Monty Python and the Holy Grail

"On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place." In their first original film written for the screen, Monty Python's Flying Circus depicts the Middle Ages, warts and all, and lays waste to the land of happy ever-aftering. Graham Chapman gets absolutely no respect as King Arthur, who is charged by God himself (in an animated performance) to find the Holy Grail. His "silly kaniggits" include John Cleese's Sir Lancelot the Brave, Michael Palin's Sir Galahad the Chaste, and Eric Idle's Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot (look quickly for "Sir Not Appearing in This Film"). The classic bits are legion, from the ever-digressing credits to the killer rabbit. But limb for limb, nothing tops Arthur's blood-spurting duel with the infamous Black Knight, who is reduced to a taunting stump. Once seen, you can never take any film with knights or shrubbery quite as seriously. One of the funniest movies ever made becomes one of the funniest DVDs ever made, with a castle-full of special features, including the requisite commentaries, interviews and a 1974-vintage "making of" segment, as well as such delightful bits as how to use coconuts to simulate equine effects, a modern-day tour of former locations, subtitled clips from the Japanese version of the film, sing-alongs, and a dramatic reading of a scathing review the film received upon its release. The Knights Who Say Ni demand you purchase this! Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)[Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Collector's Edition --Oct. 7, 2003--Columbia TriStar, 2 discs, 89 min., PG, $49.95--And now for something completely the same…almost. For $20 more, the "Collector's Edition" gives you the exact same features as found on the "Special Edition," plus a print paperback of the screenplay and a collectible film cel of the boys posing in costume. If you're planning on purchasing this puppy, the first thing you will want to do is pull the film cel (which will be immediately lost or stolen) and change the packaging, since both discs are placed on one side of the box on top of one another with no sort of prophylactic between them (meaning, disc one and disc two will rub vigorously against one another, leading to--no, not a third disc--damage. Bottom line: unless you're a Python fanatic, stick with the "Special Edition."][Blu-ray Review—Mar. 13, 2012—Sony, 92 min., PG, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1974's Monty Python and the Holy Grail sports an excellent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Extras carried over from previous DVD releases include two audio commentaries by the Pythons (the first with Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones; the second with John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin), a “Quest for the Holy Grail Locations” featurette with Palin and Jones (47 min.), a “BBC Film Night on Location” behind-the-scenes featurette (18 min.), two scenes dubbed in Japanese (9 min.), three sing-along songs, including “Camelot Song (Knights of the Round Table)” (5 min.), a “How to Use Your Coconuts (An Educational Film)” skit (3 min.), “The Knights of the Round Table in LEGO” (2 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to this release are “The Holy Book of Days Second Screen Experience” viewing option, outtakes and extended scenes with an intro by Jones (19 min.), “Lost Animations” with an intro by Gilliam (13 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a legendary British comedy makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.][Blu-ray Review—Nov. 17, 2015—Sony, 92 min., PG, $19.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1974's Monty Python and the Holy Grail features a great transfer and a DTS-HD mono soundtrack. Extras are identical to the previous Blu-ray release (reviewed above), aside from the addition of a 2015 Q&A with troupe members Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, John Cleese, and Eric Idle, hosted by John Oliver (30 min.). Bottom line: if you already own the previous Blu-ray release, this is an unnecessary upgrade, but if you don't, then this is the one to get.]