Monty Python and the Holy GrailDirected by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones Show
“Timelessly brilliant” —The Guardian King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, satirical search for the Holy Grail, encountering many silly obstacles along the way. The comedic quest played out in Monty Python and the Holy Grail has kept audiences around the world laughing for almost 50 years. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin star. Visiting Guidelines Masks are recommended in Museum auditoriums. Advance tickets are also recommended. In the interest of your personal safety and community health, please observe all precautions set forth by the MFAH—learn more here. Doors open 30 minutes before the screening starts. No late entry. Accessibility The MFAH strives to provide a welcoming and accessible experience for all guests by offering a range of accommodations—learn more here. The MFAH film department is supported by Tenaris; the Vaughn Foundation; The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea; Nina and Michael Zilkha; Consulate General of Italy in Houston; Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles; Consulate General of Brazil in Houston; Franci Neely; Carrin Patman and Jim Derrick; Ms. Laurence Unger; L’Alliance Française de Houston; and ILEX Foundation.
Promotional poster for 2001 re-release Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin), and directed by Gilliam and Jones. It was filmed in 1974 during a gap between the third and fourth seasons of their popular BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circusandreleased on 3 April 1975 in the UK. In contrast to the group's first film, And Now For Something Completely Different, which was a compilation of sketches from the television series, Holy Grail was their first film composed of wholly original material. It generally spoofs the legends 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. The film was the inspiration for the 2005 Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot, written by Eric Idle. A few years ago it gained the Guinness World Record for largest audience interactive participation in one area the event was led by Michael Palin via a taped instruction and narration to the audience of when to sing along and shout to certain scenes of the film. It is also on the Top 250 movies of all-time list on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and it received 90/100 on Metacritic.com. Plot[]The Black Knight King Arthur, accompanied by his servant Patsy, is recruiting his Knights of the Round Table throughout England. He is frustrated at every turn by anarcho-syndicalist peasants, a Black Knight that refuses to die, and guards that are more concerned with the flight patterns of swallows than their lord and master. Finally he meets Sir Bedevere the Wise, who impresses him by using deductive reasoning to discover a witch. They are eventually joined by Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Galahad (called both "the Chaste" and "the Pure"), Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot, and Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film, and form them together as the Knights of the Round Table. After journeying to Camelot (and declaring it "a silly place"), they receive a divine vision from God, who gives Arthur and his knights a quest: find the Holy Grail. The insulting Frenchman: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" The knights embark on their quest, but after being taunted by Frenchmen, Arthur decides that they will split up. Sir Robin encounters a Three-Headed Giant, Galahad encounters peril at Castle Anthrax, Sir Lancelot massacres a wedding party at Swamp Castle, and Arthur and Bedevere encounter the dreaded Knights who say Ni. They each overcome their individual perils and meet back up with to face a bleak and terrible winter. Surviving the winter by eating Sir Robin's minstrels, they venture further to a pyromaniac enchanter called "Tim", who takes them to a cave guarded by a killer rabbit, where the location of the grail is written onto the wall. The Killer Rabbit attacks! After killing the vicious Rabbit of Caerbannog with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, with the help of Brother Maynard and his entourage, the knights read the location of the grail, and, embarking on their journey to the location, face The legendary Black Beast of Aaaaargghh, and cross the Bridge of Death that is guarded by "the old man from Scene 24". Arthur and Bedevere survive to arrive at Castle Aaargh, the location of the grail and face the taunting Frenchmen once more. The film ends abruptly when a group of modern-era police interrupt the climactic battle scene to arrest Bedevere and King Arthur for the murder of the "Famous Historian" (which they actually didn't commit neither were responsible for). Production[]The film was shot on location in Scotland, particularly around Doune Castle, Glen Coe, and the privately owned Castle Stalker. The many castles seen throughout the film were either Doune Castle shot from different angles or cardboard models held up against the horizon. (This was referenced in Patsy's famous line, the dismissive "It's only a model" in reference to Camelot — which it was.) The only exception to this is the very first exterior shot of the castle of the Swamp King, which is Bodiam Castle in East Sussex - all subsequent shots of its exterior and interior were filmed elsewhere. The chain mail armour worn by the various knights was also actually silver-painted wool (which tended to absorb moisture in the cold and wet conditions). The film was co-directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, the first major project for both and the first project where any members of the Pythons were behind the camera. This proved to be troublesome on the set as Jones and Gilliam had different directing styles and it often wasn't clear who was in charge. The Pythons evidently preferred Jones, an acting member of the group, as opposed to Gilliam, who began as an animator. On the DVD audio commentary track Cleese expresses irritation at a scene set in Castle Anthrax where he says the focus was on technical aspects rather than comedy. The two later Python feature films, Monty Python's Life of Brian and the Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, both have Jones as the sole director. Chapman as King Arthur in Holy Grail The Pythons decided on a joke where the characters would pretend to ride horses while their porters banged coconut shells together, an in-joke as to how BBC radio shows as well as old-time radio in general, had produced the sound effect of horses since the 1930s (a gag seen previously in the sole surviving episode of the 1956 program A Show Called Fred, produced by Richard Lester and starring Peter Sellers, and also used on The Goon Show in the form of "here comes a man riding on coconut shells"), with the added benefit of being much cheaper than hiring horses and learning to ride them. This was later referenced in the German release on 13 August 1976, which translated the title as "Die Ritter der Kokosnuß"[1] ("The Knights of the Coconut"), and in a successful attempt in Trafalgar Square at 7pm on St George's Day 2007 to break the world record for the largest coconut orchestra.[2] The use of coconuts leads to an extended (and boring, to Arthur) discussion on how coconuts could have found their way to the British Isles. The possibility of swallows carrying them, absurd as it seems, reappears in a key moment late in the film and helps Arthur advance his quest. 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 itself (approximately 1 minute 48 seconds). During 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 1961 comedy starring Bob Monkhouse, perhaps chosen as an epitome of the comedy to which Monty Python had once provided an alternative. Also, Dentist on the Job's alternate title is Get On With It, a phrase that appears multiple times throughout Holy Grail.) Holy Grail's start credits include mock Nordic subtitles and many gratuitous references to "møøse" and llamas. The subtitles fictionally tell how those responsible for the fake credits were sacked and replacement credits were created at great expense. The film has no ending credits, or indeed any indication whatsoever that the film is over, instead showing a policeman forcibly shutting down the camera and cutting straight to a black screen and a full two minutes and forty seconds of organ music. Due to the abrupt ending of the movie, the first few seconds of the opening credits are sometimes shown again when the film is played on television. The organ music is often missing from cinema showings as inexperienced cinema projectionists tend to mistake the ending blank footage (with audio track) as scrap film and remove it before sending the film back to the depot. Profits from Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon went towards financing the movie. The band members were such fans of the show, they would halt recording sessions just to watch Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974).[3] Ian Anderson and Led Zeppelin were also key investors in the film.[4] Cast[]Cast on the set of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
None of the Pythons can recall why they got an actual old woman (Bea Duffell) to play the old crone when any of them could have done it just as easily. The actress is, however, complimented on the DVD commentary (albeit accompanied by attempts to recall why she was cast). Soundtrack[]The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the movie's official soundtrack, is less of a soundtrack and more of a comedy album in its own right, which depicts the "premiere" of the film along with several other sketches intercutting scenes from the movie. The flagellant monks are chanting a phrase from the Latin Requiem mass, pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem, which in English is rendered, Holy Lord Jesus, grant unto them rest. They then hit themselves with wooden boards. This may be in reference to the flagellants during the time of the black plague. Home video editions, locations[]Special Edition DVD cover The first home video version was released in 1981 on VHS and Betamax formats under the Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment label, and was reissued by the same company in 1982. The first DVD was released in 1999 and boasted only a non-anamorphic print, about two pages of production notes, and trailers for other Sony Pictures Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox releases. On October 23, 2001, the Special Edition DVD was released. It includes two commentary tracks, documentaries related to the film, the "Camelot Song" as sung by LEGO minifigures (Source), and "Subtitles For People Who Don't Like the Film", consisting of lines taken from William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2, and in the opening has a conversation between two people written in "Swedish". There are also two scenes synchronised in Japanese, where the knights search for a "holy sake cup" and where the Knights Who Say Ni request a bonsai. Most of the home video adaptations feature an extra scene where several characters are telling Carol Cleveland's character Dingo to "Get on with it!". Some of them include characters not seen yet at that point in the film, such as Tim the Enchanter, The Old Man from Scene 24 and the army at the end of the film (this scene was also shown in the Comedy Central broadcasts of the film). It also features a small featurette about proper use of a coconut. The DVD "Special Edition" includes "The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations", hosted by Michael Palin and Terry Jones, which shows places in Scotland used for the setting titled as "England 932 A.D." (as well as the two Pythons purchasing a copy of their own script as a guide). 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 Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh" were filmed at Castle Stalker but the shots looking the other way towards the huge army were filmed later somewhere near Stirling once they had managed to get enough people - one of them being author Iain Banks, then a student, as he recounts in his non-fiction work Raw Spirit. It should be noted that this DVD edition is missing the "Swedish" subtitle "Mønti Pythøn ik den Hølie Gräilen" in the film's opening title screen. In this special edition DVD release, the opening credits of the 1961 film Dentist on the Job is seen before the voice of the projectionist (presumably that of Terry Jones) mumbles that this is wrong film. The film stops abruptly and a slide reading "One moment while the operator changes reels" is seen on screen. The projectionist can be heard scrambling to start the correct film (Dentist on the Job has an alternative title of Get On With It!). On October 3, 2006, an "Extraordinarily Deluxe" DVD was released that includes the features of the previous "Special Edition" as well as other, new features. These include songs from the Spamalot (with accompanying animation), a "Holy Grail Challenge" feature, and a "Secrets of the Holy Grail" feature. The aspect ratio for the "Extraordinarily Deluxe" DVD is 1.66:1, whereas the previous Special Edition features a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Also, the "Extraordinarily Deluxe" DVD restores the "Swedish" subtitle missing from the Special Edition. Usage of the Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment logo[]On older pre-1997 VHS releases, the Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment logo and the screen reading "From Cinema 5" appear before the film begins. This also happens on TV airings as well, and on some international VHS prints. It's still intact on the Netflix prints. VHS Introduction (Columbia TriStar 1993 release)[]Both Versions #1 & #2 open with the 1993 Columbia TriStar Home Video logo, then we see the usual CTHV FBI Warning, then, like the 1981 VHS, the 1979 Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment logo appears, followed by a screen reading "From Cinema 5". VHS Ending (Columbia TriStar 1993 release)[]At the end, there are two different scenarios. If one wishes to see version #1, the last few seconds of the intermission music play over the 1979 Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment warning screens, like in the 1981 VHS. If one sees version #2, the warnings are blacked out and when the music ends, it goes straight to the black screen. Games[]In 1985, an unofficial text adventure game called The Quest for the Holy Grail appeared for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum computers, released as a budget title on cassette tape by Mastertronic. While the game borrowed many concepts from the movie (the three headed knight, the white rabbit, holy hand grenade, shrubbery, etc.), the plot of the game made no real attempt to follow the plot of the film. Reviews of the game were not kind, lambasting it for weak humour and ease of completion. In 1996, 7th Level released the official Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail. It used footage and imagery from the film, as well as audio clips (some new) and featured an animated version of a scene never filmed entitled "King Brian The Wild". Minigames included variations on popular games such as Whack-A-Mole ("Spank the Virgins") and Tetris ("Bring Out Your Dead"). A collectible card game using the characters and plot of the movie was released by Kenzer & Company in 1996. Scenes[]
Reaction[]This film is number 40 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Monty Python and the Holy Grail the 5th greatest comedy film of all time. The next Monty Python film, Monty Python's Life of Brian, was ranked #1. A 2004 poll by UK arm of Amazon and the Internet Movie Database named Monty Python and the Holy Grail as the best British picture of all time. Cultural references[]Template:Unreferencedsection A number of works, such as video games, novels, newspapers, and even anime pay homage to this movie, an indication of its huge following.
Sequel[]According to the autobiography The Pythons, Eric Idle proposed the idea of a Holy Grail sequel in 1990. According to Idle, the movie would be about an attempt to bring the knights together for one last crusade, as a sort of self-referential statement about the Python group. The team, however, did not want to do it, which made Idle realize that "[the group] would never, ever work together again," especially since Graham Chapman had died the year before. References and notes[]
External links[]
What is the riddle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail?King Arthur was the fourth- the first two questions were the same as for Lancelot, Robin and Galahad, but the third was: "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" Arthur asked which kind of swallow: African or European, and when the bridgekeeper answered "I don't know that", he was thrown into the gorge ...
Where was the Holy Grail in Monty Python?Monty Python and the Holy Grail was mostly shot on location in Scotland, particularly around Doune Castle, Glen Coe, and the privately owned Castle Stalker. The many castles seen throughout the film were mainly either Doune Castle shot from different angles or hanging miniatures.
What is Monty Python and the Holy Grail making fun of?Although Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a silly parody of classic Arthurian legend, that doesn't mean the production team didn't go above and beyond to make the movie as accurate as they could possibly make it. One fun Easter Egg in the movie is the costumes of the knights.
Why does Monty Python and the Holy Grail end?Monty Python and the Holy Grail famously ends abruptly when King Arthur (Chapman) is arrested by police just minutes before a final climactic battle.
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