Monty Python and the Holy Grail - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

traderumor · 07-12-2005, 01:10 PM

I must admit that last night was the first time that I sat down and watched this movie and found myself quite amused by the antics. The galloping and the coconuts, the French insulter, the debate with the peasant, I thought it was pure comic genius. And my five year old twins were quite enamored as well, but more because the guys were somewhat dressed in medieval garb and were somewhat carrying swords, which is their favorite type of show to watch.

So, what is your favorite part of this movie? Should I watch the other Monty Python flicks?

BTW, I thought of this guy

a few times.

rdiersin · 07-12-2005, 01:14 PM

"I thought we lived in a collective autonomy?"

Yes, you should watch other Monty Python flicks, TR. They are great. My personal favorite would have to be the Meaning of Life. But you probably won't want to watch that with the kids.

Blimpie · 07-12-2005, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traderumor

I must admit that last night was the first time that I sat down and watched this movie and found myself quite amused by the antics. The galloping and the coconuts, the French insulter, the debate with the peasant, I thought it was pure comic genius. And my five year old twins were quite enamored as well, but more because the guys were somewhat dressed in medieval garb and were somewhat carrying swords, which is their favorite type of show to watch.

So, what is your favorite part of this movie? Should I watch the other Monty Python flicks?

I grew up watching Python and would recommend any of their other movies (basically, The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life)...pure genius IMO.

FWIW, the broadway version of the Holy Grail ("Spamalot") is doing quite well...

traderumor · 07-12-2005, 01:17 PM

My wife's late brother was apparently quite the Python fan, she did say the twins and I would have to watch "The Life of Brian" She's not quite the fan of such humor, though, doesn't get most of it.

flyer85 · 07-12-2005, 01:22 PM

"Let me face the peril"

Chip R · 07-12-2005, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traderumor

I must admit that last night was the first time that I sat down and watched this movie and found myself quite amused by the antics. The galloping and the coconuts, the French insulter, the debate with the peasant, I thought it was pure comic genius. And my five year old twins were quite enamored as well, but more because the guys were somewhat dressed in medieval garb and were somewhat carrying swords, which is their favorite type of show to watch.

So, what is your favorite part of this movie? Should I watch the other Monty Python flicks?

I think the best part was the part with the Black Knight. "You're arm's off." "No it isn't." "What's that, then?" "I've had worse."

Life of Brian is just as good. rdiersin is probably right. MOL is not exactly a family movie.

savafan · 07-12-2005, 01:31 PM

There are parts of Life of Brian not suitable for family viewing as well.

"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy."

M2 · 07-12-2005, 01:34 PM

I'm from the school that says anything done by Monty Python should be watched and memorized.

tr, just a brief warning on "Life of Brian", I think it's hysterical, but not everyone yowls at crucifixion comedy ("Who are you calling Jewish? I'm not Jewish! I'm a Samaritan!" "A Samaritan? This is supposed to be a Jewish section.").

And, as a rule, I wouldn't recommend "Life of Brian" or "Meaning of Life" for the wee ones. The television shows are fine, but the movies can get a bit racy.

"Dinsdale was a perfectly normal person in every way. Except inasmuch as he was convinced that he was being watched by a giant hedgehog he referred to as Spiny Norman. "

Blimpie · 07-12-2005, 01:35 PM

I will never forget the time during one of my years at college when the late Graham Chapman (a.k.a. King Arthur) came to speak to a very small assembly and do some Q & A with the students. Because this was circa 1985-86, he had plenty of time to reflect on his life and Python fame, etc...

This was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my early adult life. He was so incredibly funny and candid it was hard to describe. Because the Python series and the subsequent movies basically introduced me to intelligent comedy, I had tons of questions.

One time, I asked Graham to recall what his fondest memories were while filming the Holy Grail. His reply was that he didn't remember much about the filming at all. You see, while they filmed the movie, Graham was a "rampaging alcoholic" (his phrase) who was consuming a fifth of vodka every morning prior to shooting any scenes. Due to the filming schedule the other Pythoners were trying to maintain, they saw no alternative but to make him quit drinking COLD TURKEY during the rest of the shoot. He said his only recollection after that day was that of endless shivering in the rain and cold--in his suit of armor--while experiencing massive case of DT's....

Long live Arthur, King of the Britons

Blimpie · 07-12-2005, 01:41 PM

One of my favorite lines from the "Dead Parrot" sketch:

Pet Store Owner: "He's not dead, he's stunned."
Customer: "Stunned? he's bleeding demised."
Pet Store Owner: "Oh no, the Norwegian Blue--they stun easily..."

traderumor · 07-12-2005, 02:16 PM

I knew that it would invoke memories for many. Thanks for the warning for the little ones, perhaps Holy Grail was tame? because there were only a few racy moments in that, and I'm pretty conservative when it comes to that kind of stuff.

A very small scene just cracked me up, when at the beginning there was the debate on how the coconuts being used to simulate the galloping sound made it to Britain and they were carried there by the swallows, IIRC, and then about halfway through the movie, there was a very quick shot of a guy testing the theory, had a cocunut affixed to a bird

MWM · 07-12-2005, 02:24 PM

Spamalot won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. I own the CD and it's hilarious. It features Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria.

Sweetstop · 07-12-2005, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWM

Spamalot won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. I own the CD and it's hilarious. It features Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria.

When Spamalot was previewing in Chicago my daughter and son-in-law bought tickets well in advance. Alas and alack! They forgot the date, and when they checked the tickets found they had missed it by a day. Talking about upset! They were hoping for bad reviews to ease the pain a bit, but no such luck. I'm not sure they are even ready for teasing about it yet.

MWM · 07-12-2005, 02:39 PM

Actually, it got great reviews, but I've talked to a few people who saw it and while they said it was really good, it was a bit to gimmicky for them. From listening to the music, I can see that. It's really good, but I can see how it's a little too predictable.

NJReds · 07-12-2005, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWM

Spamalot won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. I own the CD and it's hilarious. It features Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria.

I enjoyed it...extremely funny. On thing I noticed was that at times the actors seemed to be having too much fun delivering punchlines, IMO. One of the aspects of Python that makes them so funny is that they deliver most of their lines extremely deadpan.

However, I did see it in preview, and they were probably still working on cast chemistry.

They also blew the "Killer Rabbit scene" the night I went...which led to Azaria -- staying in his Tim the Enchanter character/accent "Oooh, that worked much better in rehersal"

07-12-2005, 01:10 PM	#1
traderumor Unsolicited Opinions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Right Down Broadway Posts: 17,630	Monty Python and the Holy Grail I must admit that last night was the first time that I sat down and watched this movie and found myself quite amused by the antics. The galloping and the coconuts, the French insulter, the debate with the peasant, I thought it was pure comic genius. And my five year old twins were quite enamored as well, but more because the guys were somewhat dressed in medieval garb and were somewhat carrying swords, which is their favorite type of show to watch. So, what is your favorite part of this movie? Should I watch the other Monty Python flicks? BTW, I thought of this guy a few times. __________________ Can't win with 'em Can't win without 'em Last edited by traderumor; 07-12-2005 at 01:13 PM.

07-12-2005, 01:14 PM	#2
rdiersin Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,192	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail "I thought we lived in a collective autonomy?" Yes, you should watch other Monty Python flicks, TR. They are great. My personal favorite would have to be the Meaning of Life. But you probably won't want to watch that with the kids. Last edited by rdiersin; 07-12-2005 at 01:16 PM.

07-12-2005, 01:17 PM	#4
traderumor Unsolicited Opinions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Right Down Broadway Posts: 17,630	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail My wife's late brother was apparently quite the Python fan, she did say the twins and I would have to watch "The Life of Brian" She's not quite the fan of such humor, though, doesn't get most of it. __________________ Can't win with 'em Can't win without 'em

07-12-2005, 01:22 PM	#5
flyer85 He has the Evil Eye! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: south of the border Posts: 23,858	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail "Let me face the peril" __________________ What are you, people? On dope? - Mr Hand

07-12-2005, 01:31 PM	#7
savafan Maple SERP Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 17,485	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail There are parts of Life of Brian not suitable for family viewing as well. "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy." __________________ This is the Cal Ripkin Jr. of typos. If you ask me to join your fantasy baseball league and I select Legolas in the first round, don't be angry at me. It's not my fault I've read up on the players and you haven't.

07-12-2005, 01:34 PM	#8
M2 Posting in Dynarama Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Boston Posts: 26,668	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail I'm from the school that says anything done by Monty Python should be watched and memorized. tr, just a brief warning on "Life of Brian", I think it's hysterical, but not everyone yowls at crucifixion comedy ("Who are you calling Jewish? I'm not Jewish! I'm a Samaritan!" "A Samaritan? This is supposed to be a Jewish section."). And, as a rule, I wouldn't recommend "Life of Brian" or "Meaning of Life" for the wee ones. The television shows are fine, but the movies can get a bit racy. "Dinsdale was a perfectly normal person in every way. Except inasmuch as he was convinced that he was being watched by a giant hedgehog he referred to as Spiny Norman. " __________________ Baseball isn't a magic trick ... it doesn't get spoiled if you figure out how it works. - gonelong I'm witchcrafting everybody. Last edited by M2; 07-12-2005 at 01:36 PM.

07-12-2005, 01:35 PM	#9
Blimpie Joe Oliver love-child Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lexington Posts: 4,853	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail I will never forget the time during one of my years at college when the late Graham Chapman (a.k.a. King Arthur) came to speak to a very small assembly and do some Q & A with the students. Because this was circa 1985-86, he had plenty of time to reflect on his life and Python fame, etc... This was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my early adult life. He was so incredibly funny and candid it was hard to describe. Because the Python series and the subsequent movies basically introduced me to intelligent comedy, I had tons of questions. One time, I asked Graham to recall what his fondest memories were while filming the Holy Grail. His reply was that he didn't remember much about the filming at all. You see, while they filmed the movie, Graham was a "rampaging alcoholic" (his phrase) who was consuming a fifth of vodka every morning prior to shooting any scenes. Due to the filming schedule the other Pythoners were trying to maintain, they saw no alternative but to make him quit drinking COLD TURKEY during the rest of the shoot. He said his only recollection after that day was that of endless shivering in the rain and cold--in his suit of armor--while experiencing massive case of DT's.... Long live Arthur, King of the Britons __________________ "Booing on opening day is like telling grandma her house smells like old lady."--WOY

07-12-2005, 01:41 PM	#10
Blimpie Joe Oliver love-child Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lexington Posts: 4,853	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail One of my favorite lines from the "Dead Parrot" sketch: Pet Store Owner: "He's not dead, he's stunned." Customer: "Stunned? he's bleeding demised." Pet Store Owner: "Oh no, the Norwegian Blue--they stun easily..." __________________ "Booing on opening day is like telling grandma her house smells like old lady."--WOY

07-12-2005, 02:16 PM	#11
traderumor Unsolicited Opinions Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Right Down Broadway Posts: 17,630	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail I knew that it would invoke memories for many. Thanks for the warning for the little ones, perhaps Holy Grail was tame? because there were only a few racy moments in that, and I'm pretty conservative when it comes to that kind of stuff. A very small scene just cracked me up, when at the beginning there was the debate on how the coconuts being used to simulate the galloping sound made it to Britain and they were carried there by the swallows, IIRC, and then about halfway through the movie, there was a very quick shot of a guy testing the theory, had a cocunut affixed to a bird __________________ Can't win with 'em Can't win without 'em

07-12-2005, 02:24 PM	#12
MWM Pre-tty, pre-tty good!! Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 12,171	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail Spamalot won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. I own the CD and it's hilarious. It features Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria. __________________ Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David

07-12-2005, 02:39 PM	#14
MWM Pre-tty, pre-tty good!! Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 12,171	Re: Monty Python and the Holy Grail Actually, it got great reviews, but I've talked to a few people who saw it and while they said it was really good, it was a bit to gimmicky for them. From listening to the music, I can see that. It's really good, but I can see how it's a little too predictable. __________________ Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David

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