Monty Python was a sketch comedy troupe from England featuring Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin, which began performing in 1969. "Holy Grail" was the second feature film for the Python crew and is the first original screenplay for Monty Python. Other Monty Python movies include "And Now For Something Completely Different" and "The Life of Brian."
The film centers around a dual storyline. In the first, King Arthur (Graham Chapman) embarks on a quest to assemble a cadre of valiant knights for his Round Table. In the midst of this search, King Arthur receives a second quest from God to find the Holy Grail. The second plot line follows the murder of a historian, who was acting as a kind of narrator, by a mysterious knight on horseback. The subsequent murder investigation reemerges throughout the film and is an integral part of the movie's climax.
Other knights include Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), and Patsy (Terry Gilliam), who is resident pack mule, horse foley artist and all-around fall guy. Lancelot is portrayed as a kill-first, think-never knight who is somewhat simpleminded but loyal to Arthur. Sir Bedevere is the scientist-knight whose plans are as outlandish as his theories; he "educates" King Arthur in the ways of science. Sir Robin is the egotistical but cowardly knight whose troupe of minstrels offer critiques of his spinelessness. Sir Galahad is the pure and chaste knight whose virtue supposedly is untouchable, but who isn't terribly committed to the idea of chastity and purity.
The quest takes the group throughout the land of Britain and into the ancient dukedoms of medieval England. During that time, the King witnesses witch hunts, plagues, French taunting, and the emergence of post-industrial political consciousness in the peasantry. Each obstacle is approached seriously, but the interactions are farcical despite the gravity with which the characters handle them. Occasionally, the film breaks the "fourth wall" and references itself from a third-person aspect, for instance mentioning that the glorious castle Camelot "is only a model" or noting that instead of riding horses, the ever-suffering Patsy is making galloping noises using coconuts while King Arthur and the knights prance about.
The players assume multiple roles throughout the film. For instance, John Cleese plays four parts: Sir Lancelot; the menacing but inept Black Knight; a peasant proffering a "witch" to be burned by Sir Bedevere; and the mighty enchanter "Tim." Chapman. Gilliam, Idle, Palin and Jones also play multiple roles, take turns as the film's narrator and supply the voices for the randomly interspersed animated sequences. Even the "dead" historian of the secondary plot line plays a bit part as the not-quite-dead-yet old man in the plague scene.
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is considered a masterpiece by Python fans and it has seen several incarnations, including the "Extraordinarily Deluxe Three Disk Version," which was released on DVD in 2006. After the success of "Holy Grail," the Python team went on to create "Life of Brian" and "The Meaning of Life." The group suffered a tragedy when Graham Chapman was diagnosed with a rare, inoperable form of spinal cancer and died in 1989, a day shy of the 20th anniversary of Monty Python. The actors continue to appear in films together on occasion, such as when Michael Palin and John Cleese appeared in "A Fish Called Wanda."