Who can forget the most notorious and dry-witted English comedy of all time, featuring the mastermind parody wits of some of the most recognizable faces in comedy – brought to you by guys like John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin – the one, and the only: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Perhaps one of the more notable and memorable movies that were created by this comedic troupe that has 100s of hours of skits that have been broadcast in Europe, yet still somehow were never able to break the mold and outdo this movie.
Set in medieval times, during the reign of the legendary king, Arthur – who nobody really knows if he existed or not – Holy Grail takes you on an imaginary roller coaster, where men bang coconuts together and pretend to ride on horses as the scenes interweave between the old days and present-day England, where a documentary is being filmed about the Knights of the Round Table.
Ironic? Absolutely! Hilarious? Most definitely! Silly, stupid, slapstick, yet original humor that is ubiquitous throughout the flick, a movie that offers up on a golden platter some of the most memorable and laugh-out-loud lines, and one that makes a complete mockery of the British, monarchy, serfdom, nobles, and the legendary tale of King Arthur.
Chances are good that if you ever meet any other fellow neophytes of this movie, one can share some classic lines. Even though this movie was released more than 30 years ago (1975), more than three decades later the lines are still just as fresh, witty and pretty damn funny, too!
To better take you on a trip down memory lane, one of the most iconic dialogues in the movie comprises of King Arthur approaching a castle with his entourage, trying to bid the master of the castle into an audience to convince him to join with him on his quest for the Holy Grail.
This scene goes a little something like this ….
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Who goes there?
King Arthur: It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeater of the Saxons, Sovereign of all England!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Pull the other one!
King Arthur: I am, and this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: What? Ridden on a horse?
King Arthur: Yes!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: You're using coconuts!
King Arthur: What?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: You've got two empty halves of coconut and you're bangin' 'em together.
King Arthur: So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercia, through...
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Where'd you get the coconuts?
King Arthur: We found them.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Found them? In Mercia? The coconut's tropical!
King Arthur: What do you mean?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Well, this is a temperate zone
King Arthur: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
King Arthur: Not at all. They could be carried.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: What? A swallow carrying a coconut?
King Arthur: It could grip it by the husk!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut.
King Arthur: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Listen. In order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right?
King Arthur: Please!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Am I right?
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Kind of makes you want to pop the movie back into the VCR and hit the play button, and grab a pillow and some Kleenexes—because you KNOW you will laugh so hard that you will be crying.
While you’re enjoying reliving this British comedy, why not show the world how awesome you are by sporting one of the most hilarious Monty Python T-Shirts?
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