1:40 = As a civil engineer / project manager, who has employed architects for designing our gov't agency's very basic vehicle maintenance facilities, who then try to give us a way over designed complicated monument to themselves, this is so Spot On in the attitude they give us when we tell them to "KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid" = "Well you Engineer Cretins simply don't understand designing a building to fit into & harmonize with the built environment" blah blah blah. Cleese plays the Sniveling nose-in-the-air-in-utter-contempt attitude perfectly!!! And to think this was in the early 70's & my project management career spanned the 1990's - mid 2010's. Same as it always was . . . .
You can definitely see elements of the later Basil Fawlty character in Cleese's architect. The short temper, the hatred of everyone else and the fact that both are is fuelled by jealousy in the case of his social uppers.
The brilliance of this sketch is how the architects manage to simultaneously be shocked and indifferent to the over-the-top proposals and behavior of the artists. It just gets funnier as the sketch goes along.
"...they're not meant to be luxury flats." "No I quite agree. I mean provided the tenants are of light build and are relatively sedentary." In other words, as long as the people don't weigh much or move around a lot. I think that was my favorite line of the whole skit. :)
Python only very mildly exaggerates how things really work, especially in the UK. OK. I'll withdraw that. It doesn't exaggerate at all. At present throughout the UK, schools and hospitals are in the process of collapsing because of cheap aerated concrete used in their construction. I wonder how many funny handshakes were involved in sealing those construction deals ? Yes, that'll do. Provided the occupants don't weigh too much and are relatively sedentary.......
"My dear Mr. Cleese, I admire your vision, I truly do- but there are surely not enough pigs in the whole of London to feed the appetite of such an apartment." "That all rather depends, Chapman, on what one considers to be a pig."
Gotta love those gumbies!! The Pythons were so clever at adding them into a sketch to obtain the silliness effects or moving from one sketch to the next. Love it!!
It's a testament to Cleese that "None of your blood caked on the walls and flesh flying out of the windows with this one!" is one of the least noticable lines in the whole scene.
AFAIK We only saw that outraged, abusive version of Cleese (@2:05) once in Monty Python, to be saved away and resurrected as Basil Fawlty. Happy to be proven wrong.
The 2nd building catching fire & having "sedentary tenants" is a reference to an actual incident in London a few years prior to this sketch - a fairly new tall slender senior living apartment building caught fire & initially the authorities figured the modern construction materials & sprinkler systems would handle the small fire handily so they told the elderly residents to stay put initially. Then the fire spread when the sprinkler system malfunctioned & the heat of the initial fire set other materials on fire that are usually considered "fire resistant" ("Resistant" being the key word here - most plastic material, no matter how "resistant" is it advertised as being, will eventually burst into very hot combustion under the right temperatures & pressures - I am a civil engineer & know a bit about life safety issues). This fiasco resulted in an un necessarily high loss of life. Python (& the BBC for broadcasting it) was criticized at the time for this sketch being inappropriate = "Too Soon"
Cleese's look of utter amazement at 1:29 is priceless. Like he's completely floored that a slaughterhouse was not expected. That and Palin's stodgy and impervious posture after Cleese's tirade at 2:43. I bet this idea came up from a brainstorm the Python's had about purely making fun of free masons.
@travisandlisa1 Iove the fact and joy these guys love the flaws in the second architects model.AND that hand shake simply sooooo funny. Monty's model that had knives and place for the blood to run very revealing of the truth right in front of us once more. (The rituals performed within the illumiati) Powerful messages within this humor. Great posts. Monty is one of my fave's. Love to ALL and Laughter too.
Going from watching a short about Dr. Temple Grandin and her improvements in slaughterhouse design to this video makes for an interesting experience. I wonder if anyone has ever done that crossover.
Watch Eric's hands when he's talk, you can see him working the model :P I love this sketch (Cleese is great but then again when isn't he) but since I've noticed this I can't un-notice it
There's no question about it...John Cleese is the world champion when it comes to portraying the stereotypical "stiff upper lip" Englishman who has been driven past the limits of his patience (and quite possibly his sanity as well) into apoplectic fury!
This is BRILLIANT satire! Why the hell did they have to actually put the word on the screen? Like everyone wouldn't see it in an instant! Mr. Cleese, well done.
I cannot help but think of the tower blocks in Liverpool, 2 at one end of a rectangle overseeing an arterial road along which sit 4 three story houses of red brick opposed to 4 more high rises, the fourth of which sported 30 stories of double red line down to the ground I once saw.
"Are you proposing to slaughter our tenants?"
"Does that not fit in with your plans?"
Je
1:40 = As a civil engineer / project manager, who has employed architects for designing our gov't agency's very basic vehicle maintenance facilities, who then try to give us a way over designed complicated monument to themselves, this is so Spot On in the attitude they give us when we tell them to "KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid" = "Well you Engineer Cretins simply don't understand designing a building to fit into & harmonize with the built environment" blah blah blah. Cleese plays the Sniveling nose-in-the-air-in-utter-contempt attitude perfectly!!! And to think this was in the early 70's & my project management career spanned the 1990's - mid 2010's. Same as it always was . . . .
John Cleese is very good at insulting rants. Applause to him.
Cleese is terrifying and hilarious all in one when he goes on his maniacal tirades. How the others keep from losing their composure is beyond me.
You can definitely see elements of the later Basil Fawlty character in Cleese's architect. The short temper, the hatred of everyone else and the fact that both are is fuelled by jealousy in the case of his social uppers.
i love how Cleese can go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds
The brilliance of this sketch is how the architects manage to simultaneously be shocked and indifferent to the over-the-top proposals and behavior of the artists. It just gets funnier as the sketch goes along.
> I hadn't correctly divined your attitude towards your tenants
Actually, I suspect that you HAD.
"...they're not meant to be luxury flats."
"No I quite agree. I mean provided the tenants are of light build and are relatively sedentary." In other words, as long as the people don't weigh much or move around a lot. I think that was my favorite line of the whole skit. :)
Python only very mildly exaggerates how things really work, especially in the UK.
OK. I'll withdraw that. It doesn't exaggerate at all.
At present throughout the UK, schools and hospitals are in the process of collapsing because of cheap aerated concrete used in their construction.
I wonder how many funny handshakes were involved in sealing those construction deals ?
Yes, that'll do. Provided the occupants don't weigh too much and are relatively sedentary.......
At least they didn't install rotating knives. Be grateful for small mercies....
yes, but your explanation of simple language is gilding the lily. A bit. From a sedentary misanthropic old crippled grumpy grouch. moi
A documentary about the Grenfell tower fire brought me here.
joyce?
And that's how Grenfell was built.
Ronan Point as well. 1968 collapse.
"My dear Mr. Cleese, I admire your vision, I truly do- but there are surely not enough pigs in the whole of London to feed the appetite of such an apartment."
"That all rather depends, Chapman, on what one considers to be a pig."
I love the lines "Are you preparing to slaughter our tenants? Does that not fit in with your plans?" So friggin funny.
fracking funny, yes
Mr. Wiggin later quit Ironside and Malone and got a job designing wedding halls for George R.R. Martin.
Designing tower blocks for Kensington Council.
None of those deaths were architecturally related 😂
2:05 what every architecture student thinks during a bad critique.
Gotta love those gumbies!! The Pythons were so clever at adding them into a sketch to obtain the silliness effects or moving from one sketch to the next. Love it!!
It's a testament to Cleese that "None of your blood caked on the walls and flesh flying out of the windows with this one!" is one of the least noticable lines in the whole scene.
Nobody can rant quite like Cleese. Nobody. He can send his blood pressure to dangerous levels AT WILL, the friggin' genius.
fracking, yes. as Hemingway said...the creep...I fornicate upon thy...
If you look carefully, you can see Eric Idle working the controls to make the model fall apart and catch fire.
care not needed. bloody obvious, noticed that in early 70s.
I just love Python- noone has ever reached this level of humor- they were just brilliant
Fry and Laurie surpassed them at times, in my opinion.
John Cleese shouting and swearing = pure poetry
That second one, despite its serious flaws, would be a really awesome looking building.
AFAIK We only saw that outraged, abusive version of Cleese (@2:05) once in Monty Python, to be saved away and resurrected as Basil Fawlty.
Happy to be proven wrong.
Well, there is the man who contorts himself hating Commies…
YOU EXCREMENT!!
One of their best sketches ever.
The Simpsons Stonecutter commentary brought me here.
"Black-balling bastards" is my new favorite phrase.
old fave pour moi. among many faves
:18 to :30 -- icebucketchallenge without the ice. Once again, Python's ahead of its time.
Let's have a look at that handshake again in Slow Motion!
The 1st architect (Cleese) after his insulting rant still comes back begging to be let into the Masons. Priceless!!!
How they thought of all this stuff is amazing. Nothing has ever made me laugh like Python does.
Absolutely wonderful pastiche of modern architecture. No comedy is/has been/ever will be this intelligent
The 2nd building catching fire & having "sedentary tenants" is a reference to an actual incident in London a few years prior to this sketch - a fairly new tall slender senior living apartment building caught fire & initially the authorities figured the modern construction materials & sprinkler systems would handle the small fire handily so they told the elderly residents to stay put initially. Then the fire spread when the sprinkler system malfunctioned & the heat of the initial fire set other materials on fire that are usually considered "fire resistant" ("Resistant" being the key word here - most plastic material, no matter how "resistant" is it advertised as being, will eventually burst into very hot combustion under the right temperatures & pressures - I am a civil engineer & know a bit about life safety issues). This fiasco resulted in an un necessarily high loss of life. Python (& the BBC for broadcasting it) was criticized at the time for this sketch being inappropriate = "Too Soon"
It's always going to be good when John starts shouting!
Because part of their satire is satirizing the conventions of satire.
It strikes me funnybone. The vocabulary alone is priceless !
@selfburningman
That's the one! Been looking for ages! Thank you so much! :D
I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS SKETCH FOR VERY LONG TIME! Thanks! :D
During Cleese's rant, Michael Palin is using every ounce of energy he has to not burst out laughing.
Yeah, it's like he's thinking of something else. He just goes to show how good an actor he is.
Cleese's look of utter amazement at 1:29 is priceless. Like he's completely floored that a slaughterhouse was not expected. That and Palin's stodgy and impervious posture after Cleese's tirade at 2:43. I bet this idea came up from a brainstorm the Python's had about purely making fun of free masons.
Monty Python were ahead of every time, not just their own time
I love how, between 2:04 - 2:42, Cleese's face gets redder and redder! Love this scene so much :D
John Cleese, the King of Insults
That rant was so epic even Cleese's face was turning red!
"... the last 20 feet are heavily soundproofed."
Brilliance.
I liked how Idle spoke the architectural jargon. Sounds like he did a bit of research.
Who the hell could dislike this? I mean, I do not understand how this could NOT be funny.
nobody does "angry" like John Cleese
I lost it at “You excrement!” 😂
John Cleese's rants are always awesome!
I just realized that this bit is basically the entire plot to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.
@travisandlisa1 Iove the fact and joy these guys love the flaws in the second architects model.AND that hand shake simply sooooo funny. Monty's model that had knives and place for the blood to run very revealing of the truth right in front of us once more. (The rituals performed within the illumiati) Powerful messages within this humor. Great posts. Monty is one of my fave's. Love to ALL and Laughter too.
Of course the irony is that Mr Wiggin really did correctly divine their attitude toward the tenants.
“Did you say knives?” “Rotating knives,yes.”
I lost it at the handshake. Then again at the instant replay.
This is the BEST "F" OFF speech ever made !
Cleese is at his best here !
Going from watching a short about Dr. Temple Grandin and her improvements in slaughterhouse design to this video makes for an interesting experience. I wonder if anyone has ever done that crossover.
"You sit there on your loathsome spotty behinds, squeezing blackheads, not caring a tinker's cuss about the struggling artist... YOU EXCREMENT!"
"...sitting on your spotty arses, squeezing blackheads..." Classic Cleese.
Watch Eric's hands when he's talk, you can see him working the model :P
I love this sketch (Cleese is great but then again when isn't he) but since I've noticed this I can't un-notice it
One freemason absolutley loved it !
I love this sketch lol and the satire part lol !
Tony Jacklin golf clubs.....LOL, just brilliant.
Building regulations in the uk doesn't appear to have changed very much.
I Love when Cleese "turns" at 2:12! LOL!
Calm down, Cleese! xD
I can imagine Basil turning Fawlty Towers into a slaughterhouse.
This character is very like Basil, actually.
Indeed, that is what makes them amazing, the world is simple not ready even today...
Bleedin` masonic handshakes!
This is awesome. YOU EXCREMENT!!! :D
Let's have a look at that handshake... lol.
Only John Clease can go from perfectly normal to completely mental like that.
an all time fav. XD
Trevor Moore's favorite monty python sketch...rightfully so.
Ahahahahah! My building is being refurbished right now. Hope they won't be installing any rotating knives and blood draining chutes! LOL
There's no question about it...John Cleese is the world champion when it comes to portraying the stereotypical "stiff upper lip" Englishman who has been driven past the limits of his patience (and quite possibly his sanity as well) into apoplectic fury!
" provided the tenants are of light build, and relatively sedentary... and if given a spot of good weather, why I think we're onto a winner here!"
If they were going to make such a dangerous building, may as well have gone with the abbatoir. At least it would stay standing 😅
This is BRILLIANT satire! Why the hell did they have to actually put the word on the screen? Like everyone wouldn't see it in an instant! Mr. Cleese, well done.
I am a designer. I have reacted to clients like John Cleese and made presentations of my models like Eric Idle
did you have a construction company or did they all just magically build themsleves like the gilded age mansions?
@@seanp8220 ?
By avoiding wood and timber derivatives, we've almost totally removed the risk of satire.
there's nothin funnier then John Cleese when he completely loses it
It's still hilarious without knowing the context. But knowing it now helps it be appreciated better. Either way Cleese's rant was beautiful XD
3:32 - 4:00 is EASILY the best part! I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard!
Oddly disturbing how it flashes 'SATIRE' while the building is on fire.
its not the only one that caught on fire but its first ever to supposedly collapse from fire ever
"We're sorry you feel like that . . .".
They should have hired Art Vandelay.
It's a Silly Handshake, derived from graduates of the Ministry of Silly Handshakes, a branch of the Ministry of Silly Walks.
I was actually just watching the Village Idiot, then just randomly selected to watch this one next, not knowing it was the continuation.
I cannot help but think of the tower blocks in Liverpool, 2 at one end of a rectangle overseeing an arterial road along which sit 4 three story houses of red brick opposed to 4 more high rises, the fourth of which sported 30 stories of double red line down to the ground I once saw.
Michael Palin had to spend every ouch of energy he had to not burst out laughing...
Now I'm convinced that Cave Johnson hired the first guy.
It's because the actual 'satire' is so knowingly obvious that they felt they might as well overtly point it out.
Haha the handshake!!
Brilliant
At the time, they were satirising the Government's suburban council-housing 'towers.' They were shoddily built and badly heated.
I like that he mentioned the freemasons XD
Cleese's character seems to have been reading "The Fountainhead..."
2:20 he would most definitely have done a good impression of angry 😡 💢 Hitler.. 😂😂😂
* Mr. Hilter
@MagicAccent are you thinking of the "crunchy frog " chocolate selection box sketch? ;)