Product Details

• Actors: Connie Booth, Elspeth Cameron, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Carol Cleveland
• Directors: Terry Jones
• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English, French, Latin
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: June 24, 1994
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (838 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302293553
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,243 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #2 in	Video > Comedy > British > Monty Python Store > Feature Films
  #4 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Directors > Terry Gilliam
  #4 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Stars > John Cleese

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Special Edition is Special, October 12, 2001

By	Paul Wilson (Modesto, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition) (DVD)

Certain individuals have erroniously indicated in these reviews that the Special Edition will not have commentaries or other special features. They are wrong.

The special edition will contain the following:

A "21st anniversary" cut of the film that is 24 seconds longer, Dolby digital 5.1, a subtitle track for people who don't like the film (with text from Shakespeare's Henry IV), an onscreen screenplay option, audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin, and Follow the Killer Rabbit option. Disc 2 contains "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs" and "The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette, "How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles), the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythonos", an interactive cast directory, still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos, "A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items, unused ideas and other material, and finally two trailers and weblinks.

There will be no special features with the special edition? RUBBISH! This is not simply a reissue of the older DVD with new sound and audio as some have implied.

382 of 446 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not even with an African swallow..., April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (DVD)

This is one of the funniest movies ever committed to film, no doubt about it. Were I to judge this DVD on the film alone, I would have given it five stars. If you are one of the few who have never seen this picture, do yourself the favor of and buy a copy on VHS straight away.

Purchasing this title on DVD, however, I have to take marks away from an otherwise excellent comedy. There has been absolutely nothing done to enhance the quality of this 25 year old film, and a DVD system drives the visual and auditory pitfalls home with feeling. The picture is grainy and jittery in many places, and the audio is mudded and full of hiss. I confess, I was looking forward to a sharper, cleaner viewing of one of my all time favorite movies than I had ever had before. I was profoundly dissapointed.

It is an hysterical movie, but don't look for an experience above what is delivered on the average bargin basement SLP recorded VHS tape here. If you've never seen it, go run and rent a copy from the local video store, and wait for a remastered release.

81 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Move is a 5 but this Collector's Edition is a 2.5, July 22, 2003

By	Steven S. Brown "sbrown2680" (Montgomery, AL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Collector's Edition Boxed Set) (DVD)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the greatest comedies of our time (in fact I think I'm going to watch it right now,) however, this "Collector's Edition" is just the same as the "Special Edition" but it comes in a fancy-dancy box and comes with a book (whooooooo!!!!) and a film cell (aren't you impressed, I thought so.) So, if you are a hardcore fan you might just want to get it because it has the Python name on it. Us regular fans will stick with our old copies of the Special Edition (for it is the same)