creosote, fine--the funniest scene in the film, everybody is rolling around laughing. We then [go into] the restaurant clearing up, and then we have a shaggy dog story: a waiter saying, "Come, follow me." Now the audience is [still] laughing because Creosote's funny, but in fact that [next sketch] is killing us: we are slowly dying as that scene is going on. And we get to the end [of that scene where] we tell the audience to "**** off!" That's what he says to them. "You've just seen the best scene in the film, and now I'm going to tell you the answer to the meaning of life, follow me, follow me, follow me," tells us his life story, then he says "**** off!"
Death. We have killed our audience.
After Creosote, we need to be out of that film as quickly as possible with our best stuff and only our best stuff. My feeling is that Creosote exploding should have been the precursor to Death: the guy chased by the women jumping off the cliff, quickly [moving] into the Grim Reaper coming around the dinner table. Everything should be about Death. Also, the audience are expecting gags in your credits; that film had nothing, just a piece of music with a TV floating away. What we should have had was the credits would start, and then we reprise Creosote [with the] cleaning up going on in the restaurant. So they're cleaning up the restaurant, and the guy says, "Listen, since we're right at the end of the film now, I'll tell you what the meaning of life is." So the credits are rolling, rolling--we had loads of stuff of him walking and saying, "Follow me, follow me," all the way through the credits--the credits finish, he's still saying "Follow me!" Half the audience are standing in the aisle waiting to hear the meaning of life, and you run it for as long as you like! And then the guy tells you to "**** off!" That would have been the ending that would have made that film.
I don't think you can tell an audience to **** off and then try to keep them after that point! The other thing is, by reprising the Creosote restaurant we would have reminded everybody about the funniest thing in the film.

Was that suggested structure seriously considered?

DOYLE: Well, I talked to Terry Jones and he liked what the cleaning lady was saying--he played the cleaning lady--and he felt it would detract from it by putting it at the end of the film.

The others weren't around and they never heard about it. So I just didn't get anywhere with the idea, and I couldn't convince Terry that that was the way to go.
I have these horrible thoughts of where films can be better; they sort of stick with me. I don't think you can get Holy Grail much better, I don't think you can get Life of Brian much better--Otto would have helped a little. [But] Meaning of Life could have been a better film.

Now, mind you, I completely expect that this edited version will not be on this disc; I only bring it up because I think it really does sound better, and would be a fun extra.