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Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Killer bunnies, kniggits, shrubberies, flesh wounds, and Ni!
Review: Although I rather enjoyed the all-around silliness and just plain weirdness of the MPFC telly show, it never delivered the laughs like the troupes' first original cinematic outing did. Oh sure, I got a chortle or two from the 'Funniest Joke In The World' sketch, and especially the 'Cannibal Undertaker' bit, but for some real gut-busting moments, no previous or subsequent Python venture ever hit the mark as well as their quest for the Holy Grail. Knowing that Graham Chapman was on the sauce the whole time whilst shooting the movie made things even more entertaining!

Then there's that one great thing about having this flick on disc: I no longer have to hang out at the local midnight cult-matinee bijou! Nevermore must I stoically suffer the Python uber-geeks' annoying verbatim reciting of entire scenes from the flick and/or TV eppies, complete with really bad attempts at Cockney brogues and worse comic timing. Please, take a hint and leave British sketch comedy to the professionals, all right? Sheesh- and just when I thought Trekkies trying to imitate the halting speech patterns of Captain Kirk set the benchmark for obnoxious geek fandom! But, at least the Pythonphiles don't throw Spam or voles at the screen, like those black-leather-teddy-&-bustier-clad (and the women are dressed strangely as well!) 'Rocky Horror' freakos do with their toast & hot dogs. Great, there's people starvin' in some third-world country somewhere, and these retro-goth wanna-bes are flingin' the heat-crisped bread & processed meat links around like they're freakin' frisbees or something!

But I digress. Sadly, when it came to this movie's initial distribution on DVD (A.K.A. the UN-special edition), I was caught up in the notion that it would be the only version to be put out on the digital video market. I never anticipated the Pythons throwing out a special-edition pressing, which is eventually what happened as you can plainly see. But, looking back, I really should've seen it coming. After all, 'Life Of Brian', considered the best of the MPFC flicks by most (myself excluded), went the same route- given the Criterion Collection treatment, no less! Trailers, commentary tracks, the works! Great- now I gotta shell out several more bucks to make my Python DVD collection REALLY complete! Fortunately, I managed to sell my old 'MP&HG' platter on eBay for just a little less than what I originally paid for it; that helped things out quite a bit.

But, enough of my tangential prattling; time for my review of the features & extras! This baby's broken down into your basic 2-disc special edition format. Disc 1 is the movie itself, along with not one, but two commentary tracks by our beloved chaps. The first one features co-directors Gilliam & Jones. Although he's from the U.S., it's fairly apparent that Gilliam's stay in the British Isles has affected his vocabulary & accent a bit. During his discussion about the people going to theatres to see MP&HG, he referred to the lines of moviegoers as a queue (I think that's how it's spelled... it's pronounced 'cue') of moviegoers. Both he and Jones discuss the highs & lows of producing & filming the movie, including the revelation that much of MP&HG was financed by members of Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and other British pop/rock groups. Then there's the other three surviving Pythons droning on and basically wigging out on the secondary commentary track.

Then there's disc 2, which features just about every imaginable extra you can... um... imagine. There's the 45-minute retrospective documentary where Jones & Palin revisit the various locations that were used to film the flick. Much of it was shot at one particular Scottish castle; the rest of it around various parts of the Scottish countryside. One of my fave extras are the sample segments dubbed in Japanese, with their English translations in subtitles. Now you can see King Arthur & Co. begin their quest for the holy sake cup, and complete the Knights Who Say 'Ni!'s demand to find them a bonsai! Hmm... methinks something got lost in the translation...

There's also pics of various promotional posters, bills, and the like. Then there's the two theatrical trailers that are, sadly, pretty much the same... 'cept different. Also included are bunches of other things- singalongs, behind-the-scenes photos, Gilliam's concept sketches, and much more that I can't really list in too much detail 'cuz I'd go over my 1000-word allotment for this review if I did! Of course, if I removed my previous rant concerning Rocky Horror fans, that'd likely free up enough word space to continue my recap of this DVD's extras. I mean, it was rather mean-spirited, wasn't it? Then of course there were my snide remarks about naive Ebay bidders. So maybe I should-- naaahhh...

The whole deal even includes a semi-rigid mylar slipcover for the snap case! Unfortunately, the mylar apparently isn't very durable- I had to exchange this set twice because the slipcover got cracked in transit both times! It made for a frustrating demonstration of the hazards of purchasing things online. Fortunately, in this case the third time was indeed the charm. The slipcover also has a lenticular finish- you know, like those trading cards where there's two separate pictures on the same card. You look at it from one angle, there's one image. Then when you turn it a bit, another picture appears. Except in this case, there's no different images; it's just put on there to make the slipcover shiny & stuff. What a gyp!

'Late

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best Comedies Ever!
Review: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the best comedies ever to grace a screen, its only rivial, would be Life of Brian (also a Monty Python movie).

If you don't know what this moive's about, you live in a cave and owe it to yourself to buy this right now.

This is about King Aurther of Camalot and his knights of the round table serching for the Holy Grail. What insuses is a 2 hour comedy romp with memorable chearcters, witty and remembrable dialoge, and sene after sene of gut busting humor.

I can go on talking about this movie for ages. This Special Edition DVD is one for the books. The picture is the best I've ever seen of this movie and the sound is great.

The greatness of this DVD, exlucding the movie, is in its Extras. The extras are enough to make a Monty Python fan weep and a worth the money purchas for the consumer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Never Thought Looking For A Shrubbery Would Be This Fun!!
Review: In the early 1970's the Monty Python troop (Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones) stars from the immensely popular television series Monty Python's Flying Circus began producing, with the help of a fundraising concert headlined by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (You lie!! No, I didn't!), initial photography on what would later become (from all my extensive years of movie watching) the single most unforgivably sidesplitting, enormously irreverent, shrewdly perceptive, unremittingly uproariously aggressive, gruesomely hysterical, and endlessly quotable comedies EVER. Not even Mel Brooks's Best Efforts (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) comes very close to the revolutionary medieval merriment sustained in this royal purebred of cult classics. BAR NONE. No contest here.

Endlessly stockpiled with hauntingly hysterical sketches that will probably never leave your mind (no matter how hard you try) including, The Knights Who Say Nei, The Self-Abusing Monks (Eah aay ess eay dom eay nay), The Black Knight, The Trojan Rabbit, the Ever-Appearing Verbally Abusing French (I don't want to talk to you no more!!!), The Enchanter Named Tim, The Killer Bunny, The Bridge of Death (What is the capital of Hysteria?), The Old Woman Named Dennis, and so many countless more great sketches to include here that I'd die trying. Monty and Python and the Holy Grail remains an ever-enriching mirthful cult-classic that just seems to improve with age. Since Columbia has a bountifully hefty new special edition of the Holy Grail out now there should be no excuse, if you've never seen it (I think I'll go for a walk!!), just drop everything your doing (including Bringing Out Your Dead) and go experience this life changing movie today. You won't be disappointed, just tell them the Knight Not Appearing In This Film sent you, and they'll know what to do.

As for the options on the special edition here's a run-down:

Disc One: -"21st Anniversary" cut of the film running an extra 24 seconds; -Anamorphic Widescreen; -Dolby 5.1 track; -Original Mono Track; -Audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin; -subtitles "for people who don't like the film" (you get the text from Shakespeare's Henry IV instead); -an "on-screen screenplay" feature which lets you read the screenplay as you watch the film; -"Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature;

Disc Two: "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs"; -"The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette; -"How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film; -"Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles); -the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythons; -an interactive cast directory; -still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos; -"A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items; -unused ideas and other material; -two trailers
and web-links.

Both discs represent the absolute final word resource for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything you'd need to know about the Python's greatest film. An Absolute Necessity for any Python Fan!!

P.S. You can't base a system of government just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All Time
Review: Of course, I say this is the funniest movie Ive seen.
I also say this is my favorite movie of all time.
You Should Too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Get The Best Edition
Review: This is a brilliant film made for an unbelieveably small amount of money. Now the Pythons have spent a bit more money to make it much more enjoyable. If you should tire of the movie after the first million playings, just pop in the extras DVD. One mistake I made was purchasing the wrong edition, and from looking at other reviews, I was not the only one. Make sure it is the Special Edition. Not only do you get all of the wonderful extras, the quality of both the film itself and the audio are quite worth the couple extra bucks. The only complaint I have (and it is a minor one) is that they don't use a map to show you where they are while they take you on a tour of the castles used in the film. Otherwise, there is plenty to keep even the most casual fan of Monty Python happy for hours.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh Geez, Where to Begin?
Review: I'm trying not to gush here. I know I've said that before, but I am a girl with a thing for dead parrots. (...) I think that anyone who doesn't like the film must have something wrong with them. Who cares about the plot? It's the Pythons, for heaven's sake, of course it won't make sense! For fans only! Hah! I was weaned from Saturday Night Live on this stuff! This film is the reason I became a fan! I can't really review the plot here, as the film's really not got one. It's supposed to be about King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Then it becomes somewhat of a cross between a Python episode, and T.H. White's "the Once and Future King". Funny, yet, all the same, staying true to its theme of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table. "Between our quests, we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable"...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HOLY CRUNK!!! THIS MOVIES HELARIOUS
Review: This is quite easily the funniest movie of all time. Now, I have rented this about thirty billiion times, and let me tell you-its a movie youn watch and laugh at until your eyeballs pop out of your head. If you like the simpsons, imagine the funniest epiosde youve ever sen-ythen multiply it by a million some odd. This movie has it all, frenchies, british guys, sorcrereer named tim, and best of all-A KILLER BUNNY!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anybody that doesn't like this movie is humor-impaired.
Review: This film is still hilarious and the extras are fun.

I never knew that the colors were as bright as they are on this DVD. My previous two video versions are very grainy and washed out, this is far superior.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: problems take away from film enjoyment
Review: Monty Python's Holy Grail is a great movie but the DVD problems take the fun out of watching. The subtitles cannot be turned off no matter how many times you go to the subtitle menu and turn them off. For this reason I recommend you do not buy this DVD until this problem is fixed. I feel I wasted my money. Why invest in DVDs if they have glitches? There are plenty of other Python DVDs to enjoy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Monty Python - how can you go wrong?
Review: OK, I did actually go wrong. About 1 week after I got this DVD, the special DVD came out. Now, I have to buy that too, since this is truely one of the classics.

"Come and see the violence inherent in the system! I'm being repressed!"


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