Bedazzled (1967), starring Raquel Welch, Dudley Moore - Feb 19, 2019

[bigshot]

The biggest influence on Monty Python was Spike Milligan's Q. Milligan was one of the Goons, and his TV show that came six months or so before Monty Python is a blueprint for Flying Circus. It even used the same director and much of the same crew. I have a theory that the BBC liked Q, but they didn't like Milligan, so they took a bunch of comedy folks they did like and told them to do a knock off his show so they could cancel Q.

[chas speed]

Originally Posted by bigshot

The biggest influence on Monty Python was Spike Milligan's Q. Milligan was one of the Goons, and his TV show that came six months or so before Monty Python is a blueprint for Flying Circus. It even used the same director and much of the same crew. I have a theory that the BBC liked Q, but they didn't like Milligan, so they took a bunch of comedy folks they did like and told them to do a knock off his show so they could cancel Q.

I think the BBC thought Spike Milligan was a loose cannon. The same goes for Peter Cook a few years later.

[amputd]

Soon will be able to scratch this one off my bucket list

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by bigshot

The biggest influence on Monty Python was Spike Milligan's Q. Milligan was one of the Goons, and his TV show that came six months or so before Monty Python is a blueprint for Flying Circus. It even used the same director and much of the same crew.

I think there's different kinds of "influence". "The Goon Show" was the biggest influence on the Pythons because they all grew up on it and went into comedy because of it. "Beyond the Fringe" laid the path for how they could transition from the footlights to being professional comedy writers. (These are positive inspirations. You also have a negative influence, like the way the Pythons hated working for David Frost and specifically wanted to break away from the "Week that Was" style.) This is more or less a one-sided kind of influence.

Then there's a whole other kind, where contemporary artists are reacting to each other in real time. "Q5", to me, is that sort of influence. It's not accurate to say it was a blueprint; "Monty Python's Flying Circus" had already written a bunch of scripts and started to find their own voice when Q5 came along. Different people pull different elements from the quotes to bolster whichever point they are focusing on, but the basic story is that the Pythons recognized that Q5 was doing what they wanted to do, and they changed their plans as a result. They embraced the similarities to an extent (seeking out the same director, as you say), but as far as the writing, they tried to stay away from being too similar to Q5, and a big component of hiring Terry Gilliam was so that they could stand out from Q5. And then, after Python started, Q6 and the later seasons are similarly responding to the existence of Python. I see this sort of influence more akin to Scorsese and De Palma, or Tarantino and P.T. Anderson, but because it's not one-sided it feels distinct to me from the other kind. I'd say that Monty Python and Q are both natural developments out of The Goon Show; either one could exist without the other, though they would be different end results, but neither one could exist without the Goons.

[BluMonday]

deleted, nevermind

[bigshot]

The first season of Q aired six months before Monty Python and it features the exact same non-sequitur cutaways to get around not having a punchline. It even has a scene at the seaside pushing old people off cliffs. At the time, no one mentioned it, but recently Cleese has stated in interviews that both he and Terry Jones were influenced by Q when they were first trying to figure out what Monty Python's Flying Circus would look like. The Goons, which also included Milligan set the style of humor, but Q was the model for the format for the show.

[thecooldud]

Interested in this. Only just starting to dip my toe into 60s movies, but I like Moore and Cook and I was very impressed with Charade the other week so...

[HotRats]

It'll have to be an improvement on the German for me to buy it. I'm more likely to wait for a UK release, preferably with some extras

Here's my favourite scene from the film, a great song written by Dudley Moore. If you haven't seen the film, the rest of it is in colour.

"Bedazzled": Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation - 'Bedazzled' (1967) - YouTube

From 1964, here's Pete and Dud's best known sketch, one of the all time greats, the equal of the Two Ronnies' Four Candles

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - One Leg Too Few (1964) - YouTube

[oildude]

Pre-order date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 4 pm EST

Where to buy (or pre-order):

• Twilight Time website: http://www.twilighttimemovies.com

• Screen Archives Entertainment: http://www.screenarchives.com

The great Stanley Donen directs Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Bedazzled (1967), a Faustian tale about a Wimpy bar burger-flipper (Dudley Moore) so hopelessly in love with a waitress (Eleanor Bron) that he sells his soul to the devil (Cook) in exchange for seven wishes. All, of course, goes hilariously wrong, up to and including the brief appearance of a beauteous Raquel Welch as the very incarnation of Lust.

Special Features: Isolated Music & Effects Track / Peter Cook & Dudley Moore on The Paul Ryan Show / A Bedazzled Conversation with Harold Ramis / Original Theatrical Trailers

[DanTheMan]

Been waiting on news of this blu-ray for years. Just finding out about it minutes ago, right in time for the preorder later today.

I enjoyed both versions (and own the Ramis version on BD), but I’m especially excited to finally own the ‘67 movie on home video. Thank you, Twilight Time.

[chas speed]

Originally Posted by HotRats

It'll have to be an improvement on the German for me to buy it. I'm more likely to wait for a UK release, preferably with some extras

Here's my favourite scene from the film, a great song written by Dudley Moore. If you haven't seen the film, the rest of it is in colour.

"Bedazzled": Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation - 'Bedazzled' (1967) - YouTube


From 1964, here's Pete and Dud's best known sketch, one of the all time greats, the equal of the Two Ronnies' Four Candles

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - One Leg Too Few (1964) - YouTube

It wouldn't take much to improve on the German Blu-ray. All they have to do is get the letterbox right. I was surprised on Ebay how the old DVD version of "bedazzled" are worth a lot of money. I guess they are out of print.

[sancho]

Raquel Welch....

[meremortal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go5aegiTCdA

[monwobbbo]

Originally Posted by sancho

Raquel Welch....

hottest woman ever in my book. i have a pile of bills thanx to winter and xmas so i hope this doesn't sell out fast.

[bashfulstool]

Originally Posted by HotRats

Here's my favourite scene from the film, a great song written by Dudley Moore. If you haven't seen the film, the rest of it is in colour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXnoWb88Jr4

It's funnier in context coming right after Dudley's frenetic song. The contrast is hilarious. And another example of the Devil screwing up his wishes.
Anyway, looking for a review of the Twilight Time blu.

[chas speed]

It should probably be mentioned that Raquel Welch is barely in this film, but does leave a lasting impression. I think the fact that 20th Century Fox has always insisted on selling this as a Raquel Welch film and video has always hurt the film. This is a Peter Cook/ Dudley Moore film directed by the great Stanley Donen! It was one of the earliest cult films and played in retro and college theaters for decades.

[ghidorah]

Anyone pick this up yet? Is the isolated music and effects track in stereo?

[bashfulstool]

Originally Posted by ghidorah

Anyone pick this up yet? Is the isolated music and effects track in stereo?

You could email TT about it, but unless one of the extras is audio-only, it's probably the 1-channel listed. Not sure the movie is even stereo.

[Baron Blood]

It really is a shame the BBC didn't preserve their televised programs.
Not Only... But Also was hilarious with only one DVD full of surviving skits in varying quality.

Here's a couple of my favorites.

The Best of What's Left of Not Only But Also Episode 5 The Making of A Movie - YouTube

Not Only ... But Also - Superthunderstingcar - YouTube

Regarding Bedazzled, If any new screen caps show up online I hope someone will post them here or give us a link.

[Zen_Amako]

Originally Posted by bashfulstool

You could email TT about it, but unless one of the extras is audio-only, it's probably the 1-channel listed. Not sure the movie is even stereo.

I watched the Twilight Time disc tonight. The isolated score is 2ch stereo. The movie itself is also 2ch stereo, although it looks like there's also a 1ch monaural track available.

The picture quality is very good, although many scenes seemed to have a deliberate soft-focus/"vaseline over the lens" look. The picture at times appeared to be a little horizontally squeezed, but I couldn't tell if that was the intended look. The film is presented in a wide aspect ratio - at least 2.35:1.

I enjoyed the film. I had only seen it once before on DVD many years ago. I laughed out loud at a few sight gags. Peter Cook is pretty great.