CS Daily Archive > DVD of the Day > 06/07/04

A Shrubbery... But Not Too Expensive

by jason davis

The British comedy troupe takes on Arthurian legend in this classic comedy of the absurd, and Columbia/TriStar presents a deluxe package perfectly shaped for accompanying scenes of religious self-flagellation.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Collector's Edition)

John Cleese & Graham Chapman & Eric Idle & Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones & Michael Palin

Charged by a crudely-animated God (who's rather tired of people bowing and scraping when he comes along) to seek the Holy Grail, Arthur (Graham Chapman) as King of the Britains (though this is debatable, as women distributing swords from ponds are hardly a basis for government) gathers a band of knights (John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin) -- some courageous, some less courageous, and some downright silly. Together they face insulting Frenchmen, a killer rabbit ("with big, sharp, pointy teeth!"), a bridge that brutally kills anyone unsure of their favorite color, and a myriad of other terrors. The Pythons pack in the laughs as they assault British mythology in a way that would make stodgy gits like Sir Thomas Malory spin in their grave.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail occupies a peculiar gray area in the Python canon. On television, the group presented what ostensibly amounted to stand-alone sketches linked by stream-of-consciousness and devoid of the classic comedy structure of set-up followed by punch line. Their first feature length outing, 1971's And Now For Something Completely Different, offered an assortment of these sketches re-created with a bigger budget. When the series entered its fourth season, the shows began to exhibit a vague narrative thrust that tied the still disparate (but slightly more related) sketches together within particular episodes. It's this thematic model that pervades Holy Grail, lending a cohesion absent from the early TV installments without becoming as rigidly structured as 1979's biblical epic, Monty Python's Life of Brian. Though more cohesive than the series, the film wanders too far from the unpredictability of the series, without presenting the stable satirical foundation that Brian will offer. This is Monty Python in metamorphosis.

- Commentary from writer/performer/directors Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
- Commentary from writer/performers John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin
- Follow the Killer Rabbit pop-up production facts
- Reproduction of the script
- Subtitles for people who don't like the film (from Henry IV Part 2 by Wm. Shakespeare)
- BBC "Film Night" segment
- Quest for the Holy Grail Locations (Palin and Jones return to locations)
- Sing-a-long musical numbers
- Educational coconut film
- Extracts from the Japanese dub translated back to English
- Production documentation
- Poster concepts
- Production photos
- Two trailers
- Cast biographies
- Lego Knights (spoof or homage?)
- Location recce [scout] with directors' commentary
- Unused ideas (sketchbook)
- Collectable film cell

Two commentaries offer a great deal of insight into the film. While the two directors focus more upon the production and direction of the film, the other Pythons are content to reminisce about the shooting and offer insight into the underlying comedy and the various incarnations the script went through before reaching the filmed iteration. A 17-minute section from the BBC's "Film Night" program interviews the Pythons and provides the most insight into the movie's conception and execution. The Pythons are always quick to point out that their work is always scripted, and only rarely do ad libs survive to the finished product.

The inclusion of a printed script book is to be commended, but this edition is sadly bereft of the helpful annotations offered by the commercially available book of the film. It's a shame that a special edition of this hefty illustrated volume could not be prepared to accompany the DVD.

The rest of the extras range from the obscure to the absurd, but subtitles featuring the text from Henry IV Part 2 offer considerable insight into the writing of Elizabethan historical plays.

Still funny, but vastly inferior to its immediate successor, this is the Pythons nearing their apex. The DVD presents a variety of amusing materials suitable a film of this nature, but fails to deliver substantial information on the movie's conception.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Collector's Edition)
Columbia TriStar Home Video
Rated PG; 90 min.

Buy it now

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Weekly, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

.

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE