King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsGiven the fact that this movie breaks the fourth wall constantly, many crew/equipment goofs may be deliberate. In the final scene, characters even call attention to the film crew as part of the story.
- Quotes
Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
Sir Lancelot: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I am not afraid.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your name?
Sir Lancelot: My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
Sir Lancelot: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?
Sir Lancelot: Blue.
Bridgekeeper: Go on. Off you go.
Sir Lancelot: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
Sir Robin: That's easy.
Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
Sir Robin: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your name?
Sir Robin: Sir Robin of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
Sir Robin: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is the capital of Assyria?
[pause]
Sir Robin: I don't know that.
[he is thrown over the edge into the volcano]
Sir Robin: Auuuuuuuugh.
Bridgekeeper: Stop. What... is your name?
Galahad: Sir Galahad of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
Galahad: I seek the Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?
Galahad: Blue. No, yel...
[he is also thrown over the edge]
Galahad: auuuuuuuugh.
Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh. Stop. What... is your name?
King Arthur: It is 'Arthur', King of the Britons.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
King Arthur: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
King Arthur: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?
Bridgekeeper: Huh? I... I don't know that.
[he is thrown over]
Bridgekeeper: Auuuuuuuugh.
Sir Bedevere: How do know so much about swallows?
King Arthur: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
- Crazy creditsIn the Special Edition DVD, when you play the film, at first a film called "Dentist On the Job" starts playing, and it goes up until the end of its opening credits, then you hear someone saying that they put in the wrong film. The film stops, a quick reel change slide is put up, then the real movie starts.
- Alternate versionsThe 2001 special edition features alternative dialogue when Arthur and Bedevere meet Rodger the Shrubber.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Lord of the Rings (1978)
As suggested in the title, the film deals with the Arthurian stories, freely reinterpreted by the Python ensemble: after recruiting his knights, including Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), King Arthur (Graham Chapman) embarks on a mission from God (also Chapman, voice only though): to seek and find the Holy Grail. No need to say, the journey is going to be perilous, but also hilarious, our heroes doing their "best" to screw everything up.
As in Life of Brian, there are so many good bits choosing just one or two feels reductive and disrespectful, given the material. It's pure comedy gold from start to finish, a non-stop gag marathon: from the mock Scandinavian subtitles in the opening credits to the argument about swallows, from the Killer Rabbit to the Black Knight and the jaw-dropping epilogue, you will keep grinning like never before (if you're unfamiliar with these comedians, that is). Actually, after some serious thinking I can select two particular sequences as particularly memorable: the Knights who say "Ni!" and the Bridge of Death. The rest of the film is ace too, but those two scenes are the ones I can't stop thinking of fondly whenever the movie is mentioned.
Oh, and let's not forget Terry Gilliam's vital contribution: he doesn't appear that much as an actor (his Bridgekeeper is absolute genius, though), but he compensates that with the remarkable animations used to depict part of this epic adventure. Speaking of epic, this picture has one of the most brilliant tag-lines in comedy history, if not film history in general.
Oh yes, the world wouldn't be quite the same without the Monty Python. Even the most miserable person on the planet will laugh like a lunatic after viewing any of their films.
P.S. Ni!
- MaxBorg89
- Mar 28, 2006
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Mønti Pythøn ik den Høli Gräilen
- Filming locations
- Castle Stalker, Appin, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK(Castle of Aaaargh)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £229,575 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,562,392
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $45,487
- Jun 17, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $2,817,496
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Sound mix
- Mono(original release)
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1(originally intended ratio)