Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
EMI Films
Python (Monty) Pictures
Not part of a collection.
And now! At Last! Another film completely different from some of the other films which aren't quite the same as this one is.
King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".
misubisu
Nov 5, 2025 · via TMDB
## **Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Review: An Unassailable, Coconut-Clapping 10/10 Masterpiece** To call *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* a mere "comedy" is a disservice akin to calling the Crown Jewels "some nice rocks." It is not just a film; it is a cultural atom bomb, a foundational pillar of absurdist humor, and quite simply one of the most perfectly constructed, relentlessly inventive, and side-splittingly funny films ever committed to celluloid. From its budget-starved opening to its cop-out ending, it is a flawless comedic symphony conducted by madmen. ### A Quest Unlike Any Other The "plot," such as it is, follows King Arthur (Graham Chapman) on his divine quest for the Holy Grail. But the narrative is merely a clothesline on which the Pythons hang a dazzling, anarchic parade of some of the most brilliant sketches ever conceived. This is the film's first masterstroke: its structure allows for a relentless, non-stop delivery of gags, bits, and digressions that never overstay their welcome. You are whisked from a castle of insult-flinging Frenchmen to a cave guarded by a cartoon monster, from a wedding interrupted by anarcho-syndicalist peasants to the perilous Gorge of Eternal Peril. The pace is breathtaking, and the hit rate is a staggering 100%. ### The Machinery of Madness What makes *Holy Grail* a perfect 10 is not just the jokes, but the sheer brilliance in their execution and variety. * **The Absurdist Logic:** The film operates on a dreamlike internal logic that is impeccable. The use of coconuts for horse hooves because they couldn't afford real horses isn't just a cheap workaround; it becomes a running gag that the characters themselves question. The Rabbit of Caerbannog isn't just scary; it's established with the grim seriousness of a horror film villain, making its ultimate defeat by the Holy Hand Grenade all the more sublime. * **The Dialogue is Scripture:** The script is a thing of beauty, packed with lines that have seeped into the very lexicon of pop culture. From the Constitutional Peasant's treatise on anarcho-syndicalism to the French Taunter's immortal "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" every line is quotable gold. The Knights Who Say "Ni!" and their subsequent fear of "it" is a masterclass in escalating absurdity. * **Visual and Auditory Genius:** The low-budget charm is part of the magic. The handheld, documentary-style camera work during the "Run Away!" sequences, the deliberately shoddy animation by Terry Gilliam, and the sudden, anachronistic appearance of a police constable—all of these choices are not limitations, but active ingredients in the comedic stew. ### A Cast of Thousands (Played by Six) The entire Python troupe is at the peak of its powers, each member seamlessly flipping between a dozen roles. Graham Chapman is the perfect straight-man anchor as Arthur, around whom the chaos orbits. John Cleese delivers brute-force fury as the Black Knight and the French Taunter. Terry Jones brings wide-eyed innocence, Michael Palin weaselly charm, and Eric Idle provides the musical interludes (with the glorious "Brave Sir Robin") and sardonic wit. And Terry Gilliam’s visual flair as co-director gives the film its uniquely grubby, medieval texture. ### The Verdict: A Comedic Holy Grail **10 out of 10 - Not a Single Frame Wasted** *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* is more than a movie; it is a rite of passage. It is a film that rewards endless rewatches, each viewing revealing a new layer of genius in a throwaway line or a background sight gag. It is intellectually sharp yet childishly silly, historically set yet timeless in its humour. It is the benchmark against which all other comedies are measured, and decades later, it remains undefeated. It is a film that teaches us the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow, the proper way to repress a witch, and that sometimes, when faced with insurmountable odds, the most sensible course of action is to call for a holy hand grenade... and then be abruptly arrested. A true, unassailable masterpiece.
CinemaSerf
Mar 6, 2024 · via TMDB
Fortunately for me this was a rather short visit to the surreal land of Monty Python, and though it does have it's moments, I was really quite unimpressed by their Arthurian antics. We start with Graham Chapman's King Arthur gadding about England tying to recruit some suitably worthy individuals to sit at his round table. Task complete, he gets a sign from God that they must undertake the most holy of quests - and find the Cup of Christ. It now falls to the other three - Cleese, Idle and Gilliam - to dress up in suits of armour and seek the grail amongst the innuendo-ridden kingdom. Along the way they encounter the Black Knight, a castle full of sex-starved maidens, some monks - indeed just about everyone you might expect from mediaeval society before a really annoying denouement with the "Knights of Ni" - all they want is a little garden, or two... All but fifty years on, it's probably not really fair to look at this with 2024 eyes, but this was my first time of seeing it and I was really left thinking - why didn't the police get involved earlier? It's not that the jokes don't work, well not all of them, anyway - it's that they so labour the punchline. It's as if someone took a thirty minute sketch show and decided to pad it out for an extra hour. Less could certainly have been more. There are a few fun cameos - Carol Cleveland's "Zoot" and Connie Booth's witch stand out, but otherwise I felt a bit like I was the victim of some very dated hype. I didn't hate it, but really - what was all the fuss about?
drystyx
Apr 3, 2023 · via TMDB
Seriously, you could die laughing from this film. I remember the first time I watched this film, back in antenna days on the educational UHF station that was all fuzz, and even then I thought I would die laughing. The story of King Arthur always did beg for such a satire. The bits are almost all memorable. I durst not mention even one, because I would be tempted to mention a hundred more scenes and a thousand more lines. This is very slapstick. I never thought I would laugh at cruelty, but when it is obviously so overdone that it can't be taken seriously, like a man having his arms and legs cut off and still thinking he's invincible, especially when the delivery is so perfect, I can't stop laughing. There are some people who don't like this film, but those people are wipers of other people's bottoms.
Filipe Manuel Neto
Feb 10, 2023 · via TMDB
**One of the pinnacles of British humor.** This was my first contact with Monty Python, which I already knew famously, and I loved the movie. It is quite simply one of the high points of British humor. The film is easy enough to understand, parodying the Arthurian legends surrounding the quest for the Grail, but the story is just a pretext for successive jokes, each one better than the last. I don't know the group of comedians very well, but I do know a number of great British comedy actors here, starting with John Clease, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Eric Idle. They are very good individually, but priceless together. The film has several moments worth mentioning, starting perhaps with the witch trial, and then moving on to the fight with the black knight or the knights who say Ni. It's not a very long film, but it's really worth seeing every comic situation. The dialogues are full of hilarious moments. The ending, however, is a little less strong than expected, which does not take away from the film any of its merit. Technically, it's not a remarkable film. There is no concern here with historical accuracy or rigorous recreation of the Middle Ages, nor does the film ask for it. We have stage costumes and props, obviously fake but functional, and interesting sets, in castles and in some reasonably well chosen places. There are some special effects and visuals, but they aren't notable. Be that as it may, it's a comedy that remains fresh despite the decades that have passed since its debut.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Amazon Prime Video
fuboTV
Peacock Premium
Britbox Apple TV channel
BritBox
BritBox Amazon Channel
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Peacock Premium Plus
Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Graham Chapman
King Arthur / Voice of God / Middle Head / Hiccoughing Guard
John Cleese
Second Swallow-Savvy Guard / The Black Knight / Peasant 3 / Sir Launcelot the Brave / Taunting French Guard / Tim the Enchanter
Eric Idle
Dead Collector / Peasant 1 / Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Launcelot / First Swamp Castle Guard / Concorde / Roger the Shrubber / Brother Maynard
Terry Gilliam
Patsy / Green Knight / Old Man from Scene 24 (Bridgekeeper) / Sir Bors / Animator / Gorilla Hand
Terry Jones
Dennis's Mother / Sir Bedevere / Left Head / Prince Herbert / Voice of Cartoon Scribe
Michael Palin
First Swallow-Savvy Guard / Dennis / Peasant 2 / Right Head / Sir Galahad the Pure / Narrator / King of Swamp Castle / Brother Maynard's Brother / Leader of The Knights Who Say NI!
Connie Booth
The Witch
Carol Cleveland
Zoot / Dingo
Neil Innes
First Monk / Singing Minstrel / Page Crushed by the Rabbit / Peasant #4
Bee Duffell
Old Crone
John Young
Dead Body / Historian Frank
Rita Davies
Historian's Wife
Sandy Johnson
Knight of Ni / Villager at Witch Burning / Musician at Wedding / Monk / Knight in Battle
Joni Flynn
Girl in Castle Anthrax
Fiona Gordon
Girl in Castle Anthrax
Julian Doyle
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Roger Pratt
Assistant Camera
Michael White
Presenter
Gary Cooper
Thanks
Terry Gilliam
Director
Terry Jones
Director
Michael White
Producer
Julian Doyle
Production Manager
Eric Idle
Writer
Graham Chapman
Writer
John Cleese
Writer
Michael Palin
Writer
Terry Gilliam
Writer
Terry Jones
Writer
The Castilian
J.R. contraataca (La dinastía de J.R.)
The Soul of Business
Japanese Doctor Who
Val Val Val
The Rest Of Your Life
The Burrell Files
Thank You for Her
Mariko Aoki
Greho Sukh Private Limited
When The Star Shines...
Chicas Malas El Ataque De Momo
Chet Bueller: Attorney at Law
An Inconvenient Encounter
Coffe TV Vs. Su comunidad
Spooksbury
The Ballad of Straw-Hat Sam
JUGpocalypse Now
The Great Dictator
Singin' in the Rain
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
2001: A Space Odyssey
YOU'RE MY MATE.
The Gold Rush
North by Northwest
Dreaming of Lions
Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Ratatouille
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Snatch
Donnie Darko
The Plague Dogs
Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth
Shrek
The Breakfast Club
The Strong Arm
For Love and Gold
A Matter of Life and Death
PK
Brazil
Groundhog Day
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Black Cat, White Cat
The Fifth Element
Spartacus
The Bad Guys
South Park: Joining the Panderverse
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
In Bruges
Un País de Cuento
The Mysterious Adventures of Claude Conseil
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Adam's Apples
Dean Spanley
Lee Evans: Live in Scotland
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower
Shrek 2
The Fisher King
The Front Page
I am the Secret in Your Heart
Beverly Hills Cop
Big Trouble in Little China
Chimes at Midnight
The Proposal
The Gunfighter
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Starship Troopers
Galaxy Quest
Rush Hour
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Raising Arizona
Ladyhawke
Meet Me in St. Louis
Blind Cop 2
The King of Lower Mitcham
The Tales of Hoffman - National Opera Company (INBAL)
Helga und Marianne - Wahnsinn an der Nordsee
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Death at a Funeral
Sink or Swim
Passport to Pimlico
Juntos e Enrolados
A House on Fire
Spaceballs
Highlander
The Pink Panther
Moonstruck
The Wedding Date
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
The Wild Geese
The Red Inn
The House in Nightmare Park
Tropic Thunder
Jurassic World
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Mackenna's Gold
Passage to Marseille
She's Gotta Have It
The Linguini Incident
The Boxer's Omen
Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse
Goofy Movies Number Two
The Wicked World of Thanasis
The People's Joker
BabaKiueria
Treasure Island
Motorama
Live and Let Die
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Attack of the Normans
Safe Sex
Help Me I'm Dying
The Uninvited Guest
Eddington
House of Fury
Over Your Dead Body
Mars Attacks!
Oh, God!
Days of Darkness
Wish You Were Here
The Dark Avenger
How to Date Billy Walsh
Idiocracy
The Trixxer
Charlie's Angels
Dolls
Sword of the Assassin
Underwater
Now You See Him, Now You Don't
American Wedding
Rita, Sue and Bob Too
Head
Bedazzled
Isn't It Romantic
Zeppelin
The Hustle
Quarter to Two Before Jesus Christ
Carry On Henry
The TV Set
Barbarella
Kill Buljo
Blue Hawaii
Easy Come, Easy Go
Świat w operze
Dark Star
Carry On Up the Jungle
Follow That Camel
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
Good Bad Ugly
Fate/Prototype
My Name Is Bruce
I'll Be Good, Old Man!
Grandma
The Magic Christian
Hot Enough for June
Rebound
¡Semos peligrosos! (Uséase Makinavaja 2)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Kung Fu World!!!
SOPOR
The Toxic Avenger Part II
Torrente 3: The Protector
Haunted Honeymoon
Starstruck
The Four Charlots Musketeers
The Cosmos on the Commode
Zapped!
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
All About Steve
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie
This Girl for Hire
Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan
Wagons East!
Deadtime Stories
American Zombie
Stan Helsing
Meet the Spartans
Play-Mate of the Apes
VeggieTales: Tomato Sawyer & Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue
Night of the Living Jews
Primal Instinct X
Warriors of Horseshoe 3: Redemption
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
In a Foreign Place I Was
Tragically Deaf
She's So Cold
Staff Pick
Sangchu Geotjeori Tutorial
Life Of Brian Screenplay
Tabloid
High Card's Bluff
LAN Party Massacre
Superbaby
A Invasão
The Table Serving
Ghost Song
SHROOM TRIP OPERA Italiano
How to be a Swede
Just the Worst Time
Večer s Jaroslavem Haškem
Manther
The Hat Method
The Cover Story
The Life and Lens of Colin H. Law
Randolph Davies and the Kickass Band: The Official Concert
Untitled
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Shrek
Hundreds of Beavers
Slumberland
Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
The Willoughbys
Brave
In Your Dreams
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Pooh's Heffalump Movie
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
The Amazing Maurice
Time Bandits
The Warriors Gate
Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse
Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
The Monkey King
Shrek Forever After
Henchmen
Shrek the Third
Pirates
Charlotte's Web
Batman and Harley Quinn
The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue
The Borrowers
Erik the Viking
Robin Hood
Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure
Kermit's Swamp Years
Mar 14, 1975
Los Angeles, California
Apr 28, 1975
New York City, New York
Jun 8, 1975
Chicago, Illinois
Jul 18, 1975
Jun 15, 2001
2001 Re-release
Oct 23, 2001
Special Edition DVD
Mar 6, 2012
Oct 27, 2015
40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray
Dec 3, 2023
48 1/2 Anniversary
May 4, 2025
50th Anniversary
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.