Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Directors:

Terry Gilliam
Terry Jones

Writers:

Graham Chapman (written by) &
John Cleese (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 May 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Makes Ben Hur look like an Epic

Plot:

King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles.

Plot Keywords:

Swallow | Anachronistic | No Ending Credits | King Arthur | British Film

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Graham Chapman	...	King Arthur / Voice of God / Middle Head / Hiccoughing Guard
John Cleese	...	Second Swallow-Savvy Guard / The Black Knight / Peasant 3 / Sir Lancelot, 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 / Gorrilla Hand
Terry Jones	...	Dennis's Mother / Sir Bedevere / Left Head / Voice of Cartoon Scribe / Prince Herbert
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
Avril Stewart	...	Dr. Piglet
Sally Kinghorn	...	Dr. Winston
Mark Zycon	...	Prisoner
Elspeth Cameron	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Mitsuko Forstater	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Sandy Johnson	...	Knight of Ni, Villager at witch burning, Musician at wedding, Monk, Knight in battle
Sandy Rose	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Romilly Squire	...	Musician at wedding, Villager at witch burning
Joni Flynn	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Alison Walker	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Loraine Ward	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Anna Lanski	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Sally Coombe	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Vivienne MacDonald	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Yvonne Dick	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Daphne Darling	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Fiona Gordon	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Gloria Graham	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Judy Lams	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Tracy Sneddon	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Sylvia Taylor	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Joyce Pollner	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
Mary Allen	...	Girl in Castle Anthrax
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julian Doyle	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Charles Knode	...	Camp' Guard / One of Robins Minstrels (uncredited)
Zack Matalon	...	Guard who falls into barrels (uncredited)
William Palin	...	Sir Not-Appearing-in-this-Film (photograph) (uncredited)
Tom Raeburn	...	Guard Eating Apple (uncredited)
Roy Forge Smith	...	Inspector End of Film (uncredited)
Maggie Weston	...	Page turner (hand only) (uncredited)

Directed by
Terry Gilliam
Terry Jones

Writing credits
Graham Chapman		(written by) &
John Cleese		(written by) &
Eric Idle		(written by) &
Terry Gilliam		(written by) &
Terry Jones		(written by) &
Michael Palin		(written by)

Produced by
Mark Forstater	....	producer
John Goldstone	....	executive producer
Michael White	....	producer

Cinematography by
Terry Bedford		(lighting cameraman)

Film Editing by
John Hackney

Production Design by
Roy Forge Smith		(as Roy Smith)

Costume Design by
Hazel Pethig

Makeup Department
Pam Luke	....	makeup artist
Pearl Rashbass	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Julian Doyle	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gerry Harrison	....	assistant director

Art Department
Graham Bullock	....	painter
Roy Cannon	....	property man
Nobby Clark	....	carpenter
Philip Cowlam	....	assistant art director
Bob Devine	....	carpenter
Bill Harman	....	construction manager
Mike Kennedy	....	property man
Tom Raeburn	....	property master
Jim N. Savery	....	stagehand
Charles Torbett	....	property master (as Charlie Torbett)
Brian Winterborn	....	property buyer
Terry Gilliam	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Philip Chubb	....	sound maintenance
Ian Crafford	....	sound effects
Bob Doyle	....	sound assistant (as Robert Doyle)
John Foster	....	dubbing editor
Godfrey Kirby	....	boom swinger
Garth Marshall	....	sound recordist
Hugh Strain	....	sound mixer
Campbell Askew	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Jean-Raphaël Dedieu	....	sound effects editor (2001 theatrical re-release) (uncredited)
Nicolas Gaster	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Valerie Charlton	....	special effects model maker
John Horton	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Julian Doyle	....	special effects photography

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Atherton	....	camera operator
Ray Hall	....	camera grip
Kent Houston	....	camera operator: rostrum camera
Terry Hunt	....	chargehand electrician
Roger Pratt	....	assistant camera
Ed Sullivan	....	rigger
John Wellard	....	camera focus

Animation Department
Lucinda Cowell	....	assistant animator
Kate Hepburn	....	assistant animator
Terry Gilliam	....	animator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Campbell Askew	....	assistant editor (as Alexander Campbell Askew)
Nicolas Gaster	....	assistant editor (as Nick Gaster)
Danielle Kochavi	....	assistant editor
John Mister	....	assistant editor
Brian Peachey	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Brian Brockwell	....	accountant
Penny Eyles	....	continuity
Leo Kharibian	....	choreographer
John Waller	....	fight director
John Waller	....	period consultant
Christine Watt	....	production secretary
Richard Burton	....	double: Black Knight (uncredited)
Mark Zycon	....	double: Eric Idle (uncredited)

Thanks
Gary Cooper	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Michael White Productions
• National Film Trustee Company
• Python (Monty) Pictures
• Twickenham Film Studios (technical completion)

Distributors

• EMI Films (1975) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinema 5 Distributing (1975) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Television (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Lauren Films Video Hogar S.A. (1990) (Spain) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Creative Exposure (2001) (Canada) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Manga Films (2001) (Spain) (DVD)
• Sony Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (UK) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (????) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Rainbow Releasing
• VTI Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Andrew Ritchie & Son Ltd.  lighting
• Budget Rent-a-Car Ltd.  vehicles
• De Wolfe Music Limited  stock music
• Ron Hellard Ltd.  catering
• Telefilm Lighting Services Ltd.  lighting

Also Known As:

Mønti Pythøn ik den Høli Gräilen (International: English title) (subtitle)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2001 re-release) | Mono (original release)

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) (re-rating) (2001) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:18 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Ireland:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Appin, Argyll, Scotland, UK

Company:

Michael White Productions

Trivia:

As part of their stained glass and interior decoration, several medieval cathedrals included illustrations of virtues and vices. The vice of cowardice was depicted as a knight running away from a rabbit. Notre Dame in Paris has no fewer than three such medallions of the "Killer Rabbit".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In some shots when the rabbit attacks the knights you can see the string that the rabbit is moving across.

Quotes:

[first lines]
King Arthur: Whoa, there!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jimmy Neutron: Win, Lose and Kaboom (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Camelot Song (Knights of the Round Table)

One of the greats

Although I am from the UK, I first saw this film aged 11 when I was living in Maryland, USA, not long after it first came out. I had discovered Monty Python's Flying Circus on PBS, a channel which then showed a lot of imported British TV shows, often of high quality. (I don't know if it still does, or even if it exists.) The film was outstanding, and even though I virtually know it by heart, I still occasionally watch it on video, nearly 30 years later. I remember describing the film with great enthusiasm to American children when I went to school and being puzzled that they could not understand what I was going on about. I think this is better than Life of Brian or The Meaning of Life. I think in those films Monty Python were trying a little too hard to shock. In this one, there is more genuine humour. In many funny scenes, the killer rabbit sequence has got to be the funniest, closely followed by the anarcho-syndicalist commune.

Monty Python have been well liked abroad, to a surprising degree, but there are many things about them that I think you have to be British or perhaps Irish to appreciate. For example, Chapman's performance as King Arthur is a perfect combination of the King Arthur legend with ideas of how a head prefect is supposed to behave in British schools. Cleese as Sir Lancelot is an uneasy but hilarious blend of well-bred English gentleman with psychotic loon. I don't know about nowadays, but in the 1970s this had a slightly subversive tinge, without overdoing it. Even the anarcho-syndicalist commune scene gets an extra impact from the way class structure works in British society. I don't mean to say that it's meant to be a political tract, only that for British people the absurd cavorting of these public school types gives an extra satirical layer of meaning to the film.