Listen. Strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a
mandate from the masses. Not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery
tart
threw a sword at you. If I went around saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me
away!
Humor is probably the most subjective of all human emotions, which makes the Comedy genre of film probably the most personal of them all. Yet
there are a few Comedies that almost universally transcend the subjectivity and relativity of humor and delight audiences of all persuasions, of any
sized funny bone, even the least tolerant of humorists and the most stubborn of filmgoers who refuse to laugh at anything without their favorite
star, most admired writer, or most comically-inclined director working the movie. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one such movie; even
most
people who know next to nothing about the picture, pay the least amount of attention to film, or refuse to watch anything made before 1998 know
of "The Knights who say 'Ni'," "it's just a flesh wound!," and some of the more choice and absurd skits and lines of dialogue from the movie. Even
those with the biggest frowns and hardened
exteriors usually find something of comedic value in The Holy Grail. And it's not because it's merely funny, but because it's
absolutely absurd. The cast and crew of Monty Python and the Holy Grail prove with this film a mastery of the absurd as comedy.
They've found the perfect balance between absurdity as part of the plot and absurdity introduced just for the sake of absurdity. Yet even when the
movie goes off on its various tangents that have little or nothing to do with the overreaching plot at hand, it all fits together, not just because it all
shares the same look, generally, but because the characters, dialogue, and situations have been carefully assembled to produce just the right
amount of comedy that's both head-scratching and gut-busting at the same time, the movie playing with an inspired rhythm and the perfect sense
of purposelessness through which the nonsensical elements are allowed to shine.
Behold! The Holy Grail in High Definition.
The place is England. The year is 932 A.D. It is a time of darkness and death, of hopelessness and plague. The legendary King Arthur (Graham
Chapman) is adventuring across the countryside on his pretend horse with a single lackey, Patsy (Terry Gilliam), in tow. His mission is to recruit
several more knights with whom to round out his round table and restore England to glory. His journey is not in vain. He recruits the wise Sir
Bedevere (Terry Jones), the brave Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), the chaste Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), the cowardly Sir Robin (Eric Idle), and Sir Not
Appearing in the Film, the youngest, bravest, wisest, and most chaste of them all, but alas, he's been left on the cutting room floor. With the team
assembled, Lancelot and company embark on a journey to, well, they really have nowhere to go and nothing to do when they decide that Camelot's
too "silly" for their liking. Everything changes when God
(voiced by
Graham Chapman) tasks them with discovering the whereabouts of the one and only Holy Grail. Even if they don't quite know how to spell
"Jehovah"
in the
original Latin (though they and the peasantry seem to know pretty much everything else), they embark at first collectively, and then individually, in
search of the Grail, encountering everything from a three-headed giant to a locked-away young lad who wishes to be whisked away from
his
captivity from the castle tower, from a bunch of locked-away teenage girls with a fetish for knights to knights who says "ni" and
demand a shrubbery for passage beyond their land.
From the opening titles -- which are accompanied by increasingly-ridiculous subtitles in a faux-Scandinavian/English hybrid style of writing --
forward,
Monty Python and the Holy Grail makes clear its intentions to be as silly as British-ly possible. The entire movie is little more than a series of
over-the-top misadventures of the centuries-old variety, though the filmmakers with tongue-in-cheek often intersect the ancient past with modern
ideas, theories, dialogue, and a breaking of the fourth wall, culminating in an absolutely hilarious farcical ending that throws the entire thing off
kilter, even if it's hinted at at several junctures throughout. In fact, this may be the least-serious movie ever made. It's a stalwart of sheer
off-the-wall entertainment, of memorable one-liners, unforgettable characters, zany situations, and uproarious skits. Indeed, there's probably no
other movie out there where pure nonsense has been made so funny. Don't have a horse? No problem! A knightly King Arthur is content to gallop
along on his own two feet with a lackey in tow clanking together two coconuts to simulate the sound of a trotting horse. Of course, this leads to a
grossly overcomplicated back-and-forth about how in the world coconuts even came to be in England in the 10th century. The movie consistently
serves up high-minded dialogue and monologues about science and politics of which even the day's scholars probably would fail to grasp yet is
spouted
off by mud-covered peasants and random foot soldiers. It features a
devilishly fun skit whereby the identity of a witch is deduced through leading questions and a scene where two castle guards attempt to overanalyze
the concept of guard duty. Then there's the things which don't even make any sense, random characters who say "ni" and others who cringe at the
sound
of it. The knights are at one point asked to chop down a tree with a limp, dead herring, and the movie serves up an intermission break with less
than ten minutes to go. It traverses all sorts of territory with uncanny efficiency, energy, and comedic know-how. No matter how far out onto the
fringe the material may go, it just works in the greater context until it's prepared the audience to accept -- and embrace -- pretty much anything it
can throw its way.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail proves infinitely entertaining and endlessly hilarious -- both subtly and overwhelmingly -- but it's also a
very well made movie form the technical side of the ledger, critical in ensuring the greatest possible impact for the humor-at-large. Terry Gilliam's
and Terry Jones' direction is fairly straightforward, with some choice shots that push closer towards "artistic" than "static," but for the most part the
camera is positioned so as to only best serve the comedy, not display a greater technical know-how. The costuming is pleasant and convincing,
whether the slightly more regal and colorful garb worn by the knights or the muddy, messy, monochromatic, and torn robes donned by the
peasantry. The theme music represents the perfect combination heroic, adventurous, and obviously playful. Yet for all of these things, it's the
legendary cast that brings Monty Python and the Holy Grail full-circle as a Comedy masterpiece for the ages. Each performance is faultless,
whether those of the main cast in varying roles or the many tertiary players, such as a soon-to-be-dead historian commenting on the events
happening in the film as if for a television documentary. The actors don't
merely portray these characters, they inhabit them, whether donning chain mail and doing God's work or crawling about in the mud and playing
frustrated peasants who mock the nobility. Every character finds favor, whether in appearance or dialogue. The movie plays with remarkable speed
and efficiency as well, the only criticism being that it's too short, but with home video, it's only a matter of pressing a button to see it again.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail doesn't always look pretty, but Sony's faithful 1080p transfer is, generally, spectacular. Certainly, there are
some very soft and hazy shots where detail appears low. Colors are often drab by nature. Viewers who don't like grain won't be very happy with the
presentation. But for much of the time Monty Python and the Holy Grail looks amazing. Clarity is superb, generally, and combined with the
natural grain structure, the transfer has every opportunity to reveal some very strong detailing. Facial intricacies, chain mail armor, clothing textures,
individual grasses, stone façades, and even lumpy mud all appear nicely defined. The image enjoys a fair sense of natural depth, too. As noted, colors
are rarely striking. The palette is somewhat bland by design, but green grasses, the knights' crests and coats of arms, and even the many earthen
shades of mud, dirt, and stone appear natural and true. Flesh tones are accurate, and black levels fare well. Though it doesn't match for raw clarity and
precision the newest releases, Sony's latest catalogue transfer is pretty spectacular and should delight fans both new to the movie and those with
well-worn VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD copies of the film.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, much like the video, has its moments of many ups and a few downs, but
the good far outweighs the bad. Though there's not much body to the opening title music, it picks up a bit once various people have been "sacked" over
the subtitle "fiasco." Early on, such elements seem focused straight up the middle with little range and only acceptable clarity. Yet as the film moves
along, the track opens up considerably, spreads further out, and plays with a richer, more lifelike flair and a full body heft. Various sound effects range
from adequate to striking. Booming thunder as heard in chapter eight enjoys natural spacing and a lifelike presence, which is followed by the hefty voice
of God that seamlessly reverberates through the soundstage, making fine use of the added back channels. At the French castle siege sequence, the
sounds of cows, cats, and chickens-as-projectiles prove seamlessly fun; moos, meows, and clucks maneuver effortlessly around the listening area. The
famed "Holy Hand Grenade" explodes with a good, potent low end, the best example of heavy bass in the film. Dialogue is crisp and focused, generally,
finding good balance whether in screechy voices or the heavy Latin chants, and even enjoying a solid, natural sense of reverberation in chapter 17. All
in all, this is a fine track that might experience a few moments when it lacks in greater clarity or wider spacing, but fans should enjoy the lossless boost
quite a bit. This disc also includes "Subtitles for People Who Do Not Like the Film (From Henry IV pt. 11)." Accessible from the "Languages" menu
option, these subtitles present more discerning viewers with a more
"proper" and high-minded translation of the film.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail contains a large number of extras, some new for Blu-ray, others ported over from previous editions, and all
tons of fun!
The Holy Book of Days Second Screen: This feature allows users to "experience the adventure of shooting Monty Python and the
Holy Grail with The Holy Book of Days, the iPad app that re-creates the 28 days on location with never-before-seen outtakes, stills,
original script, diaries, sketches, sounds, and much, much more." Users must download the app, ensure both the iPad and the Blu-ray players are
wirelessly connected to the same WiFi network, and sync the devices through the iPad app. Unfortunately, it appears that the iPad app is unavailable
for download at time of publication.
Lost Animations (1080p, 12:55): Co-Director Terry Gilliam shares animations that didn't appear in the film, the material assembled for
this
Blu-ray release. Included is Terry Gilliam Introduces His Lost Animation Reel; Meanwhile, King Arthur & Sir Bedevere...; Elephant & Castle; Run
Away!; The Tale of Sir Robin; and The Tale of Sir Lancelot.
Outtakes & Extended Scenes (1080p, 18:57): Terry Jones Introduces the
Outtakes, Sir Robin & The Three Headed Knight, Constitutional Peasants, Get On With It!, Shorter Takes, Old Crone, Wedding Slaughter (with Extra
Gore), and Lots of Very Silly Bits.
Audio Commentary: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones offer a balanced and thoughtful discussion, speaking on the film's score, historical
accuracy, shooting locales, set design and period authenticity, cut moments, budget limitations, shooting style, the writing process and changes in the
script, stunt work, the qualities the cast members brought to the shoot, the film's quotability, keeping outsiders away from the film, the film's
animations, the picture's demanding of a certain level of intelligence from its audience, and plenty more, all intermixed with numerous anecdotes from
the set.
Audio Commentary: John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin deliver another solid but light and funny commentary, discussing their
memories of shooting various scenes, the work of the directors and the cast, the dialogue, the process of making the movie, the soundtrack,
inspirations for various scenes, the film's classic scenes, secrets from the shoot, the weather on the set, the picture's structure and ridiculousness, and
more. Both of these tracks are quite good; fans are encouraged to find the time to listen to them.
Quest for the Holy Grail Locations (480p, 47:00): Michael Palin and Terry Jones tour the shooting locales seen throughout the movie
and even buy tourist copies of their own script.
Lego Knights (480p, 1:43): A lego recreation of the "Camelot's a silly place" scene.
Japanese Version (480p, 8:34): Two scenes -- The French Castle and The Knights of Ni -- dubbed in Japanese.
Coconuts (480p, 2:58): The "Ministry of Foods" demonstrates the important role of the coconut in creating an authentic "full equine
motion."
BBC Film Night (480p, 17:12): From December 19, 1974, the BBC's "Location Report" inside look at the making of the movie, featuring
interviews and footage from the set.
Sing-Alongs (480p, 5:10): Viewers are presented with on-screen lyrics for Knights of the Round Table, Sir Robin, and Monks
Chant.
Cast Directory Photo Gallery (1080p): A look at the Monty Python and the Holy Grail stars portraying their (sometimes many)
characters.
Little more need be said. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the all-time greats. It's incessantly funny and branches out to embrace all
sorts of different types of humor, but it all gels remarkably well, whether playing with humor of the most subtle variety or the most ridiculously absurd
and nearly incomprehensible sort. The cast is fantastic, every scene proves memorable, and the movie just flies on by. Sony's Blu-ray release of
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is fantastic. A strong technical presentation, loads of supplements, and a ridiculously low price tag make this
one a no-brainer and an early contender to join the list of 2012's best releases. Monty Python and the Holy Grail earns my highest
recommendation.
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