The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball (1989)
After the criticisms of the 1987 show’s disproportionate focus on music - and the financial disaster of its music-only Festival Of Youth weekend concert in 1988, Amnesty returned to the original formula that had been so successful in the 1976-1981 era with a primary focus on comedy. Pat Duffy was dropped from organising any further benefit events for Amnesty and for the 1989 show, Amnesty hired producer Judith Holder.
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the audience applauded
So much average
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
This is the fourth "Secret Policeman" DVD I have seen and I certainly could see a downward spiral in the quality over the years. Whereas in earlier incarnations there were a few duds, this DVD is mostly duds. The bottom line is that the performers aren't at their best and too many of the sketches were re-treads--and the originals were better. Plus, there seemed to be more jokes aimed at Brits in this one---with many references that this American couldn't quite get. Plus, many of the better performers in previous years were gone. If you are a Monty Python fan, you'll have to content yourself with just John Cleese and Michael Palin. Rowan Atkinson is likewise not present. In one of their last performances together you do get to see Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with some rather limp material. Highlights for me included a couple nice bits by Lenny Henry and a violent skip involving shooting an apple off a guy's head. But even these didn't make it worth slogging through the rest, as too often it was just painfully dull. My advice is see the earlier episodes first and if you must, try this one.