I used that too. I also had a sender-specific alert that used a "...spam..." sound-bite from the infamous skit that inspired the meme associating spam with email.
Someone I work with had that for their incoming messages on their phone. I looked at her one day when it sounded and said, "Tis but a scratch!" She had no idea who Monty Python are...😧
This is the film that helped get Graham Chapman sober. He was an alcoholic and, for at least part of the production, was constantly hammered. But it was causing acrophobia, tremors, and problems remembering his lines. Which, as King Arthur, was obviously a major problem. So, he knuckled down and committed to recovery. He achieved sobriety two years after the film was released.
@@suncore598 Graham Chapman as also an enthusiastic mountain / rock climber. However the day they were filming The Bridge Of Death, they had to get up really early (like 5am I think) and the hotel bar wasn't open, so Graham wasn't able to get his usual "hair of the dog". So by the time they got to the location, he was suffering delirium tremens (withdrawal symptoms). The other Pythons couldn't understand what was happening - they thought he was trembling from fear of venturing out onto the rickety bridge, which made no sense to them as he was usually fearless when it came to heights and risks.
@@WisteriaDrake - There was no end credits because the film crew ran out of money. They spent the money on Swallows migrating to England with coconuts for their outrageous special effect.
The ending is an epic portrayal of a tragic miscarriage of justice. A great and honorable king has his dreams shattered by shoddy police work. He is falsely accused of a murder he could not have committed. It was quite clear that the murderer had a real horse.
A little bit of trivia, the Famous Historian was the same man "who wasn't dead" but dumped on the cart and the man who was being Stoned in Life of Brian.
My brother saw this movie in the theater when it was first released in the States. He said that at the end, when the music kept going, every member of the audience just sat there expecting more, until the music ended and the lights came up (this was in the days before MCU and post-credit scenes). It was one last joke, but this time on the audience.
The music was “ Exit music”, meaning the screen shut down, the lights went up, and the music still played as you left your seats. (At least, when itI first saw it in theaters.) It also happens in old 50’s/60’s epic films, and confuses people today, when they see long black sections on video.
This was an easy trick to play on we regulars of MPFC, familiar as we were of credits that rolled well before the end of the program. Until the copyright appeared, anything was still possible.
Yes. This one works also much, much better if you are well versed in Arthurian lore. This is as much university humour as it gets. The fact that it also works perfectly well if you never heard of King Arthur is a testament to its genius.
If you want examples from M. Python's earlier work being both silly and intellectually keen, check out "Philosopher's World Cup" or "Ministry of Silly Walks".
Animation plays a huge part in Python as Terry Gilliam was primarily a Cartoonist and Animator when he joined the troupe. He was never particularly comfortable as an actor. Only after the series ended did he move into directing and screenwriting. He absurdist style always stands out as you'll see in a particular sequence of 'Life of Brian'.
@@zachkinkead14 Corporate pirates is the best thing about that film... apart from Mr Creosote. Death was good too, I enjoyed his anti-Americanism. The songs are not bad either. Actually, it's not the best Python film, but it's still funny.
I was a kid when this had it's theatrical run. My older brother attended the premier at the local cineplex, and he came home with an actual coconut, which the theater was giving away as a promotion. I asked him why they gave away coconuts and he didn't explain any more than that they were used in the movie. Years later when I watched this for the first time on cable, I laughed so hard thinking about that coconut that he kept in his bedroom.
There was a sort of running gag on the TV show that every time they couldn't think of a punch line for a sketch, it would just end with a police officer coming in and arresting someone.
The juxtaposition of silliness and satire is sublime. One of my college professors made a list of films to use for legit medieval history study, and "Holy Grail" was on it.
This has to be the silliest film ever. I love the bridge scene the most, because it does such a good job calling back to the earlier joke of the swallows.
one thing I have seen is that people wonder why Sir Galahad got the castle Anthrax "peril" . what makes it appropriate for him is that he is Sir Galahad the Pure. Pure as in chaste and unsullied.
The guy who follows Arthur around with the coconuts is Terry Gilliam. And the old man at 14:54 is also Terry Gilliam. And the animator at 21:29 is also Terry Gilliam. And the actual animator for the film, was also Terry Gilliam. And (one of) the director(s) of the film, was also Terry Gilliam. Terry Gilliam did alot of stuff in this film...
So much fun watching you laugh like a child at the silliness. The other Monty Python films are well worth watching. Also check out Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam
The black screen and music at the end was there for movie theater audiences. The lights would come up while the music was still playing, and they would shuffle out.
While the movie is mostly a series of sketches, they are some of the most beloved and re-watched sketches in cinema history. I doubt any other film has had as much of its script quoted, riffed on, and committed to memory by as many people, as Holy Grail.
Almost all films are a series of sketches (scenes) put together. I don’t see what Shan is getting at with that. We met the characters, there is a uniting plot (the quest for the Holy Grail - something that is iconically impossible to actually achieve), and it reaches a conclusion of sorts. Just like most other movies ever made.
Even as a Python fan I completely agree with your assessment. Life of Brian is generally seen as their best film and rightfully so, the cinematography is much more solid, the narrative is much more coherent, the satire is far more biting and just in general it's a far better film. It just nails (and spoofs) the grandeur of those classic movies like Ben Hur and Ten Commandments so well.
The Life of Brian is more coherent, has a bigger budget, and all in all feels more like a "real movie" but it isn't as funny as Holy Grail and when you are doing a comedy funny is what matters. (Do not conflate not being as funny as Holy Grail with not being funny. Life of Brian is very funny, just not as funny as Holy Grail.)
The police breaking everything up at the end is reminiscent of many transitions from the Python TV show. When a sketch ran out of steam, they would just use some non-sequitur bit of business to transition to the next scene. It solved one of the problems that Saturday Night Live often ran into, having to use an unsatisfying conclusion. Best. Leo.
Life of Brian has more plot, though it's still a bunch of sketches. Production values are higher than on Holy Grail. Meaning of Life is purely a series of sketches with no connecting plot at all, though sometimes a sketch will call back to an earlier sketch.
They did in fact make use of a real castle for some scenes. The mockumentary "historian" and his wife were actually the owners of the castle, if I recall.
Life of Brian has a little more of a coherent story, also with sketch comedy sprinkled in. Meaning of life is pure sketch comedy. FYI the animator was Gilliam and he did the animation. He was known for his animated sequences from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Michael Palin is also in "Brazil". Also, Terry Gilliam is the one who makes all the Monty Python animations (besides directing and acting in some of the smaller roles). And, also, "The life of Brian" is the greatest parody about religion of all time. You wont regret watching it.
The Life of Brian has a much higher production value and it was filmed as a more cohesive story with a discernible beginning, middle, and end, along with a main character. I think you'll LOVE IT. It pissed off every single religious group when it came out as well, so it was a bit contentious.
Monty Python's catch phrase on their old sketch tv show was "And now for something... completely different". It kinda says it all about them. They weren't interested in logic.. they just wanted to be silly and make you laugh.
Thank you so much for laughing at the end when the screen goes black. I've seen a couple other people react to this movie and they were MAD when it just ended suddenly and there was no payoff. Much better to see a good chuckle about it.
Eric Idle adapted this for Broadway (Spamalot). It had an all star cast including David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, Sara Ramirez and Tim Curry as King Arthur. It was a huge smash-hit and was an incredibly hard ticket to get with the original cast. It was directed by the legendary Mike Nichols (The Graduate). There are bootleg clips on here. “Find Your Grail” from the Tony Awards is fun.
I saw this on the theater when it came out, I was never confused by it at all. Neither were my friends. We got it right from the start. I suppose it's because we all watched the Flying Circus religiously.
Six guys played ALL the parts. This movie came out the same year I discovered Monty Python's Flying Circus, late nights.. It is the first movie that I went back to the theater to see it again and again. Totally resonates with my absurd sense of humor. One of the joys of fatherhood for me is that my younger son has become a Python fan, like his dad.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Unbelievably quotable. The end was _literally_ a cop-out, as they had run out of their already tiny budget. Monty Python’s Flying Circus was indeed the cream of British humor. 🥰🥰😂😂🥰🥰
"Most of the time I was laughing, but I didn't know why I was laughing," is about the best description of British humour I, as an Englishwoman, have ever heard. One of our most famous cartoons depicts two hippos in a swamp, with one saying to the other, ""I keep thinking it's Tuesday".
I have to disagree about the production values being "horrible". To be sure, they didn't have a massive budget for this thing, but they used the resources they had VERY effectively, and they even threw some innovative stuff in there. As one example, when Arthur and Bedivere are first talking to the mad old man who later proves to be the bridgekeeper, and he and his hut dissolve away: there's very little of that you'd consider a "special effect", but gets the point across VERY well that they were in the presence of sorcery. If you asked movie makers to do that scene today, it'd be overloaded with special effects, and it wouldn't work nearly as well.
My first year in college (1975) this show ran every Saturday night, midnight at Sacramento’s K Street Cinema for a dollar… we went at least every other week. It is good thing to because if you are going to have a career in IT it is required repertoire.
The Holy Grail was *huge* in nerd/geek circles in the 70s and 80s. Not many movies have as many quotable lines as this one. Even today, you'll hear folks quoting lines. The movie ending is a literal cop out. ;) Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull helped fund The Holy Grail. IMO, this is my favorite with The Meaning of Life a close second. The Life of Brian is good, too, of course but it's 3rd in my line up.
An unexpected great choice for a reaction! I'd highly recommend watching the film again after some time to pick up on other subtle bits of humor and other digs against film-making and the British aristocracy. This easily is in the league of Airplane! and Naked Gun as far as classic comedy films for their humor and influence!
I am old enough to say I saw this when it came out in theatres, and yes we sat there until the music ended... I have the script book they released many years ago, it is just as fun to read.
The point of comedy is to make you laugh. You laughed the entire way through. Sure the movie wasn't some block-buster, however there are so many sayings from this movie that is part of our lexicon. "It's just a scratch" is probably the most recognizable one.
“Neee” is how you pronounce “knight” in old English. There is also no equivalent of the word “it” in old English. So they were hurting each other with their respective dialects
Gilliam was actually the animator for the film. And the ending was a literal COP OUT I think you'll enjoy The Life of Brian more, It's a bit more structured, and the bits are rooted in a more mature narrative I think.
That's Terry Gilliam saying "it's only a model". He also does all the animation and played the bridgekeeper with the questions. That's him "suffering a fatal hear attack". Also the musician with Sir Robin singing about his cowardice, is Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band. It's all using the same castle, filmed in Scotland, and yes it's a very low budget that couldn't afford actual horses, so they used the coconuts. Their other films could be called "similar" in construction, though with bigger budgets, however if you're going to sit and pick apart "production values" you're going to miss the entire point, especially the critical social commentary.
I appreciate your reaction to this movie. This movie kills me. I grew up watching the Python shows with my dad, but he told me to wait on the movies until I was older, as they were more adult themed. The first time I saw this movie was on a marching band field trip in high school hahaha I completely missed the subtitle joke my first time watching it
Shan, the first time I watched this film I chuckled a bit but mostly sat there saying WTF. Then I watched it again 2-3 times in a row and laughed uproariously. You might want to watch it again, I think it will grab you the second time.
Fantastic comedy. The coconuts were because they couldn’t afford actual horses. It’s really impressive when you realize they had next to no money to make it
The castle at the end is a real castle and as of the early 2000s, it was inhabited by a family. There’s a retrospective with Terry Jones and Michael palin visiting the locations and they visit the castle and talk to the owner
One thing I've never seen commented on: When the Black Knight is fighting the Green Knight, the Black Knight is very skilled. When the Black Knight fights Arthur his skill is comical. His swings are way off and it's funny when Arthur extends, to parry what are obvious misses.
You have to remember that this was shown in cinema when intermissions in the middle of movies were common. It was literally designed as a troll movie. The intermission lasts just long enough for everyone to have got out of their seats and into the aisle, before the film suddenly comes back. The film ends with a black screen and music playing for several minutes, forcing everyone to wait for the next scene - of which there was none.
The whole old legend of the Holy Grail is composed of several medieval stories ... and in that way it makes perfect sense. Everything they did was based on the original stories. Studied history and old literature myself and having lots of laughs everytime I see it
"Still no horses", less than 10 seconds after the historian was killed by a knight on horseback!!! I never noticed it either... The first time I heard about it was when ONE reactor pointed it out... It is amazing that nobody ever notices that one horse!
Glad you enjoyed this. Yes, the format was intentional. They went out of their way to poke fun at cinema and standard film making... hence the opening and closing credits and multiple parts of the plot. No horses was budget related, but they specifically opted to take the opportunity to incorporate Foley as part of poking fun film making . FYI.. and most people miss this, the monks banging themselves in theh head is a reference to self flagellation, common in some sects at the time and shown in Davinci Code with Opus Dai
One of the greatest late night college beer drinking movies of all time... don't try to understand it. Just enjoy the comedic bits and then the endless quoting among friends afterwards.
Great reaction. This film has come to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. You should come back to it in a year or two and watch it again. The first time I saw Holy Grail was when I was in 8th grade. And I saw it on a IMAX screen! To say I was confused would be an understatement. But it’s one of those weird films that just gets funnier and funnier every time I see it. So many little subtle things going on in every scene because, as you correctly guessed, they had practically NO budget. So they had to be creative. The reason they use coconuts is because they LITERALLY couldn’t afford horses. It’s a film that REALLY grows on you.
The few minutes of black screen at the end of the movie is the final joke. It's there because that's where the credits are supposed, and expected, to be..... but because of everything in the movie everyone forgets that they're at the BEGINNING XD.
3:55 "limited budget" said by a murican in 2021 about 1975 movie. Yeah. 4:02 That is corona and england now. 5:18 One of the best medieval fight scenes in movies. 8:41 The god scene is so great. All the lines are fun. :) 11:02 "Frank...!" :D 12:00 "Brave sir Robin ran away..." 17:58 Yes that music is amazing. 19:59 "One rabbit soup coming right up!" :) 20:46 "In the Castle of Aargh..." 23:00 The boat and scene is fantastic. 'The Promised Land' is the name of that music. 23:03 That is Castle Stalker in Scotland. 23:57 If the film is over and you don't know it, that is wonderful.
Why do I smile everytime Shan laughs at the appropriate time? Being somewhat self-centered, I guess I might take it as some form of unearned vindication. Best. Leo.
There WAS one horse in this movie. The knight who slashed the Famous Historian was galloping on a real horse. The rest were just cocoNUTS. Cheers. Check "Life Of Brian". Ex Beatle put out his money to make this film see the daylight. He was great fan of Monty Pythons. George Harrison. (he makes a cameo appearance there)