An Evening with John Cleese
Featuring Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Enzian Theater, Maitland, Florida • April 14, 2024
by Carl F. Gauze
This year, John Cleese was the celebrity guest at the Florida Film Festival, and I jumped at the chance to meet him. Naturally, there was a full house for this event, and I ended up rather far back in the auditorium, but the sound and sight lines were acceptable.
Mr. Cleese told stories about the Pythons and growing up in post-war England. American movies were common, and Cleese’s comedy style is quite British, with its fascination with social status, post-war recovery, and how the musical halls’ bawdy entertainment set his comedy sensibility. One important difference between US and UK entertainment was the British reliance on drag, which deeply offended the US religious sensibility.
Most of the talk focused on the structure of comedy, and the “pie in the face” versus “poking fun at stuff” led to very different results. Overall, the audience was as erudite as Cleese was, and the audience questions were well thought out. It looks as if we did our homework.
Spike Milligan and The Goon Show underlay Cleese and Monty Python’s comedy in their structure of cutting off gags when they are comedically done, but not necessarily logically done. Cleese freely spoke of his romantic failure and comic success. There’s no sense of bitterness anywhere. Cleese knew he was doing a good job, and so did his audience. We wrapped up the evening with a chance for the plebes to get an autograph and photo op. The line wrapped around the theater.
As I was out in the parking lot, the absurdity of life reared its ugly head. I know have a keyless car, and I’ve lost the key somewhere in the car, but I can’t find it. I can drive the car fine, I just can’t lock it. Anyone can walk up and start it, and I have to turn the car upside down and shake it. If that’s not Pythonesque, what is?
This event was part of the 2024 Florida Film Festival, an Oscar®-qualifying festival now in its 33rd year.
