Cult Classic Fantasy Comedy On Netflix Will Forever Change How You See Rabbits
Long before Tim Robinson, Adam Conover, and Key & Peele took the reigns as the kings of sketch comedy, one British sketch comedy group reinvented the entire genre with a few of the greatest comedic performances in film and television history. The comedy troupe Monty Python was responsible for crafting one of the most popular film exports from the country, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is available to stream on Netflix now. The film has given way to a number of in-jokes, memes, and comedic references still used by sketch comedy fans to this day.
Monty Python was first formed in 1969 and consisted of the comedic talents of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam. Before crafting the feature film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the gang came to prominence for writing, developing, and starring in the television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which ran for 45 episodes over the course of four seasons on the BBC from 1969 until 1974. After striking gold with their original series, the team went on to produce a number of projects, including live shows, musicals, books, albums, and, of course, feature films.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail serves as a loosely constructed parody of the legend of King Arthur, the fictional king of Britain who sought the Holy Grail with the support of his Knights of Camelot. The film was written as a joint effort between each member and directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Though neither of the comedians had ever directed a feature film before, they managed to secure funding through a number of non-traditional means.
Producers of Monty Python and the Holy Grail include rock bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, record company heads from Charisma Records, and a cricket team by the name of Heartaches which was founded by British lyricist and author Tim Rice. The film is estimated to have cost a combined $410,000 in funding from the investors and has since earned over $5 million at the global box office, in addition to heaps of praise and recognition for those involved. The film also inspired the creation of the Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot, for which the original producers are credited.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail takes place in 932 AD, as King Arthur and his young squire travel the countryside searching for Knights. As Arthur and his compatriot go about their mission, they stumble across a host of strange and hilarious vignettes, including a town suffering from the Black Death plague, an impromptu witch trial, and many absurd one-off characters. After recruiting several Knights to join their cause, King Arthur and his squire eventually depart from Camelot, referring to it as an incredibly silly place.
The King and his Knights then set off on a mission to locate Monty Python and the Holy Grail‘s namesake, the famed chalice with miraculous healing abilities. The gang first comes across a castle occupied by French soldiers, who claim that the Grail is in their possession. In a hilarious twist on a historical invasion, Arthur sends a Trojan Rabbit to the castle gates, only for the Frenchmen to realize that nobody is hidden inside it. The gang then resolves to split up and search the realm for the Holy Grail, leading to some classic comedy moments that have left their mark on history.
The Trojan Rabbit is only the first rabbit to make an appearance in the film. Later on, another classic comedy bit centers around the adorable, fluffy animal. If you haven’t seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and you think you know the joke, you don’t, as the mad geniuses take it a few steps further than anyone else.
At the time of its release, Monty Python and the Holy Grail got mixed reviews from critics, though the film has since gone down in history as one of the greatest comedies of all time. Currently, Monty Python and the Holy Grail holds a staggering 96 percent critic score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, with a nearly perfect general audience score of 95 percent to match. The film has been compared to such 20th-century classics as Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and Robin Hood: Men In Tights.
If you’ve somehow managed to miss this film, it’s never too late to try it. However, if you’ve spent time watching comedy films or engaging in humorous online discourse, you’ve likely heard a few classic jokes from the film without knowing it. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is currently available to stream on Netflix.
