Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail – 1 Star (Terrible)
Here it is, some 33 years later, and some people still laugh hysterically when viewing again the scene of King Arthur systematically cutting off all of the limbs of The Black Knight in the zany comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.
Make no mistake, this British-import by the crew of Monty Python’s Flying Circus which originally aired on PBS in the United States, will not go away anytime soon. There is an excessive admiration for this brand of humor by a select audience, especially young people who are drunk and tired.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail finds King Arthur scouring the countryside for knights to sit at his round table. Arthur and his knights do not travel on horses, but pretend they do and have their servants bang coconuts to mimic the sound of a horse’s hooves. Before the film began the budget was cut, eliminating any money to rent horses.
Eventually, God appears on a cloud and tells them to find the Holy Grail. Throughout their search they meet some really weird characters and encounter some real threats, including a killer rabbit, dreaded knights, a three-headed giant, and a legendary black beast. They also must figure out how to cross the Bridge of Death. All of these events provide comedic moments on their journey.
Finally, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere are led to the castle where the Holy Grail resides, but are denied entrance by a French soldier who taunts them with silly comments. The film ends abruptly when a group of police from the 1970s interrupt a climatic battle scene to arrest Arthur and Bedevere for the murder of Frank, the “famous historian” who was killed by a knight while Frank was narrating a scene from the film.
The Monty Python cast members included John Cleese, who played at least 6 characters, including The Black Knight, Eric Idle (7 characters), Terry Gilliam (6), Terry Jones (5) and Michael Palin (12, the most characters). The writing credits went to all of those mentioned plus Graham Chapman among others.
Terry Gilliam started out as the film’s director but became exasperated with the actors, and the actors with him, so at one point Gilliam took a nap under a tree and Terry Jones took over as the director. Graham Chapman was actually fighting his alcohol addiction during the filming. When crossing The Bridge of Death in the film, Chapman suffered from delirium tremens, a side-effect of his alcoholism, and an assistant director had to fill in for him. Chapman would die an unfortunate death at 48 from spinal and throat cancer.
In John Cleese’s role as Tim the Enchanter, he actually risked his life standing on the pinnacle seen at the beginning of the film. The windy conditions threatened to throw him off his perch. H-e was frightened to death but went ahead anyway because of the film’s meager budget and time constraints, all of which is to say that you will do a lot of things to become famous.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail certainly has its fans. Funds earned by Pink Floyd’s Album “The Dark Side of the Moon” went towards funding the film. Band members were such fans of the show that they would halt recording sessions just to watch Monty Python’s Flying Circus in 1969.
There were virtually no awards for this film, only laughs from those who found it hilarious beyond belief. Premiere voted Monty Python and the Holy Grail as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time” in 2006.
My perspective of the film has changed dramatically over the years. When first viewed 33 years ago, I had my share of laughs. Viewing it again the other night, I found it a lot less funny, and hardly entertaining. I was not a better person for seeing it again. Perhaps age has caused me to see too many far better comedies, such as “Waking Ned Devine”.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Read more of my movie reviews, including:
“A Christmas Story”
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
“Secondhand Lions”
“The Chorus (Les Choristes in French)”
“Waking Ned Devine”
These are all excellent films that can make you smile, laugh, cry and feel better for the experience. Don’t just live life, experience life!
Find my Internet Articles at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviews.html
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