MovieChat Forums > Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Discussion > My rankings of all the python members

My rankings of all the python members

posted 8 years ago by Leoneswest
12 replies | jump to latest

I decided to rank all the python members and describe as best I can my opinions.

1...John cleese. The funniest, loudest and most stand out member of MP. Was always able to make a sketch work and was truly brilliant and memorable. Doubt python would have gone as far if he wasn't involved.

2...Michael palin. Likeable and very funny. But he lacked Cleese's edge or ability to stand out due to his more relaxed approach. But he is a great comic writer and a true asset to MP

3...Graham chapman. Funny and highly talented...but curiously aloof. Many times I didn't even realize he was in a sketch cause he never stood out. It almost seemed like he didn't really want to be there. But he was amazing and will be missed.

4...Eric idle. Idle had some moments and could do musical numbers well enough...but I couldn't stand him. He wasn't very funny and his grating high pitched voice got on my nerves. To me it felt like he was trying to hard to compete with Cleese, palin and chapman who were all pretty close. The biggest insult for me was during the Hollywood bowl performance when he sang Lumberjack song instead of Palin. Bloody awful. At least like Cleese, he was able to stand out...which I guess is better than nothing.

5...Terry jones. Jones had some funny moments and helmed the great Life of Brian. Other than that have little else to add

6...Terry Gilliam. Gilliam is (or was) a great director and had a brilliant imagination. But as a performer he brought nothing. Was as worthless as a block of wood. Should have replaced him with Tim brooke taylor who would have been funnier..and just kept Gilliam as a writer or a director. Anything but an actor.

Feel free to agree or disagree...or simply add your summaries if you want

Personnel??....thats for a**holes

[–] wylierichardson-966-922691 8 years ago

I would rate Eric Idle more highly than you do, and I also think that Terry Gilliam was competent as an actor, even if not in the league with the others. He did some fine 'character' work in their feature films.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 5 years ago

I found Cleese and Idle to be the most hilarious.

[–] csweetleaf2 (3670) 5 years ago

My most to least favorites are Eric Idle, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam, the reason why I rate Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam in the last two is they're not in as many roles as the other guys but they do a really good job with what they work with.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 5 years ago

I find it incredibly difficult to rank the Pythons. I think they all clearly brought something to the mix. That said, I'll try...

Michael Palin - Palin, to me, always has a brilliant blend of sketch comic (Ni! or Parrot Shop) and actual Actor. I think some of his work is as much a great performance as it is a great bit of comedy, and that makes him brilliant.

Gilliam - I must disagree with you most strongly here. His contribution to Python was invaluable. The cartoons made the show take on its unique flavour, tying sketches together and providing an aesthetic which sets the show apart from other sketch shows. Furthermore, I always admire Gilliam's weirdo performances. If he were actually on the show more, I might even rate him number-one.

Graham Chapman - similar to Palin, he has a great actor in there.

John Cleese - his physical presence was as impressive as his strange dignity. He could make an Establishment character zany with words or body. Still, Cleese's best work was on other programmes, Fawlty Towers, for instance

Eric Idle - Idle was my favourite a long time ago. I rank him around the same as Cleese. I think he's one of the funnier ones and a sketch comedy master. I love his cheekiness. Plus his musical contributions offer great variety.

Terry Jones - not my favourite (turns out, my least favourite!) but you've got to love his pepperpot!

Now, here's the thing: I actually love all six. They all contributed and made Python's legacy unimpeachable. I actually feel bad putting Idle so far down ('specially as he used to be my number one).

If you wanted a ranking as *just* performers, I'd put Gilliam lower. But I was sorta going off of "contribution".

[–] duckofprey (1557) 5 years ago

If I find the time I hope to chime in with my rankings this weekend.

While not in the main troupe, I am surprised no one mentioned Carol Cleveland. She was in all of the films and 2/3 of the episodes.

I’d have spanked her!

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Druff (1796) 3 years ago

I agree Cleese is #1 and Gilliam is dead last in terms of his on-screen performance. But Palin, Idle and Chapman, I don't really have any way of ranking them against each other. They were all fucking great. Just not quite as great as Cleese.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 3 years ago

It's not really fair to rank Gilliam's on-screens against the others, since he's never given as much to show off with. You're telling me he didn't nail the old man on the Bridge of Death?

[–] Druff (1796) 3 years ago

I didn't say he never did anything good. He just can't even begin to compete with the others, fair or not.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 3 years ago

What about his cartoons? In my opinion, the cartoons - and their ability to assist the "fluid movement" that is so crucial to Python (especially the Flying Circus) - are fantastic, and while it doesn't boost Gilliam's performance profile, surely it boosts his value to the team overall?

[–] Druff (1796) 3 years ago

Like the OP mentioned, obviously the guy is a wizard when he's behind the scenes.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

John Cleese
Eric Idle
Michael Palin
Graham Chapman
Terry Jones
Terry Gilliam