Monty Python and the Holy Grail
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is a film written, produced, directed and performed by the Monty Python comedy team.
After their success on television the Pythons wanted to move into film. A compilation film of sketches for their series Monty Python's Flying Circus called "And Now for Something Completely Different" had been a great success. However the BBC were unwilling to fund the Python movie and most of the funds for Holy Grail were provided by members of the rock groups Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Most of the budget was spent on a large wooden rabbit in a scene which drew heavily on Greek history and the Trojan Horse.
Plot synopsis
The plot centers on the quest for the Holy Grail appointed to King Arthur Pendragon by God.
BIG Plot Spoiler!!!!
They don't find it.
Characters
Classic Python characters introduced to fans by Holy Grail include The Black Knight, The Knights who say "Ni", Tim the Enchanter, The Insulting Frenchman and The Lord of Swamp Castle.
Quotes
- The Black Knight - When Challenging King Arthur, "None Shall Pass"
- The Black Knight - After having his limbs severed in battle, "All right then, we'll call it a draw."
- The Insulting Frenchman - "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."
- Peasant - On accusing a woman of witchcraft "She turned me into a newt, .......... I got better."
Like most Python films, it can be partly considered a musical, with several set pieces built around songs written by Neil Innes and sometimes Eric Idle. It is also educational in content as you can learn a lot about the air speed velocity of swallows and why we now know the world to be banana-shaped.