Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2005)

First I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then I saw this great comedy spoof of a medieval adventure with the search for a great religious artifact. Basically King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is assigned by God (Chapman's voice) to find the Holy Grail. They agree and begin their long journey by walking clapping halved-coconuts (sounding like horses hooves). As the journey goes on, the film also shows the individual stories of each knight, Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Launcelot (Eric Idle), Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin) and Sir Bors (Terry Gilliam). Along the way they meet interesting characters, and some die, with a killer rabbit (that they kill with a royal grenade), a legendary black beast, and answering one of three questions to cross a bridge incorrectly. The highlights are the Black Knight (Cleese) losing all his limbs, reading the clue to the Castle of Arrrghhh, and the bridge keeper (Gilliam) asking the individual knights their three questions, before falling himself. Also starring Fawlty Towers' (and Cleese's wife at the time) Connie Booth as The Witch. John Cleese was number 14 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, Eric Idle was number 21, and Cleese number 2 on The Comedians' Comedian, the film was number 6 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films, and it was number 4 on The 50 Greatest British Films. Very good!