“Bring Out Your Dead!”
If you know the line, you know the film. And if you don’t, you may have missed watching one of the funniest films of all time, thanks to the British Comedy Troupe known as Monty Python!
Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of “Monty Python & The Holy Grail!”
When it was released in 1975, this hilarious take on the King Arthur legend was immediately hailed as a comedic masterpiece!
Where to begin: how about the reaction from the French soldier when he spies King Arthur and his gang outside his castle:
“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”
That last line is also firmly etched in movie history as well….but that hilarious insult won’t stop Arthur, even when presented with nonsensical arguments like this:
“Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?”
The film is packed with gags galore. Like The Trojan Rabbit. The Knights Who Say “Ni!” So many more classic moments in a film that is filled with nonstop laughs.
The 50th anniversary celebration has begun with special screenings around the world. And how’s this for a fun fact?
The movie contains 527 jokes, including 42 in the opening credits, for an average of one joke every ten and a half seconds!
Here is the trailer:
This is a perfect send-up of King Arthur and his quest for the holy grail – having a lot of fun with life in that era, like when a woman is accused of being a witch!
Arthur must determine whether the woman, with a carrot attached to her nose, is in fact a witch, and asks the crowd for proof:
“She turned me into a newt!”
Arthur challenges the man, who looks normal. “A newt?”
A pregnant pause follows before John Cleese looks down at the ground and mutters: “I got better.”
And it’s no easier dealing with peasants in the countryside who refuse to accept that Arthur has been chosen by divine right to be King:
Here’s what Arthur is told after saying he has “Excalibur”:
“Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government,” the peasant responds. “Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can’t expect to wield supreme power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you.”
And finally, this is perhaps the most memorable moment in the film, when Arthur must fight the Black Knight:
Needless to say, the Black Knight refuses to stop fighting, even as Arthur does more, leading to this punch line:
This profane spoof of King Arthur’s legend was financed in part by some of the biggest musical groups of England.
Pink Floyd used money made from their legendary album “Dark Side of the Moon” to help fund the film. The band were such huge fans of the comedy group that they would halt recording sessions just to watch “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” TV show in England.
Oh, and I forgot to mention how they filmed the Black Knight scene:
[after slicing one of the Black Knight’s arms off]
King Arthur: Now stand aside, worthy adversary!
Black Knight: ‘Tis but a scratch!
King Arthur: A scratch? Your arm’s off!
Black Knight: No, it isn’t.
King Arthur: What’s that, then?
Black Knight: [after a pause] I’ve had worse.
King Arthur: You liar!
Black Knight: Come on, you pansy!
Here’s what I found out about how they filmed the Knight with no arms and legs!
And the very first scene in the film sets the stage for the mayhem to come, as you see Arthur and his men “galloping” across the countryside, before it’s revealed that they actually don’t have horses, just coconuts they are banging together!
They couldn’t afford horses! And what about the “Killer Rabbit?”
The rest you will have to enjoy by watching the film! And thanks to the terrific website Cheezburger.com for these wonderful graphics…see more trivia here!
If you need more comedy in your life – and don’t we all – let’s stay in the 70’s and one of the greatest college comedies ever:
“National Lampoon’s Animal House” is just as funny today as when they released the film. See the greatest comedic college double bill of them all here:
I also shared a double feature focusing on high school reunions:
Click here for a look at these two 90’s gems!
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Thanks so much for reading, feel free to share on social media and better yet – leave a comment and let me know your favorite cult movies!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, British Cinema, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, True Hollywood Mystery
johnrieber 
holy grail is still one of my all time favorite movies
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My hubby introduced me to Monty Python when I first met him 50 years ago. I wouldn’t say for sure, but they had a part in me falling for him. I mean anyone who can quote Monty Python has got to be a good catch. We still quote Monty Python in our house. This was such a funny movie!
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Thanks for sharing that! Yes, you either are a fan or not and that’s cool either way!
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Great Monte Python quotes, John
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I saw that on release at a cinema in London, and I have not watched it again since. But I never forgot the fight with The Black Knight! Hard to believe that was 50 years ago!
Best wishes, Pete.
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It was truly one of the funniest movies I have seen….congrats at 50 chuq
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Yes, it holds up incredibly well…of course so so funny, but just an entertaining film with a great ending similar to “Blazing Saddles” in a sense…oh and that one is funny in a more retro way
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Truly…..hope you had a wonderful day…..chuq
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