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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition) Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 121 Reviews)

The pinnacle of British comedy.
I recently watched this classic again for the first time in years, having previously viewed it about a half dozen times. It was great to see one of my all-time faves brought to DVD. The Pythons epitomize the greatest imaginations and creativity in British humor, and this movie is, in my humble opinion, the hands-down best work of the Python troop.

There are probably precious few souls who haven't seen this at least once, so there's little I can add about the movie itself that hasn't already been praised in earlier reviews. I was especially pleased with some of the special features on this DVD, including the "tutorial" on how to maximize the use of coconuts for a full equine "riding" experience. Needless to say this was done in the classic Python style by Mr. Palin himself. Also great was the "Camelot" song-and-dance routine done with Lego figures -- brilliant!

What can I say? You need to see this for yourself, so rush right out and get it. Might as well pick up a coconut while you're at it -- you'll need that too.


A Brief Guide to the Various DVD Editions of Python's Grail

Here I will try to summarize the complex history of the different released editions of this famously zany film. Tracing this history is unnecessarily made more complex by Amazon's practice of posting reviews written for a particular edition of a film on the page of EVERY edition of that particular film that they carry.

I will not be discussing the merits of the work itself (one of my favorites) but the qualities of its different incarnations and releases in the United States. In any case, this film was produced in 1975 for release in movie theaters. I did not view the film in this original incarnation. Some time afterward (in the 1980's), it was released in VHS tape format, and I became very familiar with this edition. Although I came to love the movie in this format, I did notice that the picture and sound quality did not seem to be of a high standard--even for the 1970's.

With the advent of DVD technology I eagerly awaited the DVD release of this film and was rewarded in the late 1990's with the [Amazon says September 7, 1999] release of the standard version DVD (widescreen). While I was happy to have one of my favorite films finally on the more permanent medium of DVD, I must say that I was disappointed that there seemed to be little or no improvement in picture and sound quality over the VHS edition. But what are you going to do?

A couple of years later I heard the rumor that the company that owned the rights to the film were in the process of cleaning up the film for a limited re-release in the theaters. This event did occur (and I again missed the showings in theaters), and the newly-restored edition was also released on October 23, 2001 in a two-disc DVD (main feature in widescreen) set called the Special Edition. THIS is the only edition you will ever need. The way the technicians have cleaned up the picture and sound is miraculous, and the second disc contains very interesting documentaries and background material. While I am thrilled with this edition, I am a bit miffed that I had to buy this film again on DVD. Why didn't they just do it right the first time? Why do corporations do this to the consumer?

On top of that, now they release (on June 8, 2004) something called the Collector's Edition Boxed Set for a lot more money. I have not seen this edition, but it looks like the same thing as the previous (Special) edition two-disc set with only a paperback of the script and an "exclusive film cel senitype" thrown in. If these last two items are important to you for the increase in price, then go for it. But I don't see how they can justify this marketing gimmick. The full script is available at several online sites (use your search engine), and how many people are going to want an "exclusive film cel senitype?"

Anyway, that's my take on the different versions. [Recap: If you want this film on DVD, I recommend the "Special Edition" two-disc set released in 2001 and not the previous or later editions.] Hope this was useful to you. Sorry for any typos or errors.

-stan



The Perfect Comedy
Terry Jones, the co-director of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", once said that comedy is defined as two disparate forces coming together and colliding. That definition may not fit into all varieties of comedy, but for the Monty Python crew and especially this movie it does. Almost all the scenes in this movie are true masterpieces of this definition of comedy, whether it is a medieval serf spouting off neo-Marxist thought, or the ancient enchanter named "Tim". This film also contains the greatest `deus ex machina' ending in the history of cinema with police interrupting Arthur's last glorious charge. On a personal note, the first time I saw this movie at about the age of 15 on PBS, I did not know what to think. When the film ended with the camera being confiscated by the authorities, I said to my father: "What happened?" My Dad responded "I guess they ran out of film...you know PBS." So, for those of you who have not seen the movie, try to savor your reaction the first time you see a cow flying over a castle wall, or the attack on Castle Aaaaaaargh. The DVD special features are well worth it too, with an insightful director's commentary and a trip with Jones and Palin touring the sites where the movie was filmed.

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