It grows on you- it's one of the most delightful exercises in the ridiculous in cinema history

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2005)

For years I did not watch or listen to Monty Python, and in retrospect I can't entirely remember why. I remember seeing a couple of scenes from "The Holy Grail" on television when I was younger (the notorious 'black knight' scene and the harem of girls in the castle) and not finding it uproarious as I might have expected. Maybe I'm just not into British comedy, I thought ignorantly. Then I finally gave into it, as I got to be a big fan of Terry Gilliam's films, and discovered as well that John Cleese is one of the funniest people to ever come out of Britain. Life of Brian was surprisingly witty and fun as it dug its claws into a subject of some controversy. Then I went on to this film, and it took two times to watch the film until I found it to definitely be a truly masterful effort in the delirious.
The first time some of the jokes and gags and puns and visuals flew over my head, but as an emotional experience (if one could call it that) was immediate- many of the parts were funny as hell, even if I didn't think the whole was. The second time around everything fit, I laughed harder at the jokes I laughed at before, and I was officially a fan of the movie. Like another comedy classic than came out a year previous to Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles, the whole story is rather inconsequential when it comes to the set-pieces and actors in the various roles. King Arthur and the knights see a strange, God-like figure in the sky (my biggest laugh the first time around, one of many genius illustrations from Gilliam) who tells them to find the Holy Grail. So off they go, and encounter a plethora of trials and tribulations along the way.
In fact, the whole film is an act of stream-of-consciousness (as was the television show, Flying Circus) where the animated bits are instrumental in taking the shape of the story, or 'skits' in the film. My personal favorites were the 'black knight', the knights who say 'ni', the 'killer rabbit' (one of the great comedy surprises I have had recently), and the boy who "just wants to...sing!". But even when a weaker bit might come along, it may be a bit that doesn't lack the fine visual detail and look provided by Gilliam and Terry Jones, or with some form of wit (i.e. I didn't find the "bring out your dead" scene as extraordinary, but I wouldn't doubt it's original).
Although many say that Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which starts and ends with total disregard (and fitfully so) for all logical rules in storytelling, that it's one of the funniest films ever made (which it very well could be), I feel only very slightly reserved in recommending it to anyone. If you're in the mood for a bloody, moody, very low-budget dip into medieval satire by five of Britain's most talented writer/actors (not to mention to 'token' American), it's for you. But it may prove too silly, and maybe too sporadic, to work as a whole. One thing that I can say without a doubt, however, is that it serves as an audacious move in post-modern comedy. To put it another way, Monty Python (not just this film but the TV show, movies, and albums) were a major influence on the guys who do South Park. It's crude, odd fun practically by necessity- you know what you're getting right when "Dentist on the Job" is just 'accidentally dropped in before the movie even starts! A+