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 enlarge | Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Actors: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy New: $6.69
You Save: $6.29 (48%)
New (39) Used (23) from $5.41
Avg. Customer Rating:  260 reviews
Sales Rank: 4924
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 108
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD28943D
ISBN: 1417067373
UPC: 025192894329
EAN: 9781417067374
ASIN: B000A2UBNE
Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 1983
Release Date: August 23, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Typical Monty Python Quirkiness October 30, 2008
If you like the Monthy Python style of humor, then you'll enjoy "The Meaning Of Life". It's as simple as that. On the other hand, if you don't care for jokes about vomiting, sperm, penises, vaginas, and menstrual periods, liberally sprinkled with profanity, and with men playing the women's parts, then you should probably skip this.
In my opinion, the movie's best feature, by far, is "The Galaxy Song" which is sung by a man who steps out of a refrigerator a little more than halfway through the movie. That song is brilliant! That one brief, shining moment, however, isn't enough to merit a five-star review for the movie as a whole. There's too much other stuff, much of it not funny at all. The fat man vomiting at his table in an elegant restaurant is the worst. I suppose humor is in the eye of the beholder. The vomiting scene just didn't work for me.
I would recommend that Americans play the movie with the English subtitles on. The actors all have British accents, which can be a little hard to understand at times.
One thing I would warn against is the "Soundtrack For The Lonely." Whoever came up with that idea should consider a different line of work. It is just not funny at all. It is completely boring all the way through.
The movie begins with a short film about The Crimson Permanent Assurance Corporation. It isn't funny. It's dumb. Like the restaurant vomiting scene, it basically has nothing to do with anything.
Besides "The Galaxy Song", the movie's only other really good moment is "Every Sperm Is Sacred", which occurs near the beginning of the film. The song (Every sperm is sacred... every sperm is great... if a sperm is wasted... God gets quite irate) is charmingly sung by cute kids who are part of an enormous Catholic family. (Their mother is seen with a baby dropping out of her body while she's doing the laundry.) Across the street, a Protestant couple converse about how lucky they are to be allowed to use birth control, even though they don't bother with it since they never have sex.
I can't think of much more to say about this movie. It definitely has some great moments, but also has a lot of drivel. There is a French soundtrack, and subtitles can be activated in English, French, or Spanish. The humor will definitely not be to everyone's taste.
If you want to get some serious insights about the meaning of life, I would recommend reading _The History Of Western Philosophy_, by Bertrand Russell. If you just want to see a really funny movie, then I would suggest "Knocked Up", with Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. On the other hand, if profanity bothers you, but you want to see something funny, stick with "The Simpsons" on DVD.
 Excellence! October 23, 2008
This was one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. I rolled with laughter from the beginning to the end. Wonderful!
The Meaning of Laughter August 12, 2008
It's Monty Python at their best. Very funny lengthy sketches and musical numbers that have you rolling on the floor. Absolutely hysterical. They show silly, yet intelligent humor that is sure to be appreciated by their audiences.
Get it and you will want to own all of the Monty Python's movies... but that's a good thing.
The weakest of the Python films, but it's hardly unfunny July 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Out of all three Python films (Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Meaning of Life) this one is by far the weakest. But just because it's not as good as the other two doesn't mean it's highly unfunny. There are some many great sketches here that'll make many fall on the floor laughing. My favorite skits here are "Mr. Creosote", "Live Organ Transplants", "The Protestants' View", "Find the Fish", "Galaxy Song", and the prologue of the film, "The Crimson Permanent Assurance". The Actors/Writers never cease to amaze (Graham Chapman with his straight-faced attitude, John Cleese with his authoritarian madness, Eric Idle with his verbal wit, Terry Jones with his shrieking pepperpot impersonation, and Michael Palin with his diverse acting abilities; and let's not forget Terry Gilliam for his imaginative animations).
The only flaw I can find here is the DVD transfer. I have to turn up the volume very high so I can watch the movie, and the screen quality is just above average. With that flaw aside, "Meaning of Life" is yet another classic from the Python team.
A-
Decent transfer for a 25 year old movie June 30, 2008
Don't expect this to be your refrence HD material. While in my opinion this is the best of the Monty Python movies, none of the movies were visually stunning. That does not mean that this got a bad transfer, quite the opposite, but if you are looking for something to impress your friends about your expensive HD set, this is not the disc.
If you are a film purist, you will be happy to know that you can still see the film grain in the picture in places. Colors seem to be natual, and may be a disappointment for those of you who are used to more vibrant things in your HD. Washed out comes to my mind, but that is really more of the style of the film, and not a problem with the transfer. In fact, the animated scenes are quite vivid and brilliant, so while not breathtaking, I will say that the transfer is faithful to the original source.
There is no high-res audio track, but do not let that disappoint you. The Monty Python movies were not known for having the subwoofer pounding, full surround emersion experience, and the Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack faithfully represents the movies soundtrack without giving up anything.
Bonus features seem to mirror previous DVD releases, and nothing special is really added.
If you are a fan of this movie, this is probably as good of an HD transfer as you will ever get, and I would highly recommend it. If you are not a Monty Python fan, pass over this one.
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