Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Category
Comedy
Director
Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Cast
- Graham Chapman
- John Cleese
- Terry Gilliam
- Eric Idle
- Terry Jones
- Michael Palin
Release Date
10 May 1975
Synopsis
When you've got the gang from Monty Python cooking up a Medieval mayhem, the results are sure to be downright silly. This comedy group are clad in costumes, as King Arthur and his knights. Their get-up looks pretty authentic, really from the Dark Ages and they're so into playing dress-up that the the movie gets even more absurd. Written and directed by the gang, Monty Python and the Holy Grail creates a twist to ye olde classic about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
So we have Graham Chapman as King Arthur, and he's on a knight recruitment quest. All over England he meets Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Galahad the Pure, and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot. The group travels on to Camelot with their servants clip-clopping coconuts to mimic the sound of a horse walking, and they stumble upon actual historical events like the bubonic plague and the witch trials. As they approach Camelot, a change in destination is decided by the group, and then miracle of all miracles - God (in animated for courtesy of Terry Gilliam) appears and grumpily orders them to search for the elusive Holy Grail. So they begin their journey to finding the Holy Grail, but this adventure proves to be treacherous as the knights stumble upon a killer rabbit, and feared Knights of Ni, a three-headed giant, and the Black Beast of Argh (Yes, argh!). With these deathly encounters, who survives and will the knights ever find the sacred Holy Grail?
What makes this film an ultimate cult classic is the comedic genius of this actually really intelligent gang of actors. They play a number of roles throughout the movie and they are so devoted to making their audiences laugh. It's difficult to keep a straight face when you have the Monty Python gang serious with their intentions of honest to goodness comedy, by prolonging the farcical situations, the absurd scenarios, and the kooky reenactments. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a fresh take on themes related to knightly valor, and is exceptionally entertaining.