Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This article is dedicated to Graham Chapman (1941-1989) and Terry Jones (1942-2020).

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British slapstick comedy film. It was directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. It was the first original film to be made by the British comedy group of the same name, not counting And Now for Something Completely Different, which remade several sketches and animation sequences from Monty Python's Flying Circus. The story of the film was conceived in the hiatus of the third and fourth series of Flying Circus.

Summary
This film is a parody of the legendary quest of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table finding the Holy Grail.

Why It’s a Holy Grail

 * 1) Amazing British humor like the killer rabbit of Caerbannog and the Trojan Rabbit.
 * 2) Interesting and funny characters like Sir Bedevere the Wise, the Three-headed Giant and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot.
 * 3) *Among them, there's the Black Knight and the Knights Who Say "Ni!".
 * 4) Hilarious ending, involving the protagonists getting arrested by the modern-day British police force, though it can be confusing to some.
 * 5) Great comedic pacing and timing.
 * 6) Amazing quotes such as "Just a flesh wound."
 * 7) An excellent storyline that parodies the Arthurian legend.
 * 8) Excellent research: Knights actually did wear chain mail during those times.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Depending on your point of view, the ending can be a bit disappointing, as the characters get arrested rather than getting the Grail that they've been hyping up for the entire film.
 * 2) The police officers and the cars feel very out of place for a film set during Medieval Times.
 * 3) The entirety of the end credits is nothing but a black screen with music playing in the background.

Reception
It grossed more than any British film exhibited in the US in 1975. The film received a 97% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus: "a cult classic as gut-bustingly hilarious as it is blithely ridiculous". In the US. Total Film magazine ranked it as the fifth greatest comedy film of all time. Their next film, Life of Brian, was ranked first.

Trivia

 * The UK Rock Bands Genesis, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd all contributed to the movie's budget, with the latter being big fans of Monty Python.
 * This film was the basis for the hit musical, Spamalot, which was created nearly 30 years later in 2004.