Monty Python and the Holy Grail was released in 1975 and is a British comedy satire film of the Arthurian legend. It was written by the Monty Python comedy group, consisting of comedians Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Since its release, Monty Python and the Holy Grail has garnered both criticism and praise, inspired a musical adaption and gained a cult following.
The film was distributed by EMI Films but, according to a tweet by Eric Idle in 2021, it was financed by a number of famous musicians and music labels. Idle explained contributions (at the time) as follows: £31,500 by Led Zeppelin, £21,000 by Pink Floyd Music, £63,000 from Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, £78,750 by film producer Michael White, £21,000 from Island Records, £5,250 from Charisma Records, £5,250 from Time Rice's cricket team Heartaches, and Chrysalis Records gave £6,300. [1] Terry Gilliam said, in a 2002 Guardian interview, that there was no studio interference because they were given no money, going on to say "this was at the time income tax was running as high as 90%, so we turned to rock stars for finance." [2] [3] Gilliam said that all investors were entitled a certain percentage of royalties for the subsequent musical of the film, Spamalot .
In a 2015 article for The Atlantic , David Sims argues that Monty Python and the Holy Grail (as well as Monty Python in general) has had a significant impact on sketch comedy, particularly for its use of breaking the fourth wall. The film Deadpool and main actor Ryan Reynolds makes references to the Holy Grail's style by breaking the fourth wall. [4] Sims writes that Saturday Night Live aired a year after the Holy Grail was released, and cites Matt Groening recognising it was a great influence on The Simpsons . [5] Groening also stated that his adult animated sitcom Disenchantment , set in a fictitious medieval fantasy kingdom first released in 2018, was heavily influenced by Monty Python and the Holy Grail. [6]
Writing on the legacy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail 45 years on in 2020, Ultimate Classic Rock magazine argued that "The sustained absurdity of Holy Grail is not simply that of ridiculous characters; it also sends up the traditions of filmmaking in ways that anticipate both the acerbic and self-aware turn in comedy from the '90s onward and the ironic trends of '10s advertising." [7] The spoof and self-aware style of Monty Python and the Holy Grail can be seen in films like Airplane! (1980), Spaceballs (1987) and the Scream franchise. The film was derived from the Monty Python sketch comedy series, and similarly, sketches from Saturday Night Live went on to inspire film adaptions. For example, The Blues Brothers in 1980 and Wayne's World in 1992.
References to Monty Python and the Holy Grail are made television, sometimes multiple times. These include:
Decap Attack (Sonic the Comic)
Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).
Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 British black comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python. It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Judaean man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.
Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film based on the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group and directed by Gilliam and Jones in their feature directorial debuts. It was conceived during the hiatus between the third and fourth series of their BBC Television series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Terrence Vance Gilliam is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. Together they collaborated on the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). In 1988, they received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 2009, Gilliam received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.
Eric Idle is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights. He has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Tony Awards.
The Black Knight is a fictional character who first appeared as a minor antagonist in the 1975 comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail by the Monty Python comedy troupe. A knight dressed in black who wears a helmet completely concealing his face, he is based on the black knight of the Arthurian legend. Like most of the characters in Holy Grail, he is played by a member of Monty Python, namely John Cleese, who primarily portrays Lancelot in the film.
And Now for Something Completely Different is a 1971 British sketch comedy film based on the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring sketches from the show's first two series. The title was taken from a catchphrase used in the television show.
The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a 1983 British swashbuckling comedy short film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Sydney Arnold and Guy Bertrand. It plays as the prelude to the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983).
Jabberwocky is a 1977 British fantasy comedy film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam. Jabberwocky stars Michael Palin as Dennis, a cooper's apprentice, who is forced through clumsy, often slapstick misfortunes to hunt a terrible dragon after the death of his father. The film's title is taken from the nonsense poem "Jabberwocky" from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
Spamalot is a stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book by Idle. Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical offers a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend, with the title being a portmanteau of Spam and Camelot.
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional character in the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The scene in which the rabbit appears was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The rabbit is the antagonist in a major set piece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the film. The iconic status of this scene was important in establishing the viability of the musical.
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail is an adventure game created by 7th Level in 1996 for Windows. The game is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail and was the second of three Monty Python games created by 7th Level.
Monty Python Live at Aspen was a reunion show featuring the surviving members of the Monty Python team: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, appearing on stage together for the first time since their Hollywood Bowl shows in 1980. Filmed on 7 March 1998 at the Wheeler Opera House in Colorado as part of The US Comedy Arts Festival, it featured the five Pythons in an interview with host Robert Klein. The late Graham Chapman was also allegedly in attendance as his "ashes" were brought out in an urn with his portrait attached to the front, only to be knocked over by Terry Gilliam.
Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a comedic oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. It was written by former Monty Python cast member Eric Idle and collaborator John Du Prez, and commissioned by the Luminato festival.
Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.
Monty Python's Total Rubbish is a 2014 boxed set collecting remastered editions of the nine original albums of British comedy troupe Monty Python on nine CDs or ten LPs. It was released on 30 June 2014.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Book), also known as Mønti Pythøn ik den Hølie Gräilen (Bøk), is the literary companion to the 1975 film of the same name, assembled by co-director Terry Jones.
Valerie Charlton made props, models and special effects for movies in the 1970s and 1980s, especially those by the Monty Python troupe and Terry Gilliam.