Film review: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Film review

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Release year: 1975

 Length: 91 minutes

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Written and performed by: Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle

While I'm not a huge fan of comedy, every scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail I saw before properly watching the movie made me laugh. Most comedy films I've watched before either made me chuckle or not laugh at all, so this movie intrigued me, particularly after I found out that it is a cult classic and seeing references to the film everywhere on the internet.  And now that I've seen the full movie, I understand why it is so beloved.

'Tis a silly movie, made by the famous British comedy group Monty Python. In a way, it is a parody of the Arthurian legend, but also makes fun of the Middle Ages in general and the tropes used in stories about the era. The movie makes no attempt at being serious or even coherent, making it quite difficult to critique. Although as long as a comedy film makes you laugh, it can be considered good, and this movie certainly does: There's a constant bombardment of absurd jokes and complete nonsense. It's so silly you can't help but laugh.

The story begins in 932 AD, when King Arthur (Graham Chapman) seeks knights to join his court at Camelot. Sir  Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Galahad (Michael Palin) and Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) are amongst those who do. Afterwards he and his knights receive a quest from God himself to seek the Holy Grail.  After a failed attempt at taking a French castle, the group splits up to look for the Grail, with each of the knights facing perils on his quest. Following Scene 24, they regroup and travel to see Tim the Enchanter (John Cleese), who is quite fond of fiery explosions. They defeat a fearsome rodent (it is actually a lagomorph) and cross the Gorge of Eternal Peril, only to find out that the castle Aaarghh, where the Grail is supposed to be located, is occupied by the French. A quite surprising ending follows, and I will not spoil it.

The story is told through mostly disconnected scenes divided by short transition scenes, with each scene focusing on some absurd gag. Random things happen occasionally, such as a minute-long intermission 10 minutes before the ending of the movie or a fearsome monster fading away because the animator had a heart attack. The movie doesn't even try to explain most of the absurdity. The plot is all over the place, despite the loose thread of a quest for the Holy Grail, and doesn't always make sense. Not that it has to.

The movie was made with a low budget, and it is evident in everything: The set, the costumes, the 'special' effects and the fact that the knights ride imaginary horses while their servants clap two halves of a coconut together to make a sound of a galloping horse. Many of the characters are played by the same actor, for example Michael Palin plays 12 different characters. There is no CGI, of course, but the transition scenes are animated. Some scenes were shot in real castles, although Camelot is just a model according to Arthur's servant Patsy.

Most of the characters manage to be amusing to some degree. They all have at least one quirk, like the guard who sneezes all the time, even if they're minor characters. The actors do a good job and every character feels unique, even if they are acted by the same person. But the characters tend to be rather shallow, only defined by a single, silly trait, such as Sir Robin the 'Brave' who is a coward and not much else. Don't expect any deep characters in this movie, for having complicated characters wouldn't have been fun, at least that's what I assume the Monty Python thought. But shallow characters are easier to make fun of, I admit that.

In conclusion, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a silly movie. Wait, I already said that, didn't I? Then I guess I can answer the question I presented in the first paragraph: It is beloved because it's a comedy film that is very good at being a comedy film, for it makes you laugh at the sheer madness of it all. There's a certain charm to this insanity, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because the film seems to point its odd finger at all the stories that try to be serious and logical and laugh at them, shortly before getting flattened by a cow.

Score: The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow