i've always been a cleese fan. connie booth is great too. so, i figured this would be a great film. well, it was just good. it was very silly arbitrary humor, but it still got a few laughs. so film overall-4 1/2 stars. i gave it 3 star for quality. i dont know about you guys, but when you got the dvd, were there white lines running through it like a vhs would? maybe it was just me or it was the poor video transfer. the voices were muffled and the picture was grainy, but i guess thats the best you could get for a movie over 40 years old. so overall, if you could get a deal on this film, go for it. its pretty funny if you like the python scenario scetches, but if thats not what you're looking for, check out fawlty towers with john cleese and connie booth. its fantastic!

This is a non-stop pun fest.
Filled with sight-gags, puns, take-offs, wonderfully overdone japes, pokes, ribs and alliteration.
From the opening shot(s) [really] through the "Herb Jar lables" on to the crossword bit...
One finally comes to the "Solid Gold Woofer"... and the climactic "But Holmes..."
I dearly love it.

It is a very stupid movie, but it has moments of great hilarity and Cleese is in great form. The who's the real Watson scene is worth the price of the DVD alone. Holmes:One of you is an imposter! Watson:Good Lord! Is it me?

When Dr. Henry Gropinger (a caricature of Henry Kissinger, played by Ron Moody), has his diary stolen, causing him to be killed, the finest detectives of the world discover than the one behind it is Professor Moriarty's descendent. Who else can they call for help but the descendent of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Sherlock Holmes (John Cleese)? With the incredibly stupid Dr. William Watson (Arthur Lowe) in tow, he sets a trap that Moriarty cannot resist. Sadly, this Holmes is only a pale shadow of his illustrious grandfather, and his combination of quick-action and slow-thinking do not serve him well. [Color, released in 1977, with a running time of 56 minutes.]

OK, let's start off by saying that this movie has only the thinnest of plots, and the humor is beat-you-on-the-head dumb! But, in spite of that, it actually is a fun little flick. There's no subtlety here, but if you are willing to put your brain into neutral, you will get a kick out of it.

And, I must say, what I appreciated the most about this movie was seeing so many of my favorite British actors in one place: John Cleese (Monty Python), Arthur Lowe (Dad's Army), Joss Ackland (Lethal Weapon 2, They Do It With Mirrors), Denholm Elliott (Indian Jones and the Last Crusade), Nick Tate (Space: 1999), Josephine Tewson (Elizabeth on Keeping Appearances), Burt Kwouk (Cato on the Pink Panther movies) and Connie Booth (Fawlty Towers).

So, if you love British television, and want to see some familiar faces in a goofy, off-beat production, then this movie is for you. If you are looking for a cinematic masterpiece, then look elsewhere, this movie is definitely not for you!

"The Strange Case of the End of Civilization As We Know It" is the most awful exercise with which any Python has ever been associated. Nothing funny, nothing witty, nothing satirical, no jabs at authority or culture, and no entertainment value. At least "Fawlty Towers" is ugly, nasty, disspiriting, and a celebration of rudeness for the purpose of being cruel -- which is much nicer than anything one could say about "The Strange Case . . . ." The best non-Python Cleese is "Romance with a Double Bass" with the beautiful (and almost naked) Connie Booth.