"Monty Python and the Holy Grail"

Title: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
Director: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
Producer: Mark Forstater and Michael White
Editing: John Hackney
Composer: DeWolfe Music
Starring:
- Graham Chapman as King Arthur
- John Cleese as Sir Lancelot
- Terry Gilliam as Patsy
- Eric Idle as Sir Robin
- Terry Jones as Sir Bedevere
- Michael Palin as Sir Galahad
- Neil Innes as Sir Robin's Minstrel

Plot and Critical Review: King Arthur (Chapman), along with his faithful servant Patsy (Gilliam), is recruiting his Knights of the Round Table throughout England. He is frustrated at every turn by such obstacles as anarcho-syndicalist peasants, a Black Knight who refuses to give up despite losing both his arms and legs, and guards who are more concerned with the flight patterns of swallows than their lord and master. Finally he meets up with Sir Bedevere the Wise (Jones), Sir Lancelot the Brave (Cleese), Sir Galahad the Pure (also called "the Chaste") (Palin), Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot (Idle), "and the aptly-named Sir Not-Appearing-in-this-Film" (a picture of Palin's infant son). They declare themselves the Knights of the Round Table. When "riding" to Camelot (by strutting and banging two coconut halves together), they are given a quest by God (represented by an animated photograph of legendary cricket figure W. G. Grace) to find the Holy Grail.

They encounter a castle with a Frenchman who randomly taunts them with names like 'Daffy English knnnnnniggits' and odd insults such as, "I fart in your general direction!" and "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!", together with some mangled Franglais, notably "Fetchez la vache!" (Fetch the cow). The Knights then retreat, weathering a barrage of livestock and executing a poorly thought-out plan to sneak into the castle while concealed within a crudely built giant wooden rabbit (a Trojan Rabbit) which the French throw back at the knights. Arthur decides that he and his knights should search for the Grail individually. After they split up, Sir Robin travels through a forest with his favourite minstrels, and encounters a Three-Headed Giant, Galahad follows a Grail-shaped light to the perils of Castle Anthrax (the girls of which are very interested in being spanked and having oral sex with him), Sir Lancelot massacres a wedding at Swamp Castle, and Arthur and Bedevere encounter the dreaded Knights who say Ni, who demand a shrubbery as tribute. They each overcome or avoid their individual perils in a variety of ways, then reunite to face a bleak and terrible winter, the happenings of which are told in the form of a Gilliam animation. Next they venture further to a pyromaniacal enchanter named Tim, who leads them to a cave guarded by a killer rabbit.

After killing the vicious Rabbit of Caerbannog with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, the knights face the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh in another animated scene, escaping this peril when the animator suffers a fatal heart attack. Their final task is to cross the Bridge of Death, which is guarded by "the old man from scene 24." Only Arthur, Bedevere, and Lancelot survive the confrontation, but Lancelot mysteriously disappears before the others can catch up to him on the other side. Arthur and Bedevere reach the gates of Castle Aaargh, only to find themselves facing the French taunter once more; the whole quest has in fact been a wild goose chase. As Arthur leads a great army in a charge against the castle, a group of present-day police officers suddenly arrive on the scene, disrupting the film's climax. They have been investigating the murder of a "famous historian," who was earlier cut down by an unidentified knight while he was presenting a television program on a topic from the film's supposed era. Lancelot has already been taken into custody, and Arthur and Bedevere are promptly arrested as well. One of the policemen covers the camera lens with his hand and the screen goes blank for several minutes, with music playing in the background, until the viewer realizes it is the end of the film.

"Holy Grail" was no surprise to those who were familiar with the antics of the Monty Python comedic group. It is full of the life, sass, social scrutiny, historical pun, and mildly-crass comedy that defined much of British comedy at the time. It is one of the few films (aside from other Python projects) to cross over from U.K. to U.S. audiences and become a classic in the eyes of the American cinematic community. Today is holds high position on many lists ranking the Top 100 (or so) funniest/best comedic films. Aside from its commercial success it remains a source of cultural trivia. Several phrases coined in this film are still used in common (albeit jovial) conversation today. Perhaps you've heard some of the following:
- "Ni!" (The Knights Who Say Ni!)
- "I fart in your general direction!"
- "Run away!"
- "We want...a shrubbery!"
- "...a grrrrrrail?!"
- "Sir Robin ran way..."
- "(to Arthur)...you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you."
- "And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once at the number three, being the third number be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it." (Not a quote people use in common conversation but a popular quote remembered by many.)

If there was any surprise that came as a result of the film's widespread success (over the course of 30+ years, much less) it was on the part of the Python troupe. Members of Monty Python felt that "Life of Brian" was the best film they produced, although there's no indication they're opposed to the reaction "Holy Grail" has received. "Holy Grail" is a timeless classic that has and will no doubt continue to influence the writing and production of comedy films for years.

My Rating: 8/10

The "Reel Revelation": "Low Budget Living"

If there is anything particularly peculiar about "Holy Grail" it is that Monty Python was able to produce an acceptable and altogether enjoyable movie with a minuscule budget. The Python troupe was given a budget of $375,000 to produce the entire film. To put it into perspective you might recall another film that was produced in 1975 by a fresh-faced writer/director named George Lucas. That film was "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" and had a budget of exactly $11 million dollars. "A New Hope" went on to make over $450 million dollars. "Holy Grail" met wide scale success in the U.K. and made just under $2 million on the silver screen in America. DVD sales have continued to make an impressive mark and now an all new generation of people are discovering the delightful comedy of Monty Python. While many elements play in to the success of this film one of them is the bravery with which the Pythons approached the production of a sub-epic film with a tiny budget.

Have you ever approached a project and, when looking around to consider your resources, suddenly realized you didn't have even half of what was required to complete your task? Or have you ever been challenged to accomplish a certain project or task and knew you didn't have the resources yourself to complete it? Say you've been asked to write a song for someones wedding. A great idea, yes? Except that you've never written a note of music in your life. Or perhaps you've been hired to cater a company picnic which is also a great opportunity outside of the fact that you never learned how to boil water, much less cook a brisket. While these examples may seem extreme the way you might feel within these sorts of situations is not at all unlike how you feel/have felt/will feel when God calls you to do something that seems altogether beyond the resources and talents you posses. If you have ever felt that way, you're not alone.

When God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt Moses protested God, telling God that he was unable to complete the task because he wasn't a good public speaker. Moses was, in a sense, working on a "low budget" of talent which he felt didn't qualify him to complete the task God had placed before him. The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to not become discouraged because people were looking down on him due to his young age. No doubt Timothy felt unequipped to do God's work when he was ministering to (and leading) people who were much older than he was. How could the blossoming wisdom of a young man convince and convict the elders of the early Christian church? In spite of their setbacks (their apparent "low budgets") both men did great things for God and we revere them as models of faith and courage.

God will equip you with every gift and talent necessary to fulfill the work to which he has called you. "If God calls you to it, he'll see you through it!"...or something like that. I believe that it is better for us to live on "low budgets" of talent and ability, that we might more adamantly seek after God, the giver of all good gifts. When we are challenged with a task we do not feel prepared to conquer we must approach God and pray for the blessings of talent and ability only he can give. Jesus sent his disciples out, imploring them to take along only what they needed and no more. Jesus set the standard for a "low budget" life when he promised that things of the world would not be necessary, that his blessing would be enough. Let us believe his promise and live in the security of his love.

See you tomorrow - E.T.