| Overall Grade: |
A- |
|
| Story: |
N/A |
|
|
| Acting: |
N/A |
|
|
| Direction: |
N/A |
|
|
| Visuals: |
N/A |
|
|
A very inspired classic.
by Yahoo! Movies User (movies profile)
Jan 21, 2007
7
of
7 people found this review helpful
Monty Python was one of the funniest comedy troupes of all time. This British team unleashed a chaotic mix of sight gags, European stereotypes, silly songs and other bits of total insanity.
In the early 1970's, they decided to make a film. Settling on a medieval epic, they made Monty Python and the Holy Grail. King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is sent on a holy quest by God himself. The mission: find the Holy Grail. Along with his Knights of the Round Table, they set out across England, encountering three-headed giants, vicious knights (who say, "ni!"), a killer rabbit, a castle of virgins (with an unfortunate name), and so on.
There are several reasons why this film works so well. A big factor is the excellent location shooting. Rather than using a sound stage, they shot the film on the Scottish countryside. Careful shot composition, lots of fog and filth and period costumes made the film look quite authentic.
In addition, the roles were not played for laughs. Instead, each character seemed quite serious about what they were doing. This is especially true of Chapman's King Arthur. Unshaken, unswerving in his beliefs and apparently unaware of the nutty madnees that surrounds him, he is Shakespearian in poise and delivery, despite the fact that he isn't even really riding a horse. If his character were played for laughs, this would have been nothing more than a goofy comedy. Instead, his noble portrayal just adds to the absurdity of it all.
The inspired writing is another important part of the film. Among my favorite moments is the argument between King Arthur and Dennis, a peasant who tries to explain why kings shouldn't be chosen on the basis of "farcical aquatic ceremonies". Besides the humor of a peasant arguing with a king, the fact that a medieval peasant would even be able to come up with such a line is hilarious. Were they all really so politically-informed? Or how about the knights who say, "ni!", toying mercilessly with King Arthur, which begins as terror and ends up with a mackerel and the dreaded word, "it". The comic timing of this group, honed over the years on their wonderful TV show, is in full force here.
Added to the mix are some really funny songs, pointless sidetracks involving swallows, witches and shrubbery. Oh, and the coconuts... musn't forget those. And the simple fact that they're on a quest, and yet they seem to spend an inordinate amount of time not looking. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a very inspired classic that everyone should experience at least once. |
My Public Profile 
