The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

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The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

R

1981

1h 31m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

A who's who of early 1980s British comedy and music celebrities performs a benefit for the English wing of Amnesty International. The eclectic stage performance was directed by actor John Cleese, who also appears in several skits with his former fellow Monty Python members. Musical acts include reunited ex-Yardbird members Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, as well as Sting, Pete Townshend and others. The comedy line-up includes Rowan Atkinson, Barry Humphries and Alexei Sayle.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The material photographed in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball is sometimes pretty funny, but it tends to get sidetracked by the low-budget videotape recording of the show, and the result is seen through a lens, darkly.

Rated: 2/4

May 13, 2019

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Variety Staff

Variety

Some of the humor slides over into tastelessness, but most of it is rousing fun in the tradition of the groups from which these performers have sprung.

Mar 26, 2009

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John Collis

Time Out

Technically smoother than its predecessors, this is otherwise the mixture as before: comics and musicians, sometimes in unfamiliar permutations, doing their party pieces on behalf of Amnesty.

Jun 24, 2006

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Steven Winn

San Francisco Examiner

John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palm and Terry Jones -- ably underscored by Peter Cook, Pamela Stephenson and others -- find that rare territory between pure absurdity and the pure essence of things.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 11, 2021

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Combining footage from benefits staged in aid of Amnesty International, this movie is more a souvenir than great cinema.

Rated: 3/5

May 13, 2019

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Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

Rated: 4/5

Aug 17, 2006

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Audience Member

really old but good it is the best out there.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Compulsory viewing for me and my mates when we were enjoying our high school years. Film of a charity gig with plenty of great comedy. See where Rowan Atkinson came from before he hit tv screens with Bean.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

Film from a benefit, featuring members of Monty Python, and great musicians. Good show everyone!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

I think this is the best ever performance of "I don't like Mondays". The musical side of this alone is worth watching it for.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Julien Temple

Director

Roger Graef

Director

Monty Python

Actor

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Synopsis

A who's who of early 1980s British comedy and music celebrities performs a benefit for the English wing of Amnesty International. The eclectic stage performance was directed by actor John Cleese, who also appears in several skits with his former fellow Monty Python members. Musical acts include reunited ex-Yardbird members Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, as well as Sting, Pete Townshend and others. The comedy line-up includes Rowan Atkinson, Barry Humphries and Alexei Sayle.

Director: Julien Temple, Roger Graef
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround