MovieChat Forums > Monty Python's Flying Circus (2018) Discussion > The laughtrack is WAY worse than I remem...

The laughtrack is WAY worse than I remember

posted 12 years ago by Henry J Sosenite
11 replies | jump to latest

Hadn't watched this show in a few years, and coming back to it, it seems like the laughtrack rarely comes on for something that's witty or subtle. It's mainly for the stupidest and most obvious jokes, and admittedly the ones that are too "British" for me to get. Also, if you actually listen to it, some of those people make the most horrifying noises! Once you notice it, it's really hard to ignore it.

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[–] Noddy_Comet 12 years ago

It's not a laughtrack, it's a live studio audience. There is a difference.

However, even a live audience can be distracting, especially when the laughter obscures a follow-up gag. On some shows, the performers have had to pause to allow the laughter to subside. Because so much modern comedy doesn't use audience laughter (live or canned), this has become more noticeable when we watch older comedy shows.

But I think it does add to the atmosphere - if you've ever seen And Now For Something Completely Different, in which sketches from the first two seasons were re-made for the big screen, you'll notice that when those same sketches are performed without the laughter, they don't quite work in the same way. At least, not for me.

Make tea, not war.

[–] Henry J Sosenite 12 years ago

Okay, I kind of suspected it was a live audience...

I think the show would've been best without any kind of laughter - but I also think a laughtrack actually would have been BETTER than a live audience.

I actually saw And Now For Something Completely Different before I saw any of the episodes of Flying Circus. (I'd also already seen the main three movies - some of them multiple times, probably.) I was kind of shocked and disappointed by the laughing, at first, but I got used to it. Now that I'm rewatching the show again, I have to get used to it all over again, apparently.

It honestly ruins some of the sketches, for me. A good example would be the Ministry of Silly Walks. I thought it was funny - kind of funny. Not the funniest damn thing I'd ever seen, or anything like that. But the audience reaction was just ridiculously loud.

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[–] Noddy_Comet 12 years ago

Yes, I do seem to remember a woman continuously hooting throughout the Silly Walks sketch, even when nothing particularly funny was happening!

Make tea, not war.

[–] megArnold 11 years ago

Peope were merrier back then. (or possibly more loaded...)

--
Grammar:
The difference between knowing your sh**
and knowing you're sh**.

[–] Noddy_Comet 11 years ago

Probably something they used to put into the tea at the BBC...

Make tea, not war.

[–] murph24 11 years ago

I have reason to believe they were using certain substances of an illicit nature.

But it's my only line!

[–] Noddy_Comet 10 years ago

Sandwiches?!

Make tea, not war. 🌈

[–] carnoce 11 years ago

Look, in the Attila The Hun Show-type sketch I believe the laughter heard was laugh track. But hey look--far most important of all--- Benny Hill was correctly shown to be funnier than Monty Python by several TV stations and his (Hill's great comedy work) is very vast and extensive. Watch Hill instead!You will have a far, far, far more comically great time.

Watch out for a terrible troll named Topix. Ignore any postings by that individual or any stranger!

[–] Noddy_Comet 11 years ago

Er... yeah. The Attila the Hun Show was a parody of poor US sitcoms, and as such used very obvious, low-quality canned laughter as part of the gag. Context is everything.

Make tea, not war.

[–] nhnolan 10 years ago

Dude, what is with your massive hard-on for Benny Hill. I can't go anywhere on this board without seeing you talking about Benny Hill

[–] arianwenn 10 years ago

As someone who became a teenager in 1969. The fresh approach to comedy as contained within Monty Python was what we were looking for. The comedy of Benny Hill seemed like it came from the ark. It was a one gag show. Grotesque men perving on barely dressed women. Benny Hill started out as a talented character comedian who ended up in a self indulgent. lazy show which became out dated and tired. Sad

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