Review of Secret Policeman`s Ball, The: The Complete Edition (4 disc box set)

Introduction

Comedy is subjective. With the disclaimer out of the way I can carry on…

The Secret Policeman`s Ball: The Complete Edition is a collection of seven shows from 1976 through 1991 mixing live comedy and music whilst raising money and awareness for Amnesty International. The quality of the comedy and music talent spans the globe with John Cleese helming the event bringing together members of Monty Python and Spinal Tap and tonnes of other well-known stars such as Alexei Sayle, Dame Edna, Emo Phillips, Fry & Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, French & Saunders…

Just to stop you splitting your sides giving you some recovery time there`s a fair amount of music too. Tom Jones, Sting, Phil Collins, John Williams, David Gilmour, Duran Duran amongst others sing a few songs.

Video

The 4:3 fullframe video transfer is varied throughout. Having first been filmed in 1976 the quality through the successive shows gets better. Colours look okay and there weren`t any signs of artefacts creeping in. While detail is impaired in places, it doesn`t detract and you can still watch the show. It`s perfectly serviceable.

Audio

There`s just a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack present and it does the job. Sound is clear and works well from the front. The music sounds good and there`s very little hiss.

Features

With a running time of 581-minutes, what more do you want in this box set? Okay, you get one thing:

• Booklet - A full colour 6-page booklet with an introduction to Amnesty International and a complete running order for all seven shows.

There are no subtitles. Secret Policeman`s Ball is nicely packed in a 4-disc digipack.

Conclusion

The only thing that made me laugh out of this whole collection was a line from Clive James reading apology letters from celebs that couldn`t make the show. Something about Kate Bush eating marmalade with a wooden spoon. It just cracked me up. Comedy aside I enjoyed listening/watching the music but this isn`t enough of an attraction for me personally so I found myself waiting to laugh. It wasn`t just me either, but friends that came along to watch it were getting somewhat bored too. Hmmm.

Most of the comedy here feels dated and doesn`t present much in the way of surprises. To check that I did still possess a sense of humour I watched Father Ted, Spaced and Black Books and yes, my sense of humour was present. So it`s the style and comedic content which goes someway to setting us apart in our tastes. If you`ve ever watched Secret Policeman`s Ball and enjoyed what you`d seen, then you may well enjoy this box set. It`s well presented and runs to more than 8-hours. If however you find your comedy thrills elsewhere then perhaps you might steer clear or rent it.