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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 Ashley Pomeroy (talk | contribs) at 17:16, 11 December 2004 (Tidied a bit; Dentist on the Job is neither here nor there, although the title itself seems archaic). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

DVD cover of this comedy film depicting many of the film's main characters
DVD cover of this comedy film depicting many of the film's main characters

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedy film from 1974. It was written, performed and directed by Monty Python, an Anglo/American comedy group, during a gap between the third and final series of their popular BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus. The group's first film, And Now For Something Completely Different, had been a compilation of sketches from the television series, and Holy Grail was their first wholly original feature-length production. Based loosely on the legend of King Arthur's quest to find the Holy Grail, the film was a success on its initial run and retains a large-scale cult following today.

Monty Python were famous for their unconventional use of the conventions of television and motion picture formats. As with many of the groups other creations, the opening title credits of Holy Grail were part of the humour, and co-credited several fictional directors, including "40 specially trained Ecuadorian Mountain llamas, 6 Venezuelan 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 Farms Ltd" near Paraguay".

In reality the film was directed by series regular Terry Jones and the group's American animator, Terry Gilliam, who also produced the film's linking animations and title credits. Along with their co-stars John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, Jones and Gilliam performed several roles in the film, which also had prominent speaking parts for songwriter Neil Innes, John Cleese's then-wife Connie Booth, and Carol Cleveland, who had appeared several times in the group's television series. Both Jones and Gilliam went on to have successful careers as directors in their own right, although the experiment with co-direction on Holy Grail proved to be a one-off, as it led to creative friction. Gilliam, in particular, found that his training as an animator did not lend itself to directing human beings, although his sense of the graphic - which would come to prominence with later films such as Time Bandits and Brazil - has ensured that Holy Grail remains visually impressive, despite a budget of less than £200,000. This money was raised in part with donations from rock groups such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

The film was shot on location in Scotland, particularly around Doune Castle, Glen Coe and the privately-owned Castle Stalker. As a consequence of the low budget, the film had to make do without horses. Instead, the actors bashed together coconut shells to replicate the sound of horse's hooves. The chainmail armour worn by the various knights was actually silver-painted wool, whilst the many castles seen throughout the film were either Doune Castle shot from different angles, or cardboard models held up against the horizon.

As an extension of the group's penchant for bizarre title credits, the 2001 DVD release of the film commences with the British Board of Film Censors' certification for Dentist on the Job, a film "Passed as more suitable for Exhibition to Adult Audiences", followed by its grainy black and white opening titles and several minutes of the film iself. During in the opening scene of Dentist on the Job the projectionist (played by Terry Jones) realises it is the wrong film and puts the correct one on (Dentist on the Job was a 1960 comedy starring Bob Monkhouse, perhaps chosen as an epitome of the comedy to which Monty Python had once provided an alternative). The credits for Holy Grail have (spurious) Swedish subtitles and many references to the moose. The film has no ending credits, instead cutting to a black screen and some organ music.

Plot

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The Holy Grail has an episodic plot line, with a style based on the sketch comedy of Monty Python's television show. Most of the story is told in isolated sections, linked only by the ongoing theme of the quest for the Holy Grail, and Terry Gilliam's animations.

The story more or less 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 the Not-Quite-so-Brave (Eric Idle) encounter the Black Knight, the perils of Castle Anthrax (Doune castle), the Knights who say Ni (later known as the Knights who say "Eky-eky-eky-eky-p'Kang! Zoop-boing gonzourrrwringmm"), a blood-thirsty rabbit (which they defeat by means of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch), and a gigantic cartoon monster, "The Black Beast of Arrrrrrrrgh" (they are saved when the animator, Terry Gilliam, suffers a fatal heart attack.) There are other misadventures involving anarcho-syndicalist peasants, an alleged witch (Connie Booth), the King of Swamp Castle (Doune castle) and his musical son, Herbert, an enchanter called "Tim", the Bridge of Death (guarded by the Old Man from Scene 24), and Frenchmen (led by John Cleese) who revel in taunting the travellers, without much success (or, indeed, understanding).

At a number of key places in the film the question is raised, what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? It is introduced in the opening scenes of the film, and remains an open question right up to the end. The only answer which King Arthur gives is: "African or European?" This is as much a running gag as a macguffin.

Sir Robin's minstrels (their leader played by Neil Innes) sing of how brave he would hypothetically be in the face of horrific and graphically-described tortures, and then sing about how bravely he flees at the first sign of danger. Much to Sir Robin's relief, he and the other knights are later forced to eat the minstrels.

The film ends abruptly when a group of police from the 1970s interrupt the climactic battle scene to arrest King Arthur for the murder of a "famous historian" (who looked very like A.J.P. Taylor) earlier in the film. The Grail presumably is left in the hands of the Frenchmen in Castle Aaaargh (Castle Stalker).

Home Video Editions

Among the many home-video releases of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the DVD "Special Edition" is most recommended for its exhaustive list of special features, including two commentary tracks, documentaries related to the film, and "Subtitles For People Who Don't Like the Film," consisting of lines taken from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II, specially selected to match the film's dialogue.

The DVD "Special Edition" includes "The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" which shows places in Scotland used for the setting titled as "England 932 A.D.". Many scenes were filmed in or around Doune castle, "Scene 24" and the blood-thirsty rabbit's "Cave of Caerbannog" were in sight of Loch Tay, near Killin, and "The Bridge of Death" was in Glen Coe. In the closing battle scene, shots facing "Castle Aaaargh" were filmed at Castle Stalker but the shots looking the other way towards the huge army were filmed later somewhere near Stirling once they'd managed to get enough people.

Dedications

A number of video games pay homage to this movie, an indication of its huge following in geek culture.

In Conquests of Camelot there is an Easter egg. In the treasury, when the user types "ask about ham and jam and spam a lot", three knights will appear on the screen dancing the "Spamalot" theme. Then a text window appears mentioning that this Easter egg is dedicated to the memory of Chapman.

In Quest for Glory I, a gargoyle will ask the user questions that are inspired form the Bridge of Death scene. Also, in the IV of the series, one of the monsters you encounter is the killer rabbit.

In addition, New World Computing's computer game Heroes of Might and Magic III has a number of cheat codes, all of which are references to this movie. All the cheat codes are preceded with "nwc," the developer's initials, followed by the reference. For example, typing in nwcshrubbery (a reference to Arthur's encounter with the Knights who say "Ni") rewards the player with 100,000 gold and 100 of every resource. The code nwcalreadygotone rewards the player with a full Grail map, nwcsirrobin immediately loses the game and nwccoconuts gives unlimited movement. There are many more cheat codes in the game and all in some way reference this comedy classic.

In Blizzard's Warcraft_III, many "annoy messages" (which are spoken by the units when clicked several times on them) from the Human race are Monty Python references. For example, peasants sometimes utter "we found a witch, may we burn her?" or "help, help, I'm being repressed!". Knights sometimes say "I'm am a knight, and I never say Ni!".

Also, in the games "Worms: Armeggedon" and "Worms World Party," the Holy Hand Grenade is one of the most powerful hand-launched weapons, unleashing a huge explosion only after a Handel-esque "Hallelujah."

For use of the Holy Hand Grenade, see the relevant article.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail was also spoofed as a LEGO movie.

In the game Fallout 2, there is a Bridge of Death parody, which functions as closely to the original scene (the player is damaged thousands of points of damage instead of flug into a pit). While the player can play the role 'straight' and simply walk past, players are encouraged to ask a question incorrectly. The robes the Bridgekeeper wears are amusingly stronger than most armors in the game.

In the same game, another parody exists, but does not function in the game. The player discovers a large group of 'Knights' wearing Power Armor who ask the player if he has found the Holy Hand Grenade. Had the joke existed fully, the player could (through a random encounter) find the Grenade for these Knights. However, one of these random encounters will never show up.

Spinoffs

A musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail will open in Chicago on December 21 2004. The musical is titled Spamalot. Eric Idle wrote the musical's book, and he collaborated with John Du Prez for the music and lyrics. It is being directed by Mike Nichols but will feature none of the original Python actors.

Quotes

  • Black Knight: "It's only a flesh wound"
  • Robin's minstrel: "He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp."
  • Launcelot: "Oh brave Concorde! You shall not have died in vain!"
    Concorde: "Uh, I'm not quite dead sir."
  • King of Swamp Castle: "This is Sir Launcelot from the Court of Camelot! He is a very brave and influential knight and my special guest today."
    Wedding guest: "He's killed my auntie!"
    King: "No, please! This is meant to be a happy occasion! Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who... We are here to witness the union of two young people in the joyful bond of holy wedlock. Now unfortunately, one of them, my son Herbert, has just fallen to his death....But I don't want to think I've lost a son as much as gained a daughter for, since the tragic death of her father..."
    Shout from back of hall: "He's not quite dead!"
    King: "Since the fatal wounding of her father..."
    Shout from back: "I think he's getting better!"
    King (discreet nod to soldier): For... since her father... who when he seemed about to recover... suddenly felt the icy... hand of death upon him" (scuffle at the back)
    Shout from back: "Oh, he's died!"
    King: "I want his only daughter, from now onwards, to think of me as her own dad... in a very real and legally binding sense."

You can listen to many of them here: "Monty Python Sound Files"

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.






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