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Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sjc (talk | contribs) at 18:31, 10 February 2003 (still a thousand short of the full complement, now all accounted for...). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is (mostly) a parody of Arthurian legend produced in 1975 by Monty Python. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones shared directing credit with 40 specially trained Ecuadorian Mountain llamas, 6 Venezualan Red Llamas, 148 Mexican Whooping Llamas, 14 North Chilean Guanacos (closely related to the llama), Reg Llama of Brixton, and 76000 Battery Llamas from "Llama Fresh Fams Ltd" near Paraguay.

The film commences with a spoof British Board of Film Censors certification for Dentist on the Job a film "[..]Passed as more suitable for Exhibition to Adult Audiences". Indeed the film then continues in grainy black and white with the trailers for that particular film (an early version of a Carry On film). The actual credits for the film have (spurious) Swedish subtitles and many references to moose.

The story loosely follows the adventures of King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights of the Round Table across England in their search for the Holy Grail. On the way, the brave knights and Sir Robin (Eric Idle) encounter a blood-thirsty rabbit (which they deal with using the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch), the Knights who say Ni, the perils of Castle Anthrax, and the Black Knight. There are other misadventures involving socialist peasants, an alleged witch (Connie Booth), the Bridge of Death and Frenchmen (led by John Cleese) who revel in taunting the travellers, without much success (or, indeed, understanding).


Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers

It ends by a policeman blocking the filming. The Grail is never found.