Monty Python and the Holy Grail
A Quick Search on IMDB: Monty Python and the Holy Grail was directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones; written by said Terrys, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin; and was released in 1975.
Before the Viewing: As an American who prides herself as being very into the British comedy scene, I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t really explored Monty Python that much. I’ve been familiar with John Cleese and Eric Idle since I was a child, from their respective roles in the Harry Potter franchise and Quest for Camelot. Also, one of my favorite teachers made sure to play the, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition,” sketch in our Honors World History class, and it became a running joke with some of my friends.
In the interest of full disclosure, when I was fifteen, I did see a production of Spamalot at the Maine State Music Theater in Brunswick, ME, and I know that it’s based on the Holy Grail. But as it was eleven years ago, my memories of the plot are fuzzy.
I’m excited to watch this film because I know how beloved Monty Python are (is?). And I also have a soft spot for this sort of Ye Olde genre. (Need I mention again how I was That Kid who liked Quest for Camelot?)
After the Viewing: I’m going to start off by saying, “I get it.”
I’m going to continue by saying, “This is not necessarily a negative review, though it might sound like it at first.”
There. Two disclaimers out of the way. What a great start to this blog post about a beloved film.
Anyway, I’m going to file Monty Python and the Holy Grail under a category I’ll call, “I like it, but I really need to be in the mood for it.” And that says absolutely nothing about how funny or well put together this movie is. It says everything about me, Emily Simonton, and who I am as a person.
To be completely transparent here, it took me several days across this week to finish watching the movie, and then to gather the motivation to write about it. I really enjoyed it, but I found that I wasn’t always in the right headspace for it. I love comedy and I love laughing, but sometimes Sad Girl Hours take effect and I just can’t do it all in one sitting.
Things I Loved: What I loved the most about the Holy Grail is how self-aware the whole production is. From the clip-clopping coconuts to the dying animator, to the fourth wall being completely shattered throughout.
I played a little game with myself when I watched this movie. After looking at the IMDB page prior to, I noticed that the Pythons all played several different roles. Like I said, I was mostly familiar with Eric Idle and John Cleese before, so I had to look up Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones on the old Google Images. Then, as I watched through, I had a grand old time picking out who was playing what character in each scene.
Eric Idle was the easiest for me, of course. He’s got a very unique look and voice, the latter of which I’m quite familiar with because the first time I went to Disney World, we got stuck on the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride at Epcot.
Let’s just say, viewing this movie brought up some stuff.
Things I Could Have Done Without: I like to think that I am a patient person. I like to think that I am strong. And I like to think that I can withstand a lot of bullshit.
But, my God, do Overly Long Gags irritate me.
I can usually handle them to an extent. For instance, the French Taunter’s insults and the swallow jokes didn’t bother me too much, but the scene right in the middle with Zoot and Dingo in Castle Anthrax almost sapped me of my will to live.
And maybe it’s because I’m a straight woman and that scene was clearly not filmed for someone like me, or maybe it’s because I did a group project about the Male Gaze in college so I’m a bit jaded. But really, I think I can only take constant innuendos for so long.
It does tie into the thing I loved most about the movie, though. Because at one point, there’s a montage of several small characters from the film telling those in Castle Anthrax to move on, and I could not agree more. Obviously, the whole scene was written to annoy people, and by golly, it worked on me, that’s for sure.
In Conclusion: I know I said I’d file Monty Python and the Holy Grail under “I like it, but I really need to be in the mood for it.” I also need to put it in another category: “One and done.”
Anyone who knows me in real life is well aware that I am a person who really enjoys watching things I love over and over, testing the very fabric of the Law of Diminishing Returns. But even I have my limits. There are very few things I have put under my “one and done” umbrella, such as Titanic and Breaking Bad. I enjoyed watching them at the time, but I have absolutely no desire to turn them back on. Same with the Holy Grail.
It doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the film or laugh or appreciate the infamous Black Knight losing his limbs one by one. But seeing it once was enough for me.
