56. Monty Python and The Holy Grail, 48th & 1/2 Anniversary; movie review

 

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL 48TH & 1/2 ANNIVERSARY

Cert 12A

92 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, comic violence

It shows how much society has changed that the original classification of Monty Python's Holy Grail was an X.

That meant no one younger than 18 would have been allowed to watch the film if cuts had not been made for it to be rated an AA.

More than 50 years later, it seems relatively tame and has a 12A certificate.

Anyway, my view of it hasn't changed since I watched it on a train back in 2015, having just been surprised by a movie containing a liberal number of body parts.

I stick with my review of that time:

Having suffered the embarrassment of watching some unexpectedly near-the-knuckle movies while on a train, I thought I would be safe with the re-release of Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

However, I had yet to count on the scene in which the brave knight has his limbs lopped off by King Arthur (Graham Chapman).

I swear I saw the young blonde woman to my right hold back puke...

Immediately afterwards, she closed her eyes to avoid further stomach-churning moments.

As it happened, there weren't any, nor were there any sexual shenanigans except for bare bums in some of Terry Gilliam's animations.

The Holy Grail, directed by Gilliam and Terry Jones, is a collection of typically eccentric sketches which are held together by Arthur wandering through Britain with a servant clacking coconut shells to give the impression he is riding a horse (apparently, real horses could not be afforded because of the film's small budget).

Meanwhile, the king is attempting to gather forces while on the trail of the mythical Holy Grail.

The great skill of Python is the erudite writing of Chapman, Gilliam, Jones, Michael Palin, John Cleese and Eric Idle.

Their digressions are bizarre and hilarious and are punctuated by completely off-the-wall songs.

The reason that Python is still so popular 40 years after the release of the Holy Grail hinges upon its uniqueness.

There hasn't been anything like it since.

Reasons to watch: Still prompts laughter

Reasons to avoid: Utterly bonkers

Laughs: Six

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know?  Monty Python and the Holy Grail was mostly shot on location in Scotland around Doune Castle, Glen Coe, and the privately owned Castle Stalker.

The final word. Terry Gilliam: "From the start, everything went wrong: immediately before filming started, the National Trust cancelled our access to the castles. They said we wouldn't "respect the dignity of the fabric of the buildings." 

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