Some memorable movie lines are often quoted. "No, I am your Father", "Here's looking at you, kid", "Magic Mirror on the wall...", and "I'll be back" are well-known ones, to name a few. However, if you are a fan of a fifty-year-old British comedy, then you will know that "The Knights who say Ni!" is from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you have never heard this quote before, then it is time to acquaint yourself with the 1975 film, and luckily, Fathom Entertainment has put the classic film in theaters this week to celebrate its . If you missed the May 4th offering, you can still catch it on at a theater near you.
As has always been the way with Fathom Entertainment (previously Events), they offer something extra to the viewer, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail is no exception. With a prerecorded greeting from John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam, the three warm up the audience with hilarious jokes as they recall anecdotes of filming the movie in rainy Scotland. They are also genuinely grateful to everyone who sits in the theater watching a movie they made "when they were young".
Monty Python and the Holy Grail opens with King Arthur (Graham Chapman; Monty Python's Life of Brian) "riding" (he skips as an actor with shelled out coconuts makes horse clopping sounds behind him) through the countryside trying to find men to join The Knights of the Round Table at Camelot. He eventually recruits 4 others to join him, but when confronted by God, they are charged with going in search of the Holy Grail. After a few setbacks, they decide they should go their separate ways to look for the Grail. Each of the Knights then encounters obstacles of their own (including The Knights who say Ni!) but finally, supposedly, finds out the location of the elusive cup. Of course, the audience never finds out as the movie ends abruptly when Arthur is arrested for killing the Historian (John Young; Chariots of Fire) earlier in the film.
Of course, one of the things that makes the film so enjoyable is the cast, all of whom play multiple characters in the movie. The "Pythons", as they are affectionately called, are a troupe of talented, like-minded colleagues that formed in 1969 and had a successful sketch comedy series on the BBC for 5 years. Made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, the group continued their success with four feature films after 1974. They are brilliant comedians who are truly in their element in Holy Grail, their first feature film.
Part of the fun of watching a movie like Monty Python and the Holy Grail in the theater is the camaraderie of seeing it with like-minded people. A perfect example was when, in the showing I went to see, The Knights who say Ni! came up, we all said the line in unison, making the iconic moment in the movie even funnier. With the audience laughing throughout the film, it made the experience even more enjoyable than sitting on your couch watching it alone at home.
Whether this is your first time or your 50th time seeing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you need to see it on the big screen in a full theater where everyone is laughing at the same jokes you are. This communal experience is one that is not to be missed, and thanks to Fathom Entertainment, you don't have to.
Grade: B
