There's lots of movies like that. That's not something to brag about, just because they did it intentionally. There's tons of B and C movies that do that unintentionally. This puts this movie in the same category as "The Room". And Neil Breen films. Wait? Is Neil Breen a genius?
@@danielg6566 Yeah, I wouldn't mind a girl with some decent tracts of land. Don't need a ranch or anything. Just enough to grab a hand full of dirt. But since I'm favor smaller "cute" girls over "hot" ones most only have small tracts of land, like an acre at most. Would rather have a more like 5 acres.
Hey...this was THE MOVIE that I loved as a teen...it is so funny when this generation looks at it with confused looks...hilarious! Its Monty Python! Enough said!!!!!!! Need to watch a clip of the LUMBERJACK SONG!!!!
No they ran out of money for the movie hence the absence of horses and so the end is a literal inside joke "cop out" because the couldnt afford a big battle scene
@@colinclark17 what are you disagreeing with? Why no? There are at least 2 characters in the movie that DO ride a horse, the knight that kills the historian, and the shrubber who sells them the shrubbery. I'm talking about an ironic twist in the writing, and you're talking about behind the scenes logistics. What is your argument?
@@colinclark17 And I'm well aware of the whole "cop out" inside joke, and I'm just saying, there's still irony in the fact that they're getting arrested for killing the historian, and that it couldn't be them because they don't have horses. Both things can be true. You could even point to the historian's wife identifying them as a statement about the weakness of witness testimony, and how it's a parallel to the crowd trying to get permission to burn the witch earlier in the film.
@@colinclark17 The OP is addressing the plot-based irony of the character's wrongful arrest, whereas you're addressing budget constraints affecting the film's production. Two different issues.
@@Wungolioth how is a misunderstanding about coconuts making you so mad you wrote three paragraphs about it to try and prove a point to a stranger? Also its a movie where people bash coconuts together to make pretend horse noises?
This came out when I was 17, and we went to this art house theater to see it. There was a promotion for the first hundred people in the theater. We each received a coconut.
TBH, most Reactors out there don't have either the Smarts or the wherewithal to watch something like "Holy Grail". The only reason they're doing it is because others have, and they're all out to collect C's, V's and L's. THAT'S HOW THEY GET PAID.
Who would think that it had to make logical sense??? That's like looking at a cartoon and saying, "These are very strange photographs. There's something wrong with them."
Pro tip: you can enjoy the movie instead of questioning literally everything that happens. "Why do they all have present day names?", "But why do they need a shrubbery?", "What time period, where are we?". This goes beyond the movie simply not being for them. I cannot even imagine them trying to watch something like Scott Pilgrim, Donnie Darko, or Memento. I will say the guest on the right at least tried to enjoy it a bit so props for that.
I read somewhere that he was supposed have a more 'authentic' name, but John Cleese forgot it and ad-libbed Tim instead, hence the pause and the way he half states, half asks.
To be fair, Timothy is an ancient name. It is a greek name that means “honoured by God”. There is a Saint Timothy who was mentioned in the bible. The new testament has the books “Timothy 1” and “Timothy 2” which were letters written from the Apostle Paul to Timothy. So the name Timothy (or the short form “Tim”) would not have been out of place in the middle ages.
@@DavidB-2268 At the time the move was made credits in the beginning were common practice. It is in the 1980s it became common to just have the movie title and major actors and crew, the rest was listed at the end of the movie. A famous story about is that George Lucas omitted the opening credits in Star Wars, only the name of the movie is in the beginning. He was fined $250,000 by the Directors Guild of America because he did not include the name of the director in the opening. He paid the fine and resigned from the guild.
Also, the troupe reportedly didn't let the extras in on the joke, and they legit thought the stars of the movie were being arrested in the middle of filming.
The budget for this movie was around 400,000 pounds, which is unbelievably low. The reason they came up with the coconuts gag is because they couldn't afford to rent a real horse. Also the only reason this movie exists is because Monty Python was able to secure funding from a bunch of rock bands that were fans, including Pink Floyd and led Zeppelin. Honestly a lot of the jokes you see here are costs that were cut out of necessity, most of these jokes weren't in the script
@blakeyonthebuses Yeah, but that's the Myth (started as an inside joke and is now accepted as Canon). The opening scene (every female I've watched it with gives up after 2 minutes..."This isn't funny, it's stupid") is well thought out, and wasn't slapped together because they couldn't afford Horses. During the filming, they spent enough money at the local pubs to well afford Horses! The comic genius (to my erratic brain) of "Where did you get them?" (Coconuts) "We found them" NEVER gets old! Thanks for the breath of fresh air! I would never fart in your general direction...
Fun fact, saying someone's mother was a hamster and their father smelled of elderberries were legitimate insults. Calling someone's mom a hamster meant she was a small, kept woman, or that she had a lot of babies, meaning she was "easy." Wine back then used to be made from elderberries, so it implied that the person's father was a drunk
I’m 33 and I’ve been watching this movie my entire life and I just learned this today. Thank you for your service 🫡 there are so many memorable quotes from this that I think of all the time. One of the funniest movies of all time!
Monty Python does absurdist comedy. Hope that helps 😂 They legitimately didn’t have the budget for horses (except the one ridden by the historian’s killer), so came the coconut bit Oh no no. You _must_ watch this again. You’ll be able to catch a lot more of the jokes
Others have pointed-out that the fact that the knight who killed the historian was on horse-back proves he wasn't with Arthur, so the King is ultimately a victim of... chivalric profiling?
"Stand aside worthy adversary." "Tis but a scratch." "A scratch? Your arms off." "No it isn't." "Well, what's that then?" "...I've had worse." "You liar." "Come on, you pansy." *fights more* *Arthur chops off his other hand, then kneels* "I thank thee lord that within thy mercy..." *black knight kicks him*
This movie is the height of cinematic achievement. The watery tart line is brilliant. And I have long lost count of the number of times I have told people to "go away or I will taunt you a second time."
to be fair a lot of people will see a joke but not laugh out loud. Also she needs to watch movies on her own... to cultivate understanding. Leveling up require meeting the material halfway.
I am sure she could understand satire, maybe 2 noobs is not the way to go with this sort of film, she might have enjoyed it more with someone to guide her through it.
Best review line: "The fake horses sometimes made me laugh and at other times filled me with rage." Holden will probably fill you in, but Monty Python was a comedy troupe that did a bunch of sketches on the Monty Python and the Flying Circus that used to air on PBS. It's quite absurd, but definitely part of my childhood.
@@SilentBob731 Yes, you are correct. I didn't go into details because the Holden and the gang are US based and I was explaining how the US was exposed to Monty Python.
Never thought what it would be like for someone to watch absurdist comedy without getting absurdist comedy…but it’s hilarious! And absurd! Which is happily ironic. 😂
"Life of Brian" for sure (financed by George Harrison incidentally, because he "wanted to see the movie" after reading the script), "Meaning of Life" would probably be a tough watch for the ladies. It's dadaesque in spades, and so you should totally watch it, film yourselves doing so and post it online for our entertainment.
@@Hobodeluxe007 I'll give "Baron Munchausen" a shoutout for sure, but Terry Gilliam's finest works are "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Brazil". "12 monkeys" a close 3rd.
We in the UK grew up with Mont Python's Flying Circus on TV. The show was disjointed, mentally challenging, unpredictable, funny in SO MANY different ways. Innovative and anarchic TO THE EXTREME ! Watch any Monty Python you can. An absolute eye-opener for sure ! Enjoy ! !
This is literally the first reaction to this movie that I have seen where there wasn't that "Aha" moment where the reactor(s) realized that it was time to just stop trying to take the movie seriously and that it wasn't supposed to make sense.
I love how they interwove this whole anti imperialist commentary into the movie completely at random. It reminds me of my favourite Flying Circus skit, the Philosophy Football game. This is without a doubt my favourite Monty Python film.
_"Strange women, laying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! I mean ... if I were to go around saying I was an emperor, just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away..."_
The Monty Python troup was actually broken up before the movie was made. This was a chance to get back together. In the show the Pythons played multiple characters in the show so it was natural they would play multiple characters in the movie.
Starts the movie, immediately asks: “Are these the END credits?” [uh oh… 😖] “Wait… but he’s not ON a horse.” “Was Robin Hood a knight?” “But WHY do they need a shrubbery?” [whispers] “What is a swallow?” 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ You two were cracking me up. You’re obviously not big on the Middle Ages or absurdist humor, but I’m glad you tried. If you DO watch this again you’ll “get” more of it & appreciate the numerous memorable lines. Until then, I fart in your general direction. 😏😉
I think the best way to understand this movie is that it’s nothing but loosely stitched together sketch comedy scenes since Monty Python is a sketch comedy group. You really need to like British humor to find it peak comedy. And the police arresting everyone is how they would end some sketches for “being too silly” so it came from their show.
I'm pretty sure that they were laughing at the majority of the movie. I have a lot of respect for them for laughing at the things they found funny... compared to "okay, laugh here. Laugh at this part. This is the part you're supposed to laugh at." Absurdist humor grabs people differently. Like the "a fish a fish" sketch.
I don't disagree, except that it I wouldn't say it's 'nothing but' loosely stitched together sketch comedy scenes. The old tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are told in just such episodic form, like a lot of little mini-stories strung together, following first one knight, then another, with some scenes where several or all of them are involved, and interact.. The Pythons are just following the traditional format for the telling of these tales, which just happens to perfectly suit their sketch comedy style.
For those of us who were introduced to British humor when Monty Python's Flying Circus came to PBS, the absurdist humor is exactly what you would expect from this troupe. Their show as a sketch comedy series where one skit often just blended into the next. The film is mostly a series of skits tied together with a loose storyline. Also, yes, it was low budget, and the coconuts were a joke to get around using real horses. The animation also saved a lot of money and tied together storylines without adding more scenes. The original series was also known for its ridiculous animation segments. You should absolutely check out "The Life of Brian" which has somewhat more of a storyline, and lots more sacrilege.
@@ianstopher9111 i took it as them referencing the fact that the two of them during the reaction start wondering whether the "Robin" in the movie is actually supposed to be Robin Hood. them: "was Robin Hood a knight?" ... "i think he was!!" me: 🤦♂
@@alefnull I'm not sure where the Pythons got the name Sir Robin from, but I'm guessing that for the knight who was kind of a failure they wanted to make up a new character, and they chose another early-medieval-English-legend name for him.
Practically every scene in this movie holds at least 3 "quotable quotes". Favorites.....? I have 2.... - "Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time." - "Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know". I use these practically every week.
The one obvious thing that people tend to overlook. The guy who killed the historian was riding a real horse. Therefore, the people that got arrested were innocent.
I will grant them this: they got the "Galahad the Chaste" set-up. So few reactors catch that, and then don't understand why he doesn't want to be, um, examined.
For context, the comedy group Monty Python had a sketch based TV show called Monty Pythons Flying Circus before this movie. They were such a hit on BBC that they were able to do a movie . The budget was real low but as you can see they made the most of it. They were known for their absurdity based humour but were also very intelligent (they all met at Oxford and Cambridge University except for Terry Gilliam, an American who was a animator from LA who had a BA in Political Science) and could write some brilliant sketches with deep jokes. One of the best I loved was a football (soccer) match between Greek and German philosophers where the players were famous philosophers like Aristotle or Kant. The humour was in the absurdity of them playing soccer while the TV commentator is describing the play where the philosophies of that player/philosopher are used to inform the way they played. If you knew about their philosophies their actions on the screen made perfect sense since they were actually following their famous ideologies to a tee. An example in this movie is the character Denis commenting to Arthur that “Strange women distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. I mean if I tried to wield supreme executive power because some watery tart through a scimitar at me, they would lock me away.” Making fun of the Arthurian Legend (lady in the lake) while simultaneously critiquing medieval political structures. It is them quintessentially both being extremely absurd while also providing deep political commentary and satire. They go even further in their next movie Life of Brian, where they absolutely skewer Religious dogma. So much so that there was a huge controversy where the church tried to get the film banned. John Cleese and Michael Palin actually appeared on a TV talk show in Britain debating with two priests who certainly did not appreciate the satire. So as much as they are downright silly, they can also provide some real cutting commentary on class, politics and social organization.
all of the Pythons were well educated. John Cleese was pre-Law, and Graham Chapman was pre-Med. Terry Jones has had a deep interest in medieval history, reading Chaucer for part of his undergrad degree. Michael Palin majored in modern history, Eric Idle in English. the five Brits went to either Oxford or Cambridge.
That TV appearance by Cleese to defend the film illustrates just how threatened the church was. Terrified of humor. Python clearly wasn't depicting Christ as is seen early w/ the confused wise men, only running with a story about an unwitting prophet.
When they were doing Monty Python the tv show, there was a running gag about the writers not having a good ending for a sketch and just having the sketch interrupted by the police. So it's very fitting that they did it for the movie
In the traditional Arthurian myths, the quest for the Holy Grail fails -- Galahad is so pure that he's allowed to see the Grail, but not to take it. Monty Python humor is both absurdist and literate, these were guys who met at Oxford and Cambridge universities (except for Terry Gilliam, the animator, who was an American).
The Monty Python comedy troupe consists of: John Cleese (Sir Launcelot, the taunting Frenchman, Tim the Enchanter, the Black Knight, the newt guy, the guy who wanted to put the old man on the cart) Graham Chapman (King Arthur, the hiccuping guard, middle head of the three-headed knight, voice of God) Michael Palin (Sir Galahad, Dennis the peasant, right head, King of Swamp Castle, narrator, leader of Knights who say ‘ni!’) Terry Jones (Sir Bedevere, Dennis’s mother, left head, Prince Herbert) Eric Idle (Sir Robin, the ‘Bring out your dead’ guy, the confused guard, Launcelot’s servant Concorde, Brother Maynard, Roger the Shrubber) Terry Gilliam (Arthur’s servant Patsy, the Bridge-keeper, the animator)
This is the exact reaction of any woman I’ve ever watched a Monty Python movie with. 😂😂😂….I can see the conversation Holden and Jen had later this day in my head. 🤣
Love you guys so much and I don’t mean this in a mean-spirited way at all but the whole time you were asking “why” about things I was screaming “THAT’S THE JOKE!” 😂 Like with the coconuts instead of horses, the joke is just that they don’t have horses. It’s absurdist humor, you can’t ask questions you just have to go with it lol. Idk if it’s just because I’ve been watching it my entire life and because I’ve always watched a lot of British comedy but I think it’s one of the funniest movies of all time. You just have to go along for the ride! I’d be interested to see you watch it again with Holden now that you know you just have to roll with it without thinking too much into things. And it’s not just guy humor! I’m a 33-year old woman who’s loved this movie my entire life! I think it was one of the first comedies I ever watched and it really shaped my humor into what it is today. Would love to see another girls’ night with a movie that’s a little less absurd so you guys will enjoy it more!
Python's humor is absolutely absurdist, but the original Arthurian legends, especially Mallory's Le Morte de Arthur, have a very mannered style, a number of literary conventions and many supernatural elements that underlie most of the jokes in Holy Grail. Python used those as their starting point and, if you just use the comedic principle of doing the unexpected, their skits are less random than they first seem and make a lot more sense. well, except for the coconuts! also, Terry Gilliam's animations seem less weird when compared to real marginal illustrations in actual medieval texts - rabbits fighting snails, and flying phalluses among other things. I think Life of Brian would be the natural follow-up to Holy Grail, yes? 🤔
I don't mean to be contrarian but... how many first-time viewers of Monty Python would actually get it? I mean the odds are astronomical. We've all seen the skits thousands of times... some of us may even be familiar with "The Goon Show" and "Fawlty Towers" - I think that this is a pure reaction and I was happy that they laughed way more than I expected. The next steps is not "being told what's funny" but they have to discover their taste on their own - that's how you cultivate a fan. They already laughed at a lot at the absurdist stuff - this could not have gone any better! The "being told what's funny" does not work with "absurdist" humor... you have to blurt-out laugh and spit out your drink involuntarily on your own! Hahaha, I'm saying you can't say "that's the joke" you have to pay attention and when they say "that's absurd!" then you go Yes! That's when you know someone got it 🙂 when they realize it's absurd...! That's step 1, the lol comes later.
@@mannygee005I watched this when I was 10 or 11 & while I didn’t necessarily get the Arthurian & other historical references, I got most of the jokes. I mean, it’s really not that deep🤣
@@mannygee005 In every other reaction I've watched to this movie, though, there was a breakthrough moment for the reactor or reactors where they realized that it wasn't supposed to make sense and started to just roll with it. Usually sometime before Galahad's part
You have to watch this movie a number of times... there are a number of scenes where someone in the background is swinging a cat, for example. The beginning credits are a part of the movie. The Intermission is a troll on the audience as well... long movies back then sometimes had intermissions where the crowd could go get refreshments, go to the restroom, etc. So when they cut to the Intermission, some of the crowd was likely to get up and start walking out but the intermission is cut really short which caused the people who got up to have to hurry back to their seats. But yeah, this movie was HUGE in the geek/nerd subculture back in the 70s and 80s. We'd go around quoting soooo many lines from the movie.
I'm 4:42 in and struggling to continue. The ladies completely failing to get the credits humour was making me cringe so hard. Talking over the dialogue and missing even more of the humour was killing me. Already, I'm thinking they're right... this movie is aimed at a man's sense of humour (Except for the woman I saw working at the cash register in a cafeteria. She had MASSIVE boobs... like 44GG... wearing a T-shirt that simply read "HUGE TRACTS OF LAND". Goddamn, that was funny and god bless her!)
The budget in 1975 was $282K and it made $2.4 million at the box office. Adjusted for inflation in May 2024 that's a budget of $2.1 million with a box office of $17.8 million.
Part of the comedy is that it's a parody on three serious genres common on BBC/England - historical dramas and stories about King Arthur, historical documentaries with famous presenters, and police procedurals. This is a parody of all three.
lol Natalie is awesome. And.. the two of you got more out of this than the average viewer, seriously you did very well. Now you'll get references like... "On second thought, let's not go there. It 'tis a silly place." Saying it only slightly dejectedly turning away from Camelot... hahaha lol, c'mon, right? anyone? 😆
I promise, it’s funnier on subsequent watches. The first time it bombards you with so much it’s almost overwhelming, especially if it’s your introduction to Monty Python. Once you’ve seen it once and know what you’re in for, it’s all laughs.
Credits often were at the beginning of a movie for such a long time... look at old Disney movies for example: they would often start with the credits and sometimes a musical montage containing hints of music you will hear properly later in the movie would play alongside it, then at the end of the movie you would often just get a "THE END" or "FIN" title and a fade to black.
"Look...just because some watery tart lobs a scimitar at me..." - Peasant This movie was made on a very low budget so they didn't have the money for horses. They could have just had the sound effects without the coconuts but then some might think they were riding invisible horses. So having the porter using the coconuts and then explaining how they got coconuts is much more hilarious. 😂 The budget was £229,575 or about $410,000 in 1974. Adjusted for inflation that is about $1,900,000 today. 😅 The Monty Python comedy troupe started out on a television show on the BBC called Monty Python's Flying Circus. They often used animation sequences as bridges between skits. Terry Gilliam one of their number was the animator. 😂 That's not a rabbit... it's a Vorpal Bunny 🐰 with huuuggggeee teeth! 🤯
The reason for the coconuts is they couldn't afford horses. It's also whilst nearly all the castles are the same castle, and Graham Chapman had to do an alcohol detox after this film. Those "buckets" on their heads are called a "Great Helm" which is literally a steel bucket. With a hole to see out of. We had a bloke in Australia called Ned Kelly who brought them back in the late 18oo's For your info Spam-a-Lot is a broadway production based on this movie. The animation is the work of the only American in the troupe. Terry Gilliam. Look him up.
This movie is surprisingly accurate to Arthurian Myth - though in a comedic vein of course. The sword fight at the "bridge" is a reference to there being rogue knights "guarding" fords, bridges and cross roads, challenging every noble passerby. The Witch scene of course refers to the anti-witch hysteria that occasionally popped up throughout the Middle ages (and beyond). Sir Robin's Three headed knight refers to the tales of ogres, giants and other "monsters" that the Knights of the Round Table occasionally fought in their quests. Swamp Castle is a reference to the many small kingdoms that existed in the legends, and how the knights interacted with them. Sir Galahad (The Chaste) seeing the grail beacon refers to Sir Galahad (and Sir Gawain who does not feature in the movie) actually finding the Grail on their quests, but dying while praying over it shortly after finding it. Also there were several side quests in the myths that had the knights rescuing castles full of captive maidens. As others have pointed out even the insults were pretty accurate to the age (more or less) And of course the English and French were frequently at odds with each other during these times. I've been in love with this movie since it first came out and it is still one of my top three comedies of all times.
This movie is a classic! I played Dungeons and Dragons back in the 80s, and because of this movie, whenever our party was starting to get our asses kicked, we'd yell, "RUN AWAY!!" to the Dungeon Master, and we'd all laugh. The main thing you also need to understand is that Monty Python was a comedy troupe, not one single person. We grew up on their shows from the BBC, so were very used to the kind of humour used in their movies. Growing up before cable television had some advantages. We (in the US) would watch a lot of British television shows on our local Public Access channels on the UHF band. They could be a bastard to properly tune in if the signal was weak, though. Dr. Who, Benny Hill, and Monty Python were all favorites of ours, even if some of the humour was more "adult" oriented. We weren't supervised back then.... so we could get away with watching it.
I was at a gaming convention not 2 months ago and I was running a game. I had 8 people sitting around the table. Someone rolled for damage and I asked for how much. They said "five points of damage" and instinctively I said "no...three, sir". 7 people at that table laughed. They probably thought the same thing, I just said it faster.
My fave quote comes from the DVD menu. Main disc, select “special features” - (voice over) “for special features, insert disc 2” (other voice + sound effects “Hmmm…*zip*…*squish*” (Voice over in appalled tone) “No…! Into your dvd player…!”
@@Wolfegang25Kevin calm down pal. This is their first time watching anything with British humor in it. Look at the stuff they react to on the channel. It’s all Hollywood movies. This is one of the weirdest movies ever, you can’t expect them to immediately vibe with that. You’ve left so many comments crappjng on this reaction like bro leave them alone and let them figure out Monty python for themselves 😂
One of the best things about Monty Python is that the five - SIX- six cast members played multiple roles in all of their movies and in their TV show skits. Now go! Go forth and frolic in the madness and irreverency that is... PYTHON!
People who haven't seen older movies are always confused by the credits being in the beginning. They also tend not to pay attention enough to understand when something is a joke.
I have lost count of the amount of times I've seen this movie since the seventies. What I can say is everytime I get together with my old mates the conversation WILL break down into quotes from this film. Also diagologue from other films, TV series and sketches will be repeated ad nauseum.😊
Before they made this movie they had the show called Monty Python’s Flying Circus. There were animations in it, but over all there were lots of funny scenes. Like the dead parrot. One quote was heard quite often: “And now for something completely different “, which is also a movie title.
There are actually some very sophisticated references in this movie. For example, when the French guy (John Cleese) tells Arthur "he's already got one" that's true. The first "Holy Grail" story was in French. An English "Holy Grail" story didn't exist for several hundred more years. For a less sophisticated reference, try this with your Amazon smart speaker. "Alexa, I fart in your general direction" and listen to what you get.
This is all satirical British humor that makes fun of the establishment, and basically everything. Nothing is sacred with Python. They are known for their outlandish animation. It's their signature.
They are also history buffs. Animations in "The Holy Grail" aren't random, they are inspired by real books. Back in medieval times, before print press was a thing, when book was worth a fortune, monastic scribes (plenty young males) would copy books by hand. They had to copy colourful calligraphy and illustrations for months, all day long, to copy a single book (over a year for bigger works). To spice it up, sometimes they would improvise parts of illustrations with less then holy imagery.
Python had NO money for this basically. In fact, it was financed by rock stars. Believe it or not (from online) "Everett 'Collection' Eric Idle has revealed how much money rock bands and record labels contributed to financing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which came out in 1975. According to a tweet, Led Zeppelin contributed £31,500, Pink Floyd Music ponied up £21,000, and Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson put in £6,300 of his own money."
@@danielcobbins8861 You are correct. I neglected to include him, even though I recalled a Beatle contributed, then forgot. LOL. If memory serves correct, Harrison contributed the most.
11:01 Don't worry. They made a recreation of that castle top, and it was only 3 or 4 feet off the ground, with the camera on the ground looking up. It's all optical trickery and no critters got hurt.
The castle used for many of these scenes was Doune Castle, the same Castle they used for Winterfell in Season 1 of Game of Thrones & has been used in countless other popular movies and TV shows including Outlander and Outlaw King.
In old radio plays they used to use a pair of coconuts to represent horses. Also, in the U.K. in that same period, wealthier families used to have toys for their children, called a hobby horse. This was a long stick with a horses head at the top & a pair of wheels at the other end. The child climbed astride it & ran around pretending to ride a horse whilst holding it just below the head. Sometimes with a toy sword in the right hand. The way the knights were "riding" in this film was emulating that.
The 25th anniversary DVD had a special feature where 2 of the actors went on a road trip and revisited many of the places seen in the movie, and we get to see the inside of the castle of Augh. It's pretty cool, and the locations are lovely.
With a straight face, mildly perplexed: 'Why's he making a noise like a horse but he's not on a horse?' Almost half a century on, the film (Yes, I'm British) remains utterly hilarious but, at points, this commentary rises to a whole new level.
Re: the credits. Many people today, if they don't have much experience with films they haven't seen in first-run theaters in their lifetime, may not realize that it used to be a convention to have most or all of the credits at the beginning of the film, rather than at the end. Almost all films today have the long list of every single actor, electrician, lawyer, musician, and intern who ever worked on the film at the end- and most people walk out of the theatre before that list is complete. In earlier decades, most films had a relatively short list of the actors, director, some key film-making positions listed before the film itself started. It was just a different convention. The "Swedish" subtitles are a complete joke, of course, along with all the moose and later llamas that got themselves listed in the credits.
@@craigwheller I always stay around for the whole ending credits, to honor all the people who worked on the film. I know how much work it takes, so I feel I owe it to them to stay and see all their names go by. In the old days, it was just the select few who got their name on the screen; now everyone shares the credit!
"I apologize for the problem. Those responsible have been sacked." I used that every time a customer had an issue that needed me, the manager. Worked like a charm.
Remember the restaurant sketch where someone complains about a dirty fork and the entire staff ends up killing themselves, dying of their war wound or something.
Hilarious reaction, so great to see people experiencing the acid trip that is Monty Python for the first time! Also kudos to the editor, who was fantastically unhinged the whole way through. THE TALE, OF SIR GALAHA-
The Holy Grail is amazing! Iconic! Great stuff ladies! English humor is off the charts. Blues Brothers, Animal House, and the original Caddyshack are next.
"Wouldn't that be considered, like, sacrilegious?"
Sounds like someone needs to watch "Life of Brian."
Yeah, big time... or the Meaning of Life.
As if religious groups have never done sacrilegious things lol.
A movie that legit got banned in Norway for blasphemy
@@rowaystarco in Sweden, they used that fact in the marketing
@@CeliusP Yup
Of all the reactions to this film, I have never seen this level of incomprehension.
Humour is a lost art.
It was hurting my brain watching them try o comprehend.
@@shaolin1derpalm A friend's girlfriend says "comedy is childish"
Guess it requires just a bit of intellect.
It's really quite scary, even for an American.
The point of the movie is that there is no point of the movie.
Thank you!! Someone here gets it.... :P
“Humor………It is a difficult concept.”
- Lt. Saavik.
@@richardbalducci4490 👏👏👏 I love that line by Saavik, delivered beautifully by Alley.
Like going to see a movie with your mum.
There's lots of movies like that. That's not something to brag about, just because they did it intentionally. There's tons of B and C movies that do that unintentionally. This puts this movie in the same category as "The Room". And Neil Breen films. Wait? Is Neil Breen a genius?
"She's got huge.....tracks of land." is probably one of my favorite quotes from it.
With the hand gestures...
*tracts
It's a measurement :)
I'm always looking for a woman with huge...
tracts of land! 😂
@@danielg6566 Yeah, I wouldn't mind a girl with some decent tracts of land. Don't need a ranch or anything. Just enough to grab a hand full of dirt. But since I'm favor smaller "cute" girls over "hot" ones most only have small tracts of land, like an acre at most. Would rather have a more like 5 acres.
@Zankaroo damn! How many tracts you looking for??!?
British humor isn't for everyone but this movie is the gateway drug for it if there ever was one
Hey...this was THE MOVIE that I loved as a teen...it is so funny when this generation looks at it with confused looks...hilarious! Its Monty Python! Enough said!!!!!!!
Need to watch a clip of the LUMBERJACK SONG!!!!
Na cornetto trilogy is the gateway this is the end point of British humour
It's the funniest movie ever made. Bar none. And these two didn't get any of it. Just painful. Neither would get a second date with most guys.
@@gheller2261 I cannot imagine why you'd bring that insult into it. There's a culture and disposition gap for sure, no need to be rude though.
im american some british movies are ok but romen of mr bean now that i give credit for
The amount of times I say "Silence, foul temptress!" to people is stupid and I never get tired of it lmao
Oh Lord, I died with laughter hearing this. I've said this to any number of dumbstruck recipients.
The big irony, they get arrested for murdering the historian, who was killed by a knight on a horse, clearly it wasn't them. 😂😂😂
No they ran out of money for the movie hence the absence of horses and so the end is a literal inside joke "cop out" because the couldnt afford a big battle scene
@@colinclark17 what are you disagreeing with? Why no? There are at least 2 characters in the movie that DO ride a horse, the knight that kills the historian, and the shrubber who sells them the shrubbery. I'm talking about an ironic twist in the writing, and you're talking about behind the scenes logistics. What is your argument?
@@colinclark17 And I'm well aware of the whole "cop out" inside joke, and I'm just saying, there's still irony in the fact that they're getting arrested for killing the historian, and that it couldn't be them because they don't have horses. Both things can be true. You could even point to the historian's wife identifying them as a statement about the weakness of witness testimony, and how it's a parallel to the crowd trying to get permission to burn the witch earlier in the film.
@@colinclark17 The OP is addressing the plot-based irony of the character's wrongful arrest, whereas you're addressing budget constraints affecting the film's production. Two different issues.
@@Wungolioth how is a misunderstanding about coconuts making you so mad you wrote three paragraphs about it to try and prove a point to a stranger? Also its a movie where people bash coconuts together to make pretend horse noises?
This came out when I was 17, and we went to this art house theater to see it. There was a promotion for the first hundred people in the theater. We each received a coconut.
"You liar!"
"But why do they need a shubbery?"
It's Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Don't ask questions about logic! 😂
It's Monty Python. The point is that there isn't one.
TBH, most Reactors out there don't have either the Smarts or the wherewithal to watch something like "Holy Grail". The only reason they're doing it is because others have, and they're all out to collect C's, V's and L's.
THAT'S HOW THEY GET PAID.
Ni!
Who would think that it had to make logical sense??? That's like looking at a cartoon and saying, "These are very strange photographs. There's something wrong with them."
and above all : HOW DO YOU CHOP DOWN A TREE WITH AN HERRING ?
Pro tip: you can enjoy the movie instead of questioning literally everything that happens. "Why do they all have present day names?", "But why do they need a shrubbery?", "What time period, where are we?". This goes beyond the movie simply not being for them. I cannot even imagine them trying to watch something like Scott Pilgrim, Donnie Darko, or Memento. I will say the guest on the right at least tried to enjoy it a bit so props for that.
100 percent
The worst was one of the funniest lines of the movie when the wizard said his name was Tim, I don't think she saw any humor in that at all.
I read somewhere that he was supposed have a more 'authentic' name, but John Cleese forgot it and ad-libbed Tim instead, hence the pause and the way he half states, half asks.
To be fair, Timothy is an ancient name. It is a greek name that means “honoured by God”. There is a Saint Timothy who was mentioned in the bible. The new testament has the books “Timothy 1” and “Timothy 2” which were letters written from the Apostle Paul to Timothy.
So the name Timothy (or the short form “Tim”) would not have been out of place in the middle ages.
The end of the movie is a literal "Cop Out".
😂 I never caught this.
And it's why the credits were at the beginning.
@@DavidB-2268 At the time the move was made credits in the beginning were common practice. It is in the 1980s it became common to just have the movie title and major actors and crew, the rest was listed at the end of the movie. A famous story about is that George Lucas omitted the opening credits in Star Wars, only the name of the movie is in the beginning. He was fined $250,000 by the Directors Guild of America because he did not include the name of the director in the opening. He paid the fine and resigned from the guild.
@@target844 I'm well aware of the practice. But in this case, it was an important detail for the final joke to hit.
Also, the troupe reportedly didn't let the extras in on the joke, and they legit thought the stars of the movie were being arrested in the middle of filming.
The budget for this movie was around 400,000 pounds, which is unbelievably low. The reason they came up with the coconuts gag is because they couldn't afford to rent a real horse. Also the only reason this movie exists is because Monty Python was able to secure funding from a bunch of rock bands that were fans, including Pink Floyd and led Zeppelin. Honestly a lot of the jokes you see here are costs that were cut out of necessity, most of these jokes weren't in the script
Pink Floyd contributed 200,000 pounds, and I think Led Zeppelin contributed too.
I think they were a few ounces over budget
Actually, the reason they came up with the coconuts gag is because it's funny, and that's it! It's nothing to do with affording horses.
@blakeyonthebuses Yeah, but that's the Myth (started as an inside joke and is now accepted as Canon).
The opening scene (every female I've watched it with gives up after 2 minutes..."This isn't funny, it's stupid") is well thought out, and wasn't slapped together because they couldn't afford Horses. During the filming, they spent enough money at the local pubs to well afford Horses!
The comic genius (to my erratic brain) of "Where did you get them?" (Coconuts) "We found them" NEVER gets old!
Thanks for the breath of fresh air! I would never fart in your general direction...
Also the huge contribution by George Harrison and Hand Made Films who made the film possible.
Fun fact, saying someone's mother was a hamster and their father smelled of elderberries were legitimate insults. Calling someone's mom a hamster meant she was a small, kept woman, or that she had a lot of babies, meaning she was "easy." Wine back then used to be made from elderberries, so it implied that the person's father was a drunk
I’m 33 and I’ve been watching this movie my entire life and I just learned this today. Thank you for your service 🫡 there are so many memorable quotes from this that I think of all the time. One of the funniest movies of all time!
Hamsters also breed like mad, so there is an implication of her being a whore, too.
I thought the hamster meant she had lots and lots of babies meaning your mom is easy.
It's the medieval version of "yo momma's a ho and yo daddy's a drunk!"
@@HollywoodandWine101 That's what I also read somewhere.
"He's not on a horse!" - "Oh, you must the brains of this operation.!"
I knew we were in trouble when she said that.
Monty Python does absurdist comedy. Hope that helps 😂
They legitimately didn’t have the budget for horses (except the one ridden by the historian’s killer), so came the coconut bit
Oh no no. You _must_ watch this again. You’ll be able to catch a lot more of the jokes
Their budget was granted by Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin
Others have pointed-out that the fact that the knight who killed the historian was on horse-back proves he wasn't with Arthur, so the King is ultimately a victim of... chivalric profiling?
@@brianhammond2832 Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Elton John, and Jethro Tull.
Seriously, they talked over some of the best lines.
Also, they didn't know how to ride horses.
My favorite quote would have to be "Strange women, lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!" Love Michael Palin!
"Tis' but a Scratch.” 😂😂😂
“A scratch?! Your bloody arms off!”
Reminds me of the canterbury tales videos lol
"Stand aside worthy adversary."
"Tis but a scratch."
"A scratch? Your arms off."
"No it isn't."
"Well, what's that then?"
"...I've had worse."
"You liar."
"Come on, you pansy."
*fights more*
*Arthur chops off his other hand, then kneels*
"I thank thee lord that within thy mercy..."
*black knight kicks him*
“Tis’ a flesh wound.”😂😂😂
My memory was "it's just a flesh wound"
guard at the gate to the wedding
"......... hey" 😂😂😂
We NEED to see Jen and Natalie watching “Life of Brian”. Absolutely!💯
This movie is the height of cinematic achievement. The watery tart line is brilliant. And I have long lost count of the number of times I have told people to "go away or I will taunt you a second time."
On the plus side, if you watch it again and actually pay attention you will pick up on the other 70% of jokes you missed :)
Never will happen. She can't understand Satire.
to be fair a lot of people will see a joke but not laugh out loud. Also she needs to watch movies on her own... to cultivate understanding. Leveling up require meeting the material halfway.
I am sure she could understand satire, maybe 2 noobs is not the way to go with this sort of film, she might have enjoyed it more with someone to guide her through it.
Especially if they don't talk over them.
@@johngarrett84you mean have someone explain the jokes.. which in essence also kills them 😂
After seeing so many female reactors laughing at this movie, I can tell you it's not a "bro" movie.
Why even divide movies that way? I don't get it.
@@sourisvoleur4854 That's the way it works today. They need the division.
@@RideAcrossTheRiver 😢
@@sourisvoleur4854 Also, it's marketing. You can sell more crapola with divided audiences.
Best review line: "The fake horses sometimes made me laugh and at other times filled me with rage."
Holden will probably fill you in, but Monty Python was a comedy troupe that did a bunch of sketches on the Monty Python and the Flying Circus that used to air on PBS. It's quite absurd, but definitely part of my childhood.
Pretty sure the re-runs were on PBS and it was a BBC show originally.
@@SilentBob731Yes, it was a BBC show, but no one in the United States had BBC in the 70s, so it was aired on PBS.
@@Vortex1988 I think I got it on CBC back in the day up here in Canada.
@@SilentBob731 Yes, you are correct. I didn't go into details because the Holden and the gang are US based and I was explaining how the US was exposed to Monty Python.
@@woo545 Fair enough. 👍
Never thought what it would be like for someone to watch absurdist comedy without getting absurdist comedy…but it’s hilarious! And absurd! Which is happily ironic. 😂
Well, it has to be "Life of Brian" and "Meaning of Life", next.
"Life of Brian" for sure (financed by George Harrison incidentally, because he "wanted to see the movie" after reading the script), "Meaning of Life" would probably be a tough watch for the ladies. It's dadaesque in spades, and so you should totally watch it, film yourselves doing so and post it online for our entertainment.
or the Python adjacent Baron Munchausen
@@Hobodeluxe007 I'll give "Baron Munchausen" a shoutout for sure, but Terry Gilliam's finest works are "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Brazil". "12 monkeys" a close 3rd.
...Life Of Brian....next up.......Peace!
@@jakerobinson5978 Meaning Of Life would be an incredible reaction. I’d also throw out Time Bandits as a Python-adjacent pick.
We in the UK grew up with Mont Python's Flying Circus on TV. The show was disjointed, mentally challenging, unpredictable, funny in SO MANY different ways. Innovative and anarchic TO THE EXTREME ! Watch any Monty Python you can. An absolute eye-opener for sure ! Enjoy ! !
Can confirm, they still didn’t understand the movie😂
This is literally the first reaction to this movie that I have seen where there wasn't that "Aha" moment where the reactor(s) realized that it was time to just stop trying to take the movie seriously and that it wasn't supposed to make sense.
"I love a good battle run."
🤣🤣🤣
"Help! I'm being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system" Love the "girls watch" idea. More please.
I love how they interwove this whole anti imperialist commentary into the movie completely at random. It reminds me of my favourite Flying Circus skit, the Philosophy Football game. This is without a doubt my favourite Monty Python film.
@@Jon_FM good one, or the Argument Clinic. Or the dead parrot bit.
@@Jon_FM Or the archaeologist sketch, where they compete by who is taller, finally stacking themselves 3 high
_"Strange women, laying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! I mean ... if I were to go around saying I was an emperor, just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away..."_
My favorite "come back I'll bite your ankles off"
The Monty Python troup was actually broken up before the movie was made. This was a chance to get back together. In the show the Pythons played multiple characters in the show so it was natural they would play multiple characters in the movie.
Starts the movie, immediately asks: “Are these the END credits?” [uh oh… 😖]
“Wait… but he’s not ON a horse.”
“Was Robin Hood a knight?”
“But WHY do they need a shrubbery?”
[whispers] “What is a swallow?”
🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ You two were cracking me up. You’re obviously not big on the Middle Ages or absurdist humor, but I’m glad you tried. If you DO watch this again you’ll “get” more of it & appreciate the numerous memorable lines. Until then, I fart in your general direction. 😏😉
Sacked is the British term for fired. They were originally going to have horses but they didn't have enough money so they did the coconut thing.
Also, none of the troupe knew how to ride horses at the time.
When you realize that the knight who killed the historian was not one of Arthur’s men because he was the only one who had an actual horse. 😀
The movie budget could only afford one horse.
I think the best way to understand this movie is that it’s nothing but loosely stitched together sketch comedy scenes since Monty Python is a sketch comedy group. You really need to like British humor to find it peak comedy. And the police arresting everyone is how they would end some sketches for “being too silly” so it came from their show.
The police arresting everyone is also another joke because they didn't know how to end their sketches, so it's quite literally a "cop out"
I'm pretty sure that they were laughing at the majority of the movie. I have a lot of respect for them for laughing at the things they found funny... compared to "okay, laugh here. Laugh at this part. This is the part you're supposed to laugh at." Absurdist humor grabs people differently. Like the "a fish a fish" sketch.
I don't disagree, except that it I wouldn't say it's 'nothing but' loosely stitched together sketch comedy scenes. The old tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are told in just such episodic form, like a lot of little mini-stories strung together, following first one knight, then another, with some scenes where several or all of them are involved, and interact.. The Pythons are just following the traditional format for the telling of these tales, which just happens to perfectly suit their sketch comedy style.
For those of us who were introduced to British humor when Monty Python's Flying Circus came to PBS, the absurdist humor is exactly what you would expect from this troupe. Their show as a sketch comedy series where one skit often just blended into the next. The film is mostly a series of skits tied together with a loose storyline. Also, yes, it was low budget, and the coconuts were a joke to get around using real horses. The animation also saved a lot of money and tied together storylines without adding more scenes. The original series was also known for its ridiculous animation segments. You should absolutely check out "The Life of Brian" which has somewhat more of a storyline, and lots more sacrilege.
"I don't know any other Robin other than Batman and Robin. And he's definitely not that Robin"
Bruh xD
Robin Hood A.K.A. Robin of Loxley
@@phillipsuttles1926robin of loxley would be king John’s time so not 932. Best not to overanalyse though.
@@ianstopher9111 i took it as them referencing the fact that the two of them during the reaction start wondering whether the "Robin" in the movie is actually supposed to be Robin Hood.
them: "was Robin Hood a knight?" ... "i think he was!!"
me: 🤦♂
@@alefnull I'm not sure where the Pythons got the name Sir Robin from, but I'm guessing that for the knight who was kind of a failure they wanted to make up a new character, and they chose another early-medieval-English-legend name for him.
@@ianstopher9111932 isn't anywhere near Arthur's time either.
Practically every scene in this movie holds at least 3 "quotable quotes".
Favorites.....? I have 2....
- "Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time."
- "Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know".
I use these practically every week.
The one obvious thing that people tend to overlook. The guy who killed the historian was riding a real horse. Therefore, the people that got arrested were innocent.
it always makes me laugh.
@@Aloysius_OHare I know, me too. What does that say about us?
@@thomast8539 We want coconut horses.
Heck yea! This is the holden & Jen Hardman channel now! It's about time she gets to host a reaction by herself!!!
The Black Knight has always been my favorite part. "Just a flesh wound" gets me every time.
I will grant them this: they got the "Galahad the Chaste" set-up. So few reactors catch that, and then don't understand why he doesn't want to be, um, examined.
For context, the comedy group Monty Python had a sketch based TV show called Monty Pythons Flying Circus before this movie. They were such a hit on BBC that they were able to do a movie . The budget was real low but as you can see they made the most of it.
They were known for their absurdity based humour but were also very intelligent (they all met at Oxford and Cambridge University except for Terry Gilliam, an American who was a animator from LA who had a BA in Political Science) and could write some brilliant sketches with deep jokes. One of the best I loved was a football (soccer) match between Greek and German philosophers where the players were famous philosophers like Aristotle or Kant. The humour was in the absurdity of them playing soccer while the TV commentator is describing the play where the philosophies of that player/philosopher are used to inform the way they played. If you knew about their philosophies their actions on the screen made perfect sense since they were actually following their famous ideologies to a tee.
An example in this movie is the character Denis commenting to Arthur that “Strange women distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. I mean if I tried to wield supreme executive power because some watery tart through a scimitar at me, they would lock me away.” Making fun of the Arthurian Legend (lady in the lake) while simultaneously critiquing medieval political structures. It is them quintessentially both being extremely absurd while also providing deep political commentary and satire.
They go even further in their next movie Life of Brian, where they absolutely skewer Religious dogma. So much so that there was a huge controversy where the church tried to get the film banned. John Cleese and Michael Palin actually appeared on a TV talk show in Britain debating with two priests who certainly did not appreciate the satire. So as much as they are downright silly, they can also provide some real cutting commentary on class, politics and social organization.
all of the Pythons were well educated. John Cleese was pre-Law, and Graham Chapman was pre-Med. Terry Jones has had a deep interest in medieval history, reading Chaucer for part of his undergrad degree. Michael Palin majored in modern history, Eric Idle in English. the five Brits went to either Oxford or Cambridge.
You are right of course although I don't think the reactors will understand a single word you wrote.
That TV appearance by Cleese to defend the film illustrates just how threatened the church was. Terrified of humor. Python clearly wasn't depicting Christ as is seen early w/ the confused wise men, only running with a story about an unwitting prophet.
When they were doing Monty Python the tv show, there was a running gag about the writers not having a good ending for a sketch and just having the sketch interrupted by the police. So it's very fitting that they did it for the movie
Jen: "This movie has ACCENTS???!?!"
Now this is real banter!
And then "Mon-ay Py-thon" 😂😂
@@davelister2961 it’s a Midwest thing
All movies have accents since we all have accents
@@craigwheller
im from california i have a californian accent haha
In the traditional Arthurian myths, the quest for the Holy Grail fails -- Galahad is so pure that he's allowed to see the Grail, but not to take it. Monty Python humor is both absurdist and literate, these were guys who met at Oxford and Cambridge universities (except for Terry Gilliam, the animator, who was an American).
The Monty Python comedy troupe consists of:
John Cleese (Sir Launcelot, the taunting Frenchman, Tim the Enchanter, the Black Knight, the newt guy, the guy who wanted to put the old man on the cart)
Graham Chapman (King Arthur, the hiccuping guard, middle head of the three-headed knight, voice of God)
Michael Palin (Sir Galahad, Dennis the peasant, right head, King of Swamp Castle, narrator, leader of Knights who say ‘ni!’)
Terry Jones (Sir Bedevere, Dennis’s mother, left head, Prince Herbert)
Eric Idle (Sir Robin, the ‘Bring out your dead’ guy, the confused guard, Launcelot’s servant Concorde, Brother Maynard, Roger the Shrubber)
Terry Gilliam (Arthur’s servant Patsy, the Bridge-keeper, the animator)
Congratulations! Summarising all the parts of each Python is no small feat. 😊
Supplemented with Neil Innes and Carol Cleveland in the supporting cast!
@@binkle76 Almost "Official Pythons" those two were! They were semi-regulars in the TV series and occasionally in the movies.
PATSY IS TERRY GILLIAM?!!? WHAT?!
I'm thinking Jen should catch "And Now For Something Completely Different" to get a quick education of Python all in one shot.
The sheer bewilderment of the girls! 🤣
This is the exact reaction of any woman I’ve ever watched a Monty Python movie with. 😂😂😂….I can see the conversation Holden and Jen had later this day in my head. 🤣
Love you guys so much and I don’t mean this in a mean-spirited way at all but the whole time you were asking “why” about things I was screaming “THAT’S THE JOKE!” 😂 Like with the coconuts instead of horses, the joke is just that they don’t have horses. It’s absurdist humor, you can’t ask questions you just have to go with it lol. Idk if it’s just because I’ve been watching it my entire life and because I’ve always watched a lot of British comedy but I think it’s one of the funniest movies of all time. You just have to go along for the ride! I’d be interested to see you watch it again with Holden now that you know you just have to roll with it without thinking too much into things. And it’s not just guy humor! I’m a 33-year old woman who’s loved this movie my entire life! I think it was one of the first comedies I ever watched and it really shaped my humor into what it is today. Would love to see another girls’ night with a movie that’s a little less absurd so you guys will enjoy it more!
Python's humor is absolutely absurdist, but the original Arthurian legends, especially Mallory's Le Morte de Arthur, have a very mannered style, a number of literary conventions and many supernatural elements that underlie most of the jokes in Holy Grail.
Python used those as their starting point and, if you just use the comedic principle of doing the unexpected, their skits are less random than they first seem and make a lot more sense.
well, except for the coconuts!
also, Terry Gilliam's animations seem less weird when compared to real marginal illustrations in actual medieval texts - rabbits fighting snails, and flying phalluses among other things.
I think Life of Brian would be the natural follow-up to Holy Grail, yes? 🤔
I don't mean to be contrarian but... how many first-time viewers of Monty Python would actually get it? I mean the odds are astronomical. We've all seen the skits thousands of times... some of us may even be familiar with "The Goon Show" and "Fawlty Towers" - I think that this is a pure reaction and I was happy that they laughed way more than I expected. The next steps is not "being told what's funny" but they have to discover their taste on their own - that's how you cultivate a fan. They already laughed at a lot at the absurdist stuff - this could not have gone any better! The "being told what's funny" does not work with "absurdist" humor... you have to blurt-out laugh and spit out your drink involuntarily on your own! Hahaha, I'm saying you can't say "that's the joke" you have to pay attention and when they say "that's absurd!" then you go Yes! That's when you know someone got it 🙂 when they realize it's absurd...! That's step 1, the lol comes later.
@@mannygee005I watched this when I was 10 or 11 & while I didn’t necessarily get the Arthurian & other historical references, I got most of the jokes. I mean, it’s really not that deep🤣
@@mannygee005 In every other reaction I've watched to this movie, though, there was a breakthrough moment for the reactor or reactors where they realized that it wasn't supposed to make sense and started to just roll with it. Usually sometime before Galahad's part
You have to watch this movie a number of times... there are a number of scenes where someone in the background is swinging a cat, for example. The beginning credits are a part of the movie. The Intermission is a troll on the audience as well... long movies back then sometimes had intermissions where the crowd could go get refreshments, go to the restroom, etc. So when they cut to the Intermission, some of the crowd was likely to get up and start walking out but the intermission is cut really short which caused the people who got up to have to hurry back to their seats.
But yeah, this movie was HUGE in the geek/nerd subculture back in the 70s and 80s. We'd go around quoting soooo many lines from the movie.
"...but why do they need a shrubbery?!" ROFL!!
I'm 4:42 in and struggling to continue. The ladies completely failing to get the credits humour was making me cringe so hard. Talking over the dialogue and missing even more of the humour was killing me. Already, I'm thinking they're right... this movie is aimed at a man's sense of humour (Except for the woman I saw working at the cash register in a cafeteria. She had MASSIVE boobs... like 44GG... wearing a T-shirt that simply read "HUGE TRACTS OF LAND". Goddamn, that was funny and god bless her!)
LOVE a special guest
Edit: Several minutes in and I am a large fan of the chaos
The animator is Terry Gilliam who is responsible for directing, Brazil, Fear and Loathing and Twelve Monkeys among others.
The budget in 1975 was $282K and it made $2.4 million at the box office. Adjusted for inflation in May 2024 that's a budget of $2.1 million with a box office of $17.8 million.
To be pedantic, it was shot in April/May 1974
Part of the comedy is that it's a parody on three serious genres common on BBC/England - historical dramas and stories about King Arthur, historical documentaries with famous presenters, and police procedurals. This is a parody of all three.
What's funny is they did intend to have horses but they didn't have the budget so that's how they came up with the coconut joke
what gets me a woman using a cat to hit her dry clean her clothes
lol Natalie is awesome. And.. the two of you got more out of this than the average viewer, seriously you did very well. Now you'll get references like... "On second thought, let's not go there. It 'tis a silly place." Saying it only slightly dejectedly turning away from Camelot... hahaha lol, c'mon, right? anyone? 😆
I promise, it’s funnier on subsequent watches. The first time it bombards you with so much it’s almost overwhelming, especially if it’s your introduction to Monty Python. Once you’ve seen it once and know what you’re in for, it’s all laughs.
Credits often were at the beginning of a movie for such a long time... look at old Disney movies for example: they would often start with the credits and sometimes a musical montage containing hints of music you will hear properly later in the movie would play alongside it, then at the end of the movie you would often just get a "THE END" or "FIN" title and a fade to black.
I've been waiting for this since the days of Matt watching starwars. One of the best comedies ever imo
"Look...just because some watery tart lobs a scimitar at me..." - Peasant
This movie was made on a very low budget so they didn't have the money for horses. They could have just had the sound effects without the coconuts but then some might think they were riding invisible horses. So having the porter using the coconuts and then explaining how they got coconuts is much more hilarious. 😂
The budget was £229,575 or about $410,000 in 1974. Adjusted for inflation that is about $1,900,000 today. 😅
The Monty Python comedy troupe started out on a television show on the BBC called Monty Python's Flying Circus. They often used animation sequences as bridges between skits. Terry Gilliam one of their number was the animator. 😂
That's not a rabbit... it's a Vorpal Bunny 🐰 with huuuggggeee teeth! 🤯
This movie is partly why D&D, LARPing, and cosplay exist.
Michael Palin (Sir Gallahad, among others) was actually knighted in 2019.
I hope you realize D&D was released in 1974 and Holy Grail in 1975.
So one year after.
Really, the first integration of larping into a movie, as far as I know....
The reason for the coconuts is they couldn't afford horses. It's also whilst nearly all the castles are the same castle, and Graham Chapman had to do an alcohol detox after this film. Those "buckets" on their heads are called a "Great Helm" which is literally a steel bucket. With a hole to see out of. We had a bloke in Australia called Ned Kelly who brought them back in the late 18oo's
For your info Spam-a-Lot is a broadway production based on this movie. The animation is the work of the only American in the troupe. Terry Gilliam. Look him up.
The dude at the French castle is my favorite! "I told them we've already got one..."
This movie is surprisingly accurate to Arthurian Myth - though in a comedic vein of course. The sword fight at the "bridge" is a reference to there being rogue knights "guarding" fords, bridges and cross roads, challenging every noble passerby. The Witch scene of course refers to the anti-witch hysteria that occasionally popped up throughout the Middle ages (and beyond). Sir Robin's Three headed knight refers to the tales of ogres, giants and other "monsters" that the Knights of the Round Table occasionally fought in their quests. Swamp Castle is a reference to the many small kingdoms that existed in the legends, and how the knights interacted with them. Sir Galahad (The Chaste) seeing the grail beacon refers to Sir Galahad (and Sir Gawain who does not feature in the movie) actually finding the Grail on their quests, but dying while praying over it shortly after finding it. Also there were several side quests in the myths that had the knights rescuing castles full of captive maidens. As others have pointed out even the insults were pretty accurate to the age (more or less) And of course the English and French were frequently at odds with each other during these times. I've been in love with this movie since it first came out and it is still one of my top three comedies of all times.
This movie is a classic! I played Dungeons and Dragons back in the 80s, and because of this movie, whenever our party was starting to get our asses kicked, we'd yell, "RUN AWAY!!" to the Dungeon Master, and we'd all laugh.
The main thing you also need to understand is that Monty Python was a comedy troupe, not one single person. We grew up on their shows from the BBC, so were very used to the kind of humour used in their movies. Growing up before cable television had some advantages. We (in the US) would watch a lot of British television shows on our local Public Access channels on the UHF band. They could be a bastard to properly tune in if the signal was weak, though. Dr. Who, Benny Hill, and Monty Python were all favorites of ours, even if some of the humour was more "adult" oriented. We weren't supervised back then.... so we could get away with watching it.
I was at a gaming convention not 2 months ago and I was running a game. I had 8 people sitting around the table. Someone rolled for damage and I asked for how much. They said "five points of damage" and instinctively I said "no...three, sir". 7 people at that table laughed. They probably thought the same thing, I just said it faster.
My fave quote comes from the DVD menu.
Main disc, select “special features” - (voice over) “for special features, insert disc 2” (other voice + sound effects
“Hmmm…*zip*…*squish*”
(Voice over in appalled tone) “No…! Into your dvd player…!”
at the 5:05 mark...it was right then he realized they weren't going to get the comedy of this movie
I stopped watching at minute 8. Worst reaction to this movie ever. They should remove this video to save the channel
@@Wolfegang25Kevin calm down pal. This is their first time watching anything with British humor in it. Look at the stuff they react to on the channel. It’s all Hollywood movies. This is one of the weirdest movies ever, you can’t expect them to immediately vibe with that. You’ve left so many comments crappjng on this reaction like bro leave them alone and let them figure out Monty python for themselves 😂
4:08 here. If you don't get the horse gag, there is no hope.
Actually it is kind of funny watching people not get the movie. Some of what the women said was pretty funny in itself.
@@QuanTumm1357 They are morons
One of the best things about Monty Python is that the five - SIX- six cast members played multiple roles in all of their movies and in their TV show skits. Now go! Go forth and frolic in the madness and irreverency that is... PYTHON!
People who haven't seen older movies are always confused by the credits being in the beginning. They also tend not to pay attention enough to understand when something is a joke.
I have lost count of the amount of times I've seen this movie since the seventies. What I can say is everytime I get together with my old mates the conversation WILL break down into quotes from this film. Also diagologue from other films, TV series and sketches will be repeated ad nauseum.😊
She turned me into a Newt, but I got better.
Before they made this movie they had the show called Monty Python’s Flying Circus. There were animations in it, but over all there were lots of funny scenes.
Like the dead parrot. One quote was heard quite often: “And now for something completely different “, which is also a movie title.
Jen did a great job hosting this episode! This was great. You should do more of this. Just guy time, and girl time videos.
He's called Tim the Enchanter because John Cleese forgot his line and said Tim instead and they stuck with ir because it was hilarious
Apparently not. Cleese has stated that the "Tim" line was actually in the script. The story about him forgetting is just an urban legend.
@@br1729 ??? Yes he does
It's pretty cool seeing Jen in the Captain's chair this time
There are actually some very sophisticated references in this movie. For example, when the French guy (John Cleese) tells Arthur "he's already got one" that's true. The first "Holy Grail" story was in French. An English "Holy Grail" story didn't exist for several hundred more years.
For a less sophisticated reference, try this with your Amazon smart speaker. "Alexa, I fart in your general direction" and listen to what you get.
This is all satirical British humor that makes fun of the establishment, and basically everything. Nothing is sacred with Python. They are known for their outlandish animation. It's their signature.
They are also history buffs. Animations in "The Holy Grail" aren't random, they are inspired by real books. Back in medieval times, before print press was a thing, when book was worth a fortune, monastic scribes (plenty young males) would copy books by hand. They had to copy colourful calligraphy and illustrations for months, all day long, to copy a single book (over a year for bigger works). To spice it up, sometimes they would improvise parts of illustrations with less then holy imagery.
RELAX, enjoy the silliness of British humor...do not over-think too hard makes you look prissy
Python had NO money for this basically. In fact, it was financed by rock stars. Believe it or not (from online) "Everett 'Collection' Eric Idle has revealed how much money rock bands and record labels contributed to financing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which came out in 1975. According to a tweet, Led Zeppelin contributed £31,500, Pink Floyd Music ponied up £21,000, and Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson put in £6,300 of his own money."
The budget could not afford horses, hence the coconuts which were normally used in radio for horses. It did add to comedy.
@@corpusD also, the lack of horses is the best evidence that none of Arthur's crew were involved with the killing of the Famous Historian 😁
George Harrison contributed money for the movie, too, though I don't know how much.
@@danielcobbins8861 You are correct. I neglected to include him, even though I recalled a Beatle contributed, then forgot. LOL. If memory serves correct, Harrison contributed the most.
@@bitcrafter Yeah, without good old George we would also never got "Life of Brian", which for me is still their best movie.
11:01 Don't worry. They made a recreation of that castle top, and it was only 3 or 4 feet off the ground, with the camera on the ground looking up. It's all optical trickery and no critters got hurt.
The castle used for many of these scenes was Doune Castle, the same Castle they used for Winterfell in Season 1 of Game of Thrones & has been used in countless other popular movies and TV shows including Outlander and Outlaw King.
I've visited this Castle
"I thought the Medieval time period was all...the plague....right" *"are you kidding me eyes intensify"* - ROFL!
I so welcome this Girl's Reaction on this channel! Love it!
In old radio plays they used to use a pair of coconuts to represent horses. Also, in the U.K. in that same period, wealthier families used to have toys for their children, called a hobby horse. This was a long stick with a horses head at the top & a pair of wheels at the other end. The child climbed astride it & ran around pretending to ride a horse whilst holding it just below the head. Sometimes with a toy sword in the right hand. The way the knights were "riding" in this film was emulating that.
Please more "The Girls" reactions!
The 25th anniversary DVD had a special feature where 2 of the actors went on a road trip and revisited many of the places seen in the movie, and we get to see the inside of the castle of Augh. It's pretty cool, and the locations are lovely.
"I went ahead and pick a quote from my instagram fo..."
Is the flesh wound isn't it? lmao
That's what I thought it was going to be as well. But we were close
With a straight face, mildly perplexed: 'Why's he making a noise like a horse but he's not on a horse?' Almost half a century on, the film (Yes, I'm British) remains utterly hilarious but, at points, this commentary rises to a whole new level.
I knew we were in trouble when she said that.
Re: the credits. Many people today, if they don't have much experience with films they haven't seen in first-run theaters in their lifetime, may not realize that it used to be a convention to have most or all of the credits at the beginning of the film, rather than at the end. Almost all films today have the long list of every single actor, electrician, lawyer, musician, and intern who ever worked on the film at the end- and most people walk out of the theatre before that list is complete. In earlier decades, most films had a relatively short list of the actors, director, some key film-making positions listed before the film itself started. It was just a different convention.
The "Swedish" subtitles are a complete joke, of course, along with all the moose and later llamas that got themselves listed in the credits.
It's a union thing, the unions require that everyone be given credit, so it's got to be at the end
@@craigwheller I always stay around for the whole ending credits, to honor all the people who worked on the film. I know how much work it takes, so I feel I owe it to them to stay and see all their names go by.
In the old days, it was just the select few who got their name on the screen; now everyone shares the credit!
lol, “I don’t think he looks like a Tim.” Exactly.
"I apologize for the problem. Those responsible have been sacked."
I used that every time a customer had an issue that needed me, the manager. Worked like a charm.
Remember the restaurant sketch where someone complains about a dirty fork and the entire staff ends up killing themselves, dying of their war wound or something.
John Cleese forgot the name he was supposed to say, so he called himself Tim and they just ran with it.
In his defense he plays like 7 or more different characters in the movie.
All I can think about is "And Gandalf the grey, and Gandalf the white, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight."
All hail Mr. Rogers
@@RetroFett yes indeed.
Hilarious reaction, so great to see people experiencing the acid trip that is Monty Python for the first time!
Also kudos to the editor, who was fantastically unhinged the whole way through. THE TALE, OF SIR GALAHA-
"What is a swallow" -- oh, you poor soul.
Oh I'm sure she knows _that_ kind of "swallow", just not the bird, which calls into question many things.
The Holy Grail is amazing! Iconic! Great stuff ladies! English humor is off the charts.
Blues Brothers, Animal House, and the original Caddyshack are next.