Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

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.

Directors:

Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Writers:

Graham Chapman, John Cleese

Stars:

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle

Top Rated Movies #118 | 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Graham Chapman	...	King Arthur / Voice of God / Middle Head / Hiccoughing Guard
John Cleese	...	Second Swallow-Savvy Guard / The Black Knight / Peasant 3 / Sir Launcelot the Brave / Taunting French Guard / Tim the Enchanter
Eric Idle	...	Dead Collector / Peasant 1 / Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Launcelot / First Swamp Castle Guard / Concorde / Roger the Shrubber / Brother Maynard
Terry Gilliam	...	Patsy / Green Knight / Old Man from Scene 24 (Bridgekeeper) / Sir Bors / Animator / Gorrilla Hand
Terry Jones	...	Dennis's Mother / Sir Bedevere / Left Head / Prince Herbert / Voice of Cartoon Scribe
Michael Palin	...	First Swallow-Savvy Guard / Dennis / Peasant 2 / Right Head / Sir Galahad the Pure / Narrator / King of Swamp Castle / Brother Maynard's Brother / Leader of The Knights Who Say NI!
Connie Booth	...	The Witch
Carol Cleveland	...	Zoot / Dingo
Neil Innes	...	First Monk / Singing Minstrel / Page Crushed by the Rabbit / Peasant #4
Bee Duffell	...	Old Crone
John Young	...	Dead Body / Historian Frank
Rita Davies	...	Historian's Wife
Avril Stewart	...	Dr. Piglet
Sally Kinghorn	...	Dr. Winston
Mark Zycon	...	Prisoner

Storyline

History is turned on its comic head when, in 10th century England, King Arthur travels the countryside to find knights who will join him at the Round Table in Camelot. Gathering up the men is a tale in itself but after a bit of a party at Camelot, many decide to leave only to be stopped by God who sends them on a quest: to find the Holy Grail. After a series of individual adventures, the knights are reunited but must face a wizard named Tim, killer rabbits and lessons in the use of holy hand grenades. Their quest comes to an end however when the police intervene - just what you would expect in a Monty Python movie.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | camelot | king arthur | holy grail | arthurian legend | 

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Taglines:

Like you've never seen or heard it before! [re-release]

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Latin

Release Date:

25 May 1975 (UK)

Also Known As:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Filming Locations:

Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP229,575 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,487, 17 June 2001

Gross USA:

$1,827,696

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,938,877

Company Credits

Production Co:

Python (Monty) Pictures, Michael White Productions, National Film Trustee Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2001 re-release) Mono (original release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical piece that plays at the very beginning of the movie is "Ice Floe 9" composed by Pierre Arvay which was a musical piece borrowed from DeWolfe Music - Production Music Library.

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Goofs

The blood on the killer rabbit's face disappears just after King Arthur orders the charge. It is back again in later shots

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Quotes

[first lines]
King Arthur: Whoa, there!

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Crazy Credits

On the Regions 2 and 4 DVD's (Europe and Australasia) release, the end credits are extended to three minutes (rather than 20 seconds) of a black screen with the intermission music.

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Alternate Versions

The film was re-released in the USA starting June 15, 2001 in a remixed Dolby Digital Stereo version. The film was the same as the 21st Anniversary, including the additional 24 seconds of footage.

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Connections

Referenced in The Flash: Flash of Two Worlds (2015)

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Soundtracks

Camelot Song (Knights of the Round Table)
Words by Graham Chapman and John Cleese
Music by Neil Innes

User Reviews

the ultimate nonsense comedy

Well, this is unquestionably one of the funniest movies ever made. The first time a saw it I laughed to tears and this is the only time that counts. The first time you get the best experience. I really envy those who haven't seen it yet.

From the opening scene to the sudden ending this one won't let you leave the room. Especially the opening scene: "Are you trying to say that coconuts migrate" or when John Cleese trying to be Tarzan, hanging on the rope said: "Can somebody give me a push." An absolute masterpiece.

Considering the low budget that the creators of the movie had at their disposal would probably make "The Holy Grail" the best movie in this genre-silly nonsense kind of stuff. It shows the great creativity and acting capabilities of the Monty Python crew. It comes to say that a movie can be made with a little bit of money - a great movie. 10 out of 10