Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
92 minutes
Floor 3 Pink Zone 791.4372 MON
Its exam time, but everyone deserves a break; what better way to unwind than with splitting your sides with one of the greatest comedies of all time! Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a film to relax you no-matter the situation, and one that you will be quoting for days (months and years) after watching.
The Holy Grail follows King Arthur (Graham Chapman) on his quest from God (also Graham Chapman) to find the relic. He is accompanied by the Knights of the Round Table including the foolhardy Sir Lancelot the Brave (John Cleese) and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot (Eric Idle), but not Sir Not-Appering-in-this-Film. On their quest the band of knights must face several challenges, from the wrath of a three headed knight, rude French knights who are inexplicably in England, and the scorn of peasants who are tired of the aristocracy.
Full of laughs all the way through, the comedy is the perfect balance of clever one-liners, that reflect the intelligence of the Monty Python members, and slapstick, with scenes such as the black night. Though The Holy Grail is one narrative, it is clearly inspired by Monty Python’s previous sketch works. The films weaves comical skits and scenes throughout the plot without breaking the flow of the film (excepting the comically jarring opening credits!).
As usual the six members of Monty Python undertake several roles – the characters are the strength of the film from the infamous Knights who say ‘Ni’ (the most dangerous of words!) to my personal favorites, the underrated Tim the Enchanter and the white rabbit. There is even a bizarre cameo appearance of Terry Gilliam as himself; Fawlty Towers fans will also note the appearance of Connie Booth (then married to John Cleese) as a women accused of being a witch and compared, perfectly logically, to a duck.
I have tried very hard not to spoil the jokes of the film, in truth I could probably quote the vast majority of the script. It’s a film that is hard to explain without seeing it, all I can do is emphasis how funny the film is if you have a bit of a silly sense of humour – don’t we all? The narrative is genuinely clever and full of surprising turns that only adds to its comic brilliance. Truly, if you need to unwind The Holy Grail is the perfect film.
Why It’s Significant?
The Holy Grail is Monty Python’s first attempt at a feature length narrative following their sketch work in Monty Python’s Flying Circus and And Now for Something Completely Different. The film is ranked among the best made comedy films, is known word-for-word by several fans, and has also been adapted to stage in Spamalot.
If You Like This, You May Also Like From The Library:
Monty Python’s Life of Brian, dir. by Terry Jones (Cinema International Corporation, 1979) – Monty Python caused scandal in the 1970s with Life of Brian, accused of being blasphemous this brilliant comedy follows the unwitting Brian – or is he the new messiah? (791.4372 MON).
Young Frankenstein, dir. by Mel Brooks (20th Century Fox, 1974) – Another comedy classic from the 1970s, perhaps a bit dryer and a little dated but still a masterful performance from the great Gene Wilder and full of brilliant comic moments. (791.4372 YOU).
Written by Phil Wintle
