rmurray847
"In all seriousness, could be the funniest movie EVER!!"
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2-disc Special Edition DVD of Monty Python's classic 1974 medieval comedy that spoofs Arthurian legend.
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For those who don't "get" the humor in this movie, it may seem like a 90 minute detour into one of the outer circles of hell. Actors playing multiple roles, idiots smacking coconut shells together to make horse-sounds, men playing most of the female roles, modern-day police tracking medieval knights, the use of the word "nee" to a huge extent and lots of blood gouting from gory wounds. For those people, I can only have pity.
+4
Because to love HOLY GRAIL is to establish a life-long friendship. I've never known anyone who was lukewarm about the film. Hate it (see above) and you just scratch your head in wonder at its popularity. Love it,and you find yourself quoting it often and watching it over and over. My family and I watch this movie at least once a year. When my son (now 15) first watched this movie with me, I knew it was an important moment in our relationship. Would he think his dad was weird for recommending this old British piece of junk? Or would he join the club of fanatics? Let's just say that we now own almost everything by Monty Python that is available on DVD and we're saving up for FAWLTY TOWERS. For him, it was the Dark Knight's duel with King Arthur that first made him a believer.
I won't rehash the plot...that probably isn't possible. But suffice it to say that I don't think anyone should skip this movie. Yes, you might hate it. If so, I'm sorry. But there's a good chance you'll be sucked in and then you too can quote "It's only a flesh wound" or "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberry" or "There are those who call me...Tim." And you can enjoy, again and again, the vicious attacks of the white rabbit. (If you have the DVD, I challenge you to watch the rabbit attack on super-slow motion...it's a historian's study on great film editing and it's also gut-bustingly funny!) You can learn to count to five...uh, three. You can learn to insult like the French. And on and on.
The deluxe DVD set comes with a 2nd disc full of extras. Not much of it is indispensible, but it's certainly worth the extra few bucks. There is a complete redo of the CAMELOT song, except done entirely with legos which makes the 2nd disc worthwhile right there.
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More Monty Python and the Holy Grai... reviews
-This review pertains to the Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2-disc Special Edition DVD- In 1974 the bad boys of British comedy decided to create a full-length motion picture, which was destined for greatness (or at least mediocrity disguised as greatness). Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a totally distasteful classic of almost epic proportions. The film stars John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry … more
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Compliments (38)
Perhaps the funniest movie ever made, this irreverent take on the King Arthur tale is =D. Who doesn't want to fall prey to a killer rabbit?
Comments (4)
Compliments (3)
review by CRSwanson.
May 31, 2009
You know, I would've loved to have been in the audience when Monty Python and the Holy Grail was first shown. I'm picturing a fair amount of laughter, but also quite a bit of confusion and critics saying, "What the hell did I just see?" That was certainly the case when Roger Ebert reviewed the first Monty Python movie, And Now For Something Completely Different. He seemed very interested in the audience reaction during his review, and I imagine the audience reaction during the first screenings for … more
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Of all the films and television programs produced by airborne members of the Flying Circus, I consider this to be their greatest achievement. Co-authored and then co-directed Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones (two rather silly people indeed), this film makes at least some effort to recreate a distant period in history and from a somewhat 20th century perspective. Apparently available funds were limited because Gilliam and Junes could not afford to rent horses and thus were forced to simulate them with … more
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review by Kasia_S.
June 27, 2003
This movie is funny, it has so many funny lines, that you can taunt your enemies for years to come, using lines from THe Holy Grail. Monty Python may be a bit of a refined humour, that has it's fans and the non-fans who just don't like it. That's fine, this was my second Python movie ( after Eric the Viking) and I fell deeply for this humor. THe Python Boys take on so many different roles that they themselves said they loose track of who's who. The speicla edition DVD has behind scenes … more
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About the reviewer
rmurray847
I've got my own site, www.afilmcritic.com, on which I'm posting my reviews. I am 46 years old, married 25 years, two kids (23 & 18) and currently work in accounting/finance. I spent 15 years … more
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About this movie
Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If...
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Director:
Terry Jones,
Terry Gilliam
Genre:
Adventure,
Classics,
Comedy,
Fantasy,
History,
Musical
Release Date:
1975
MPAA Rating:
PG
DVD Release Date:
October 23, 2001
Runtime:
91 minutes
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
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