Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Well, if you want original humor, meaning something different than what you normally see - this is your ticket. The above statement was true 30 years ago, and still holds. It's just silly, far-out humor.

It's not all winners, no comedy is, but there are enough of them, and enough classic bizarre scenes that it's always a hoot to re-visit this film from time to time. The only problem I have with it are the cheap shots in gives - in typical 1970s fashion - of anything Biblical. But, it's not that bad and most of the film is pretty innocent.

It's pretty much one ludicrous scene after another. I mean, where else do you see a knight fighting on after his legs are chopped off, then his arms?!! Or a killer rabbit? It was almost like watching a Marx Brothers film 40 years later with '70s irreverence.

Don't let the PG rating fool you. This would be an easy PG-13 today with all the blood, some cursing and the violence. I know some young kids, however - nice kids, too - who love this film as much as adults, so it can't be too offensive.

If I had to describe this movie in one word it would be "lunacy."

Fmovies: This is how to make a comedy. Laughs can be found throughout, and the 4th wall falls apart throughout the film without any actors chewing the scenery. The movie from the first scene, and on is great. The acting is wonderful. Everybody in the cast delivers the jokes hilariously. Also the the actors never seem to overact at all. There are a few jokes that go on for to long, but it is aware of this. If only another comedy that doesn't deserve to have its name mentioned (cough Disaster Movie cough) was self-aware that the jokes it had were to long. It really is a shame that British people can say that they have awesome comedies like this, and we have a lot of awful comedies like (sigh) Disaster Movie. This film is a work of genius.

4 stars out of 4

Being brought up on Python going to see this movie on its original release was one of the highlights of my movie going childhood. For many years I thought 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' was the funniest movie ever made. Now over twenty five years later repetition and familiarity may not have ruined the movie completely but they have spoiled my enjoyment somewhat. Even so it's still a comedy classic and I envy anyone who is watching it for the first time. Python (Cleese, Chapman, Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam) were on top form throughout, and apart from one or two less successful bits it's hilarious stuff, and arguably their most consistent movie. (I still think their TV work was their best, the non-linear sketch format suiting their style more than extended pieces). Python bores can quote this verbatim but don't let them put you off. This is one wacked out romp full of fun and surprises, and still has more laughs than 90% of today's so-called comedies. Highly recommended.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail fmovies. This is such a great film that a professor of mine actually used it in a Medieval Civilization class as extra credit. This was not because the movie was so historically accurate, but because the movie was so much funnier when we applied what we learned in her class to it! It was really hard to pick only 10 funny lines!

To anyone that watched it once and didn't quite get it or got frustrated the first time, here is a tip: Catch it on DVD with the subtitles or closed-captioning on. That way you will be sure to catch all of the French insults and the other one-liners that fly by so fast! I don't recommend doing that with kids in the room - my 7-year-old picked up a couple of words on the screen that he had missed previously...

Enjoy!

In the Realm of King Arthur, the Monty Python team set out on a quest to recruit the best Knights in the kingdom and find the Holy Grail.

This is Classic Python Mayhem, where we encounter Killer rabbits, Knights who go Nee! and Horny Nuns who lure the unsuspecting in with there Grail Shaped Beacon.

The Cast all give Typically Hilarious Performances, bringing another must see to the Python Loving Audience.

If You Like Monty Python, you'll love it, if you don't then stay away.

If you've never seen Monty Python before then give it a try, yes it's dated but its still great fun.

9/10

Also see, The Life Of Brian and The Meaning of Life

I do know, however, that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the funniest movies ever made. Let's face it, if the Python hadn't showed up in 1969, someone would have created them by now, or the world would be a much sadder place. Alongside Life of Brian, which is the sextet's masterpiece, Holy Grail is an excellent start if you want to get addicted to their surreal humor.

As suggested in the title, the film deals with the Arthurian stories, freely reinterpreted by the Python ensemble: after recruiting his knights, including Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), King Arthur (Graham Chapman) embarks on a mission from God (also Chapman, voice only though): to seek and find the Holy Grail. No need to say, the journey is going to be perilous, but also hilarious, our heroes doing their "best" to screw everything up.

As in Life of Brian, there are so many good bits choosing just one or two feels reductive and disrespectful, given the material. It's pure comedy gold from start to finish, a non-stop gag marathon: from the mock Scandinavian subtitles in the opening credits to the argument about swallows, from the Killer Rabbit to the Black Knight and the jaw-dropping epilogue, you will keep grinning like never before (if you're unfamiliar with these comedians, that is). Actually, after some serious thinking I can select two particular sequences as particularly memorable: the Knights who say "Ni!" and the Bridge of Death. The rest of the film is ace too, but those two scenes are the ones I can't stop thinking of fondly whenever the movie is mentioned.

Oh, and let's not forget Terry Gilliam's vital contribution: he doesn't appear that much as an actor (his Bridgekeeper is absolute genius, though), but he compensates that with the remarkable animations used to depict part of this epic adventure. Speaking of epic, this picture has one of the most brilliant tag-lines in comedy history, if not film history in general.

Oh yes, the world wouldn't be quite the same without the Monty Python. Even the most miserable person on the planet will laugh like a lunatic after viewing any of their films.

P.S. Ni!