By You could delve into the repressed memories of every all-star Monty Python comedy troupe member and still never find anything as tragic as the loss of Graham Chapman to cancer. Often considered the most underappreciated Python despite his extensive writing contributions, he was hailed as the finest actor among the group while failing to gain the same enthusiastic following. I would never propose to be a comedy historian but to me he felt a bit unnerving, possible due to a scary measure of intelligence or an inner life that was too intense to completely hide.
In death, he became source material. Past failures to rejuvenate Python were blamed on him with the media release “We would only do a reunion if Chapman came back from the dead. So we’re negotiating with his agent” and a live audience interview with the entire cast that peaked when Chapman’s ashes were “accidentally” knocked over.
Honoring Graham’s questionable memory (he was anything but punctual), a tribute movie will be released theatrically in Python’s country of origin and within the deep bowels of cable television elsewhere. It sounds very much like the recent Bob Dylan bio-pic I’m Not There. with different segments being produced by fifteen animation companies portraying mostly fictional expressions of different sides of his personality. Terry Jones stated “The film shouldn’t be made. There isn’t a single word of truth in it” but he, along with every other Python cast member spare Eric Idle (for the moment) will contribute to the project. Sounds like a good time to add Chapman’s “A Liar’s Autobiography” to your Summer reading list.
[Via Bleeding Cool]