Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The kings of comedy have made it to the big screen and do not fail to inject their special brand of wit into every scene. The show opens on a black and white film that has nothing to do with Monty Python, a holy grail or King Arthur. Luckily, it quickly transitions out of that and into the opening credits where a slightly deranged director in charge of subtitles manages to discuss how his sister was bitten by a moose because she was carving her initials into its hindquarters. And it only gets sillier from there.

The old guard is out in force -... Graham Chapman plays King Arthur, the Voice of God, the Middle Head (in the tri-headed giant) and the Hiccoughing Guard. John Cleese plays the Second Swallow-Savvy Guard, the Black Knight, Peasant 3, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Taunting French Guard, First Swamp Castle Guard, Concorde, Roger the Shrubber and Brother Maynard. Terry Gilliam is Patsy, the Green Knight, Old Man from Scene 24 (aka Bridgekeeper), Sir Bors, Animator and the Gorilla Hand. Terry Jones is Dennis's Mother, Sir Bedevere, the Left Head (in the tri-headed giant), Voice of Cartoon Scribe and Prince Herbert. Michael Palin displays his versatility as he portrays the most of all as First Swallow-Savvy Guard, Dennis, Peasant 2, the Right Head (in the tri-headed giant), Sir Galahad the Pure, Narrator, King of Swamp Castle, Brother Maynard's Brother, and the Leader of the Knights Who Say Ni!

That cast of characters catch your fancy? Well, how those characters are tied together is even more interesting. One of the most amusing interactions is between King Arthur and one of his subjects (who doesn't know or understand why he's a subject), Dennis. Dennis questions how Arthur became king, the Lady of the Lake handing Arthur Excalibur -... "strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords," "farcical aquatic ceremony," "some watery tart threw a sword at you," "some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar..." If that isn't enough, factor in a killer rabbit, suicidal monks, and Frenchmen who use elderberries in insults. It does not get any funnier than this! If you haven't seen it, what is your problem?!