MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)
50TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION
You don’t need to know the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow to gain entry to this 50th anniversary screening of the most successful Monty Python film. The group of comic performers and writers, some of whom had gone to college together, first teamed up in 1967 and launched their trend-setting series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, on the BBC in 1969. After five years, it reached the U.S., where it took off on PBS stations, even though it was winding down in Great Britain. Its international success prompted the team to try their first original feature: an irreverent, anarchic take on the Arthurian legends, with Graham Chapman as King Arthur and all the members playing multiple roles, sometimes within a single scene. Reviews were mixed at first, but the film’s rampant originality helped it develop a cult following. Box office returns were so good it inspired two more Monty Python features and the hit Broadway musical Spamalot.
d. Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 92m, DCP
DCP courtesy of Shout! Factory.