And Now for Something Completely Different

And Now for Something Completely Different
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ian MacNaughton
Produced by	Patricia Casey
Written by	Monty Python
Based on	Monty Python's Flying Circus by Monty Python
Starring	Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin
Music by	Douglas Gamley Terry Jones Michael Palin Fred Tomlinson
Cinematography	David Muir
Edited by	Thom Noble
Production companies	Playboy Productions Python (Monty) Pictures Kettledrum/Lownes Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	22 August 1971 (1971-08-22)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£80,000

And Now for Something Completely Different is a 1971 British sketch comedy film based on the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring sketches from the first two series. The title was taken from a catchphrase used in the television show.

The film, released in 1971, consists of 90 minutes of sketches seen in the first two series of the television show. The sketches were remade on film without an audience, and were intended for an American audience which had not yet seen the series. The announcer (John Cleese) appears briefly between some sketches to deliver the line "and now for something completely different", in situations such as being roasted on a spit and lying on top of a desk in a small pink bikini.

And Now for Something Completely Different is the Pythons' first feature film, composed of some well-known sketches from the first two series of the Flying Circus, including the "Dead Parrot" sketch, "The Lumberjack Song", "Upperclass Twits", "Hell's Grannies", the "Nudge Nudge" sketch and others. It was re-shot for cinema release with an extremely low budget, often slightly edited. Financed by Playboy′s UK executive Victor Lownes, it was intended to help Monty Python break into the United States. Although the cinematic release was ultimately unsuccessful at achieving an American breakthrough, it did well in the United Kingdom. The group did not consider this film a success, but it enjoys a cult following today.

The film was the idea of entrepreneur Victor Lownes, head of Playboy UK, who convinced the group that a feature film would be the ideal way to introduce them to the US market. Lownes acted as executive producer. Production of the film did not go entirely smoothly. Lownes tried to exert considerably more control over the group than they had been used to at the BBC. In particular, he objected so strongly to one character – 'Ken Shabby' – that the sketch was removed, leaving both Terry Jones and Michael Palin to complain much later that the vast majority of the film was "nothing more than jokes behind desks."