Now It's Just a Circus

When Monty Python first debuted its irreverent brand of wackiness and iconoclasm, there were very few who could not recite a line or recount a sketch. Its members were not unsophisticated rubes whose repertoire consisted largely of cuss words and crude references but were educated professionals who knew how to draw laughs from some of the toughest audiences.

They would offend everyone.

Until their dotage and then they got timid and even foolhardy:

A cheering moment, then, and also a significant anniversary, marking 30 years since Palin set off on his very first travel odyssey for the BBC, Around the World in 80 Days. Since then, he has visited 98 countries. But North Korea, he says, was the most extraordinary of all. “Which sounds a bit hyperbolic, but is true. ...

In fact, rather than being the grim, brutal place of popular imagination, he says, there are aspects that are quite pleasant. “It doesn’t feel grim, it doesn’t feel brutal — not an unhappy place.” Although this, as he acknowledges, may not be quite the complete picture.

Palin’s crew were given hitherto unparalleled access to film, albeit with strict conditions. “Part of the deal was they could, at any point, look through the camera and see what we were shooting, and view the material at the end of the day. What was surprising is that they rarely asked to cut anything.”

How much this allowed him to show “the real” North Korea is a moot point. But, as he allows, it’s a matter of compromise: you accept the limitations imposed, or you don’t film at all. “I think we did get a foot in the door — just ajar,” Palin says.

Wouldn't starvation and public executions be grim?

Michael Palin is extraordinarily intelligent and a great writer but there is no excuse for this. He has abdicated both reason and morality for a documentary.

Who will believe his wit or candor now?