This is the fourth "Secret Policeman" DVD I have seen and I certainly could see a downward spiral in the quality over the years. Whereas in earlier incarnations there were a few duds, this DVD is mostly duds. The bottom line is that the performers aren't at their best and too many of the sketches were re-treads--and the originals were better. Plus, there seemed to be more jokes aimed at Brits in this one---with many references that this American couldn't quite get. Plus, many of the better performers in previous years were gone. If you are a Monty Python fan, you'll have to content yourself with just John Cleese and Michael Palin. Rowan Atkinson is likewise not present. In one of their last performances together you do get to see Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with some rather limp material. Highlights for me included a couple nice bits by Lenny Henry and a violent skip involving shooting an apple off a guy's head. But even these didn't make it worth slogging through the rest, as too often it was just painfully dull. My advice is see the earlier episodes first and if you must, try this one.
The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball
(1989 TV Movie)
The material has definitely gotten pretty thin....
29 October 2010