CONCLUSION

            On watching an episode of the Flying Circus or any of the Python films, it becomes clear to anyone - whether one appreciates Python humour or not - that Monty Python was indeed something completely different.

         Peter Acroyd wrote: "There is no doubt about the Englishness of the entreprise ; it is as Anglo-Saxon as a cold toast"[1]. And we know he was right in the sense that nonsense, which is at the heart of Python humour is part of a long tradition in British literature and art. We also know that the Pythons were, except for Terry Gilliam, the products of a particular generation of university writers and performers known as the 'Oxbridge Mafia', which emerged in the Sixties in England.

         But those two elements, if they are essential in the understanding of the achievement of a comic group such as Monty Python, in this particular context, are not sufficient to explain the international success of the group. In my opinion, the uniqueness of Monty Python is mainly due to the reciprocal rivalry that existed between those graduated from Oxford and those graduated from Cambridge which urged them on to explore new ground in comedy and sheer craziness. Perhaps even more important was the divergence between the members of the team in their individual conceptions of what their role as comic writers/performers was. This was probably most obvious between Terry Gilliam who considered he had to keep a certain level of provocation and John Cleese whose only ambition was to do something funny. This opposition is, in my opinion, one of the major reasons for Monty Python's singular style; always on the edge of pure comic and harsh criticism.

         One thing the Pythons all unanimously agreed to do, however, was to put into question every single thing we normally take for granted, from social conventions to religious beliefs. I believe that the gist of Python humour is best summed-up in The Meaning of Life. And Python's meaning of life is precisely that life makes no sense. Their attitude to this was that there's no point in trying to give it an artificial meaning, and that instead, we had better stand back and take it easy. It is clear that such an attitude is not without presenting any danger. Such an anarchic behaviour is obviously unacceptable in our societies. In that respect, I believe Monty Python acts as an outlet for that frustration. It is certainly received as such by Python fans - though probably unconsciously in many cases - and had without any doubt the same virtue for the Pythons themselves. However, the various cases of censorship that Monty Python experienced proved that, even through comedy, such a liberation from every establishment and social convention is intolerable for some people, for it refers to real life and puts into question the basic structures of our societies. Still, the Pythons were certainly not revolutionaries. They did not want to change society or to change life, but simply to put into light  the futility of our existences. In that respect, the Pythons were certainly not committed artists, but on the contrary, totally "uncommitted" entertainers whose only creed was "always look on the bright side of life". In fact, what is important to realize is that, if nonsense does not necessarily preclude satire, these two forms of humour are well distinct. Contrary to what certain people think - especially non-British people - nonsense claims to be free of all constraints, including that of being satirical.

         Almost thirty years later, although our societies have considerably evolved, many of their institutions and conventions have remained unchanged ; existential questions are still insoluble, and Monty Python is therefore still discerning. Moreover, the Pythons were quick to become aware of the development of television and time since proved that their critiques were judicious. No doubt then, that Python humour still has a bright future even if the group ceased to produce anything a long time ago.

         Sadly, Graham Chapman died of a cancer on October 4th 1989, on the eve of Python's 20th anniversary. His funeral was the occasion for the other five Pythons to pay their last respects to him, but also, for the last time, to upset the image of death and funerals as we usually bear it in our minds . The lyrics of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"[2] were distributed to the congregation and John Cleese declaimed a parody of their famous "Dead Parrot" sketch: "Graham Chapman is no more. He's ceased to be. He's expired and gone to meet his maker…" According to him, Graham Chapman would never have forgiven him, had he not done it. And one is ready to believe it.