Monty Python e il Sacro Graal

Monty Python will always be loved or hated depending on your personality. And this is Monty Python at its typical best. If you like daft jokes, killer fluffy animals, bad accents and intelligent discussions that will most likely go over your head the first time round, then you will love The Holy Grail.

The jokes vary from obvious visual puns (coconut halves to represent horses) and audio puns ("I am Roger the Shrubber") to more subtle and intelligent jokes ("I thought we were an autonomous collective" / the Witch-burning scene). The greatest thing about the Holy Grail is that there's something for everyone. No one is left out.

What many don't realise is the sophisticated intelligence behind the jokes that many of later generations don't understand (back in the Life of Brian - Romani Ite Domun - which wouldn't have such impact on the youngsters who never had to suffer through Latin classes) such as the witch burning scene, where it was true that any means possible was used to warp the natural and legal laws to create the desired result i.e. one less warty woman in the village, and how the mish-mash of Celtic tribes were suddenly forced to become a diplomacy ("Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"). It always reminds me of Blackadder - how so many great jokes were wasted by bad timing or bad judgement on the audience's vocabulary.

And for those who can't keep up with historical jokes, there's the Black Knight, Tim, and Zoot to keep you occupied. They sure as hell make me laugh.

So if you like daft humour, go for it! But promise to check out the subtle jokes as well. It's worth the effort, and you'll learn a little about history too.

I loved the movie and I'm not going to go into any detail about the movie itself. Some people though are knocking the ending, but again still praising the rest of the movie, and I'd like to just say that the ending is just fine the way it is. Yes, they had planned to have some big storming the castle ending to the film which may or may not have been hilarious; but, they ran out of money on the film (look at the use of coconuts, a real budget would have meant real horses). The ending that all this is really just a fantasy (so to speak) about a fantasy saga actually is quite funny. Is does end abruptly, but even that is fine in the context of a wacky movie. Just enjoy it and don't harp on the fact that the ending doesn't fit the rest of the movie, it does if you let it.

Monty Python (or John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle) brought their brilliant wit and smart humour to theatrical audiences back in 1975 with this nice little gem. If you have never seen Monty Python before it will either change your life and how you look at comedy or you will scratch your head and wonder what is so funny.

In this farcical story King Arthur (to me a brilliant performance and played extremely straight by Graham Chapman) armed with his Knights of the Round Table is on his search for the Holy Grail.They come face to face with deadly black knights, killer rabbits and lonely lustful nuns to name a few.

There really isn't a low point in the film as the laughs keep coming and ridiculous characters keep showing up. My favourite scenes are King Arthur's sword fight with the black knight (John Cleese), meeting the Knights Who Say Ni! lead by Michael Palin and dealing with the bridgekeeper (Terry Gilliam) of the Bridge of Death.

While this is a film from Python about one thing that being King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail it still to me has the soul of sketch comedy due to silly characters that show up for generally one scene and then you move onto the next character. Which to me is completely fine. I think this group may have been the absolute best at sketch comedy.

Last night my fiancee, my sister, my niece and I went and saw this at a theatre, but it was very interactive. They gave you two halves of coconuts and lines to shout out to the screen. If you are a fan of Monty Python or this film it is not just highly recommended it is a must for those people.

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!

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975) is a genius piece of British comedy. If you want to get as much out of it as possible, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before watching:

This movie is absolute nuts. First some cautions, though - there is some gore and blood (although so over-the-top is comedic), a few scenes which might be classified as religiously offensive, and a longer scene which is highly sexually suggestive. All these things can be uncomfortable for people that are sensitive to the respective categories and should in that case be taken into account.

As for the rest of the movie, it is insane. Humor is usually created when there is a plot-twist that deviates from one's expectations, and in that sense, this movie is nothing but humor. Its sole purpose is to make sure the viewer never stands steady and comfortable in what to expect, and that this the only expectation one can have. If quirky yet brilliant and genius humor like this is appreciated, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an absolute feast, and make sure to watch the Special Editions that features the short "Dentist On the Job."

My personal grade: a hilarious 8/10. If you found this helpful, check my profile for more reviews.