Charlie Wright
Classic
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This classic comedy movie is the masterpiece of the British comedy group from decades
ago, Monty Python. It has their signature style, tone, and humor that is still appealing to viewers
years later. All of the memorable moments and outrageous scenes that are hysterically absurd
and funny are what made the movie a classic that is impossible not to laugh at. It is one of those
movies that even though it was made nearly 40 years ago, people still appreciate it today.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the more well-known products of Monty
Python, a British comedy group that consists of 6 actors (John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam,
Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones). It was released in 1975 and directed by
Gilliam and Jones. Monty Python also had a pretty popular TV show at the time and was already
established in comedy, especially in the U.K. The film’s plot is based on the tale of King Arthur
and The Holy Grail, but is not historically correct at all.
This movie follows the quest of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and
their quest to find the legendary Holy Grail. The Knights are not that smart and frequently get
themselves into dangerous, ridiculous, and funny situations. An example would be their
encounter with the Black Night, the supposedly unbeatable warrior. King Arthur must get
through the Black Knight to continue the journey and the two fight each other. Arthur cuts the
knight’s arm off, then the other, and then his legs, but the knight insists on fighting some more
saying that it is just a flesh wound. King Arthur and his gang are also spoken to by God in the
movie, but he is sillier and his personality is less godly than you would expect. Later on the
group must break into a castle and take a page out of history by mimicking a Trojan horse and
making their own Trojan rabbit. Unfortunately they forget to hide in the rabbit and their plan
fails. In one of the next scenes, one of the nights kills a historian giving a report on the legend of
King Arthur, which suggests that it is in modern times, and causes the Knights to be wanted by
the police. The Knights split into groups and they each run into their own adventures and
problems like The Knights of Ni, a three-headed giant, stabbing an innocent man, and running
into a castle full of lonely women.
The crew regroups and enters a cave that should reveal where the Grail is, but also
contains a horrible monster. The entrance to the cave is guarded by a seemingly normal rabbit
that suddenly turns into a vicious killer. They use a holy hand grenade to defeat the rabbit and
entered the cave. They found the writings, learned where the Grail was, and then were chased
out by a giant, animated monster that died because the drawer of the cartoon had a heart-attack.
After they get past a bridge by answering some strange, inconsistent questions, the Holy Grail is
not far from their reach. They are close but things do not end up the way you would expect.
Although it was absurd and kind of stupid, the movie was really funny and fun to watch.
As long as someone does not take it too seriously, I think that 9 out of 10 people would enjoy it
like I did. I can see why some people would not like it, because it does not make sense
sometimes with the modern police and the ending might disappoint some, but besides that I think
it was well-done for what it was supposed to be. I will give it 4 out of 5 Yellow Jackets and
recommend it to people who enjoy comedies and don’t mind a plot with holes, impossibilities,
and inconsistency.