BostonTV: And Now, For Something... Not Too Different, Actually

Tonight's the night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the silliest comedy troupe in Britain. Part one of the new Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) kicks off a week of movies and six parts of SPAM-melting documentary. It's the perfect opportunity both for longtime fans to celebrate their idols and for new recruits to be welcomed into the bosom of Python. To the jump!

John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and (the late, and sorely missed) Graham Chapman are back to deliver insight into the Python movement. The documentary will follow the group from their lofty Oxbridge beginnings to the Flying Circus years to killer rabbits, reluctant Messiahs and sacred sperm. Expect interviews with contemporaries and famous fans.

Fleshing out the week, IFC will also play movies and Flying Circus episodes after each hour of documentary. Tonight is the excellent Live at the Hollywood Bowl, where the Pythons perform Flying Circus skits and new material to a real live 1982 audience. Watch Michael Palin have an argument and enjoy a stirring rendition of “The Lumberjack Song”. The participating mob (not unlike what one would find at a midnight showing of Rocky Horror) makes the special both heartwarming and—fashion-wise—horrifying.

Preparations for the week’s events should begin immediately:

Rehearse your silly walk.