Funny because it's true

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2006)

What can I say? I went to see Holy Grail when it first came out, oh so many years ago. And what an amazing thing it is, in so many ways.
For one thing, it certainly sets a standard for excellence on a small budget. This should cause much rejoicing among film students.
I had a great interaction with my son-in-law on this. He's a next-generation fan of Holy Grail. But when I mentioned the film's insights into morality and human nature, he was a little taken aback. I gave one example; where Sir Robin gives the "canned" response to the bridgekeeper's question, "What's yer favorite colour?" The joke is funny because it's a clever portrayal of everyday cowardice. And from there, the analogy expands. Cowardice begins with the denial of our own thoughts and feelings, out of fear of confrontation. What we have might be insight, but out of cowardice we hide it under a bushel. We can laugh at Palin's portrayal of this, but there's a whole other level; a powerful, tendentious payload. There exist tragic souls who take this attitude to ungodly extremes; denying what they really feel to the bitter end of self-worth, of relationships, and even of life. And that's the genius of this scene; that Palin is, indeed, dispatched to the Chasm of Eternal Peril (or whatever it's called). It was a small thing, really; a kneejerk reaction to a harmless query about his own color preference. But the end thereof is Death. And don't you forget it!
And there are lots and lots of insights like this in Holy Grail. If you think I'm being too analytical, well, all I'm doing really is scraping the surface away in an attempt to explain the fact that many, many people find this to be a timeless classic. I'm just saying, "And for good reason."