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| Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) |
Critically reviewing this movie is going to be a little different than what I usually do. This might end up being a little shorter as a result, but, in all honesty, if I devoted too much time to this, it wouldn't really be in the spirit of what this movie is. I can't really break down the story and what worked / didn't about it, since it is so contradictory. Characters disappear within scenes, the plot itself is paper-thin, and the ending is abrupt and anti-climactic. Thing is, all of these elements are by design, and serve as vessels for the comedy. This isn't a movie so much as it is an extended Monty Python episode with an Arthurian theme. You've got the 2D animations throughout, the fourth-wall breaks, the spontaneous musical numbers, all of which would be a detriment to a traditional movie, but it all works here. With any form of art, you need to judge something not based on what is traditional, but what it is, and what this is essentially boils down to an hour and a half of laughter disguised as a movie.
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| Graham Chapman as Arthur and Terry Gilliam as Patsy |
Now, when I call this an extended Monty Python's Flying Circus episode, that can be a little off-putting to some people. I know Monty Python are revered as comedy geniuses, and rightfully so. So many of their pieces are well-renowned comedy classics: Dead Parrot, Ministry of Silly Walks, Lumberjack Song, the list goes on and on, but a lot of people forget that Monty Python's Flying Circus, like almost any sketch comedy show out there, could be very hit-or-miss at times. When Monty Python were funny, they were really funny, but when they weren't funny, they were really not funny. Fortunately, this movie is 95% hits; practically every scene is laugh-out-loud funny, and it was really hard for me to stop this review from just me rattling off the more memorable moments one after the other. There are really only a few moments in this entire 92-minute spectacle that don't get an honest laugh out of me. That said, if I can't criticise the ending for being anti-climactic, I can criticise it for being the weakest part of the movie, and not really all that funny. The unfunny moments are, of course, vastly outweighed by the funny, memorable and endlessly quotable moments, so it works out well in the end.
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| John Cleese as Sir Lancelot |
Material like this is only as good as the people performing it. I've seen brilliantly written comedies ruined by non-comedic people, though it's usually a winner when you're writing for specific people. The Monty Python crew have been consistently good at performing their own material, and they're also experts at knowing which of the cast should play certain roles. Everyone feels like they were the right pick for the roles they were given, be they big roles like Arthur or small roles like the left head of the three-headed giant. The guest cast are also really great, but all eyes are obviously on the main crew. Each of them are also great at varying their voices to sound like different characters each time. Obviously they're not trying to fool anyone here, but the different voices are still appreciated. Let's see, what else... the landscapes are nice, it's a good looking movie for 1975... the animated segments are a nice change of pace... guys, I wasn't kidding, I don't have much more to say about this one. This really is one of those 'What do I think? Of course it's good' moments. There's really nothing more I can say that hasn't been said already.
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| Michael Palin as Sir Galahad |
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is a comedy that everyone should watch at least once, probably more. If you haven't seen it yet, I guarantee that after one viewing, you'll be quoting it to your friends. And they'll laugh as well. Because it's funny. Have I mentioned that yet, that it's a funny movie? 9.5/10.
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