ReView: ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ is Stupendously Silly

Coconuts, outrageous accents and general silliness abound as the King Arthur of medieval legend leads his round table on a great quest in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones of the British comedy group Monty Python, “Holy Grail” gallops along with Arthur as he recruits knights to join him on his God-given quest to seek the Holy Grail. The 1975 film consists of individual vignette sketches that build toward a singular payoff.

“Holy Grail” was the directorial debut for both Gilliam and Jones and was the troupe’s second run at a full-feature film. The narrative structure of “Holy Grail” differs from their 1971 film “And Now For Something Completely Different,” — a compilation of sketches from their TV series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”

“Holy Grail” is grainy in appearance and small in scale — often reusing shots or locations — which adds to the grungy feel of the medieval era.

The film, developed on a paltry budget estimated at just £229,575 — about $2.6 million today — and shot entirely in the Scottish countryside, is a testament to the Python’s clever use of absurdist comedy. The plot is full of nonsensical political commentary, physical gags, fourth-wall breaks and the occasional musical interlude.

Utilized between breaks of action are snippets of cut-out animation created by Gilliam — Monty Python’s resident animator — adding to the surrealism and furthering the plot in the film’s second half. The animations also notably served as inspiration for the show “South Park.”

Graham Chapman plays King Arthur, alongside John Cleese as Sir Lancelot, Eric Idle as Sir Robin, Micheal Palin as Sir Galahad, Jones as Sir Bedevere and Gilliam as Arthur’s servant Patsy. Each sketch contains at least one of the Pythons as a knight, with the others serving in lesser roles.

After Arthur brings the knights together, an edict from a Gilliam-drawn portrait of God directs him to find the Holy Grail. The party finds themselves outside a large castle, facing resistance from a few foul-mouthed Frenchmen, before agreeing they should separate to continue the quest.

The knights’ branching stories senselessly vary — for example, Arthur and Sir Bedevere hunt for a shrubbery to nonsensically demonstrate their wisdom. The troupe’s moody set design and Shakespearean dialogue contrast against the silly theatrics and easily digestible sub-plots.

As the knights reconvene for the final part of the quest, the surrealism kicks up a notch, and viewers can see comedic bits set up from the beginning surprisingly pay off in the end.

 Easily quotable lines —  such as “I fart in your general direction!” and “Tis but a scratch” — are abundant as the pacing livens, creating a captive environment that exploits the natural, almost mystical Scottish landscape, coupled with fourth wall breaks and meta in-jokes.

The film’s limited budget leads to a rather abrupt ending, or more aptly a “cop-out,” but is done with the same level of surrealism as the rest of the film. It may leave the audience a little frustrated, yet still appreciative, with the final joke.

The film’s pantomime legacy remains paramount in near-constant access to streaming and physical media. The film even inspired the Tony-winning musical “Spamalot,” a revision of “Holy Grail” designed for the stage, with its first productions in 2005 featuring Tim Curry as King Arthur.

Since its theatrical release 50 years ago, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” shows few signs of age and wear in appearance and its range of witty dialogue and stupidly funny action endures. As the Pythons themselves said when promoting the movie, “you could do worse than see it.”

So grab your finest — or okay-est — armor, a few buddies, a chalice and gallop over to your nearest screen.

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is available on Tubi.