"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on DVD
Wholly Cows, Rabbits and Knights Who Say "Ni"
The earlier DVD releases of this Python classic did a good job of bringing
that film to the new digital medium, but this newest Special Edition ups the
ante even more.
Not only has Sony Home Entertainment chosen to give the film a new high
definition anamorphic widescreen transfer (and it shows) with a newly-remixed
Dolby Digital 5.1 audio soundtrack that improves greatly upon the original
release (the old mono soundtrack is also included), but they've thrown in a
cornucopia of silly extras that stretch over two more discs to make a five
disc, er three disc, set.
This is great, though the menus are interminable. But even if they hadn't
come out with this special edition, "Monty
Python and the Holy Grail" would be worth seeing. Such unbridled silliness
- especially of the Python ilk - is always worth watching if it's done well,
and few would argue that "Grail" isn't one of the better entries
in this genre of film. It isn't the satirical masterpiece that is "Monty
Python's Life of Brian,"
but it's pretty close.
Co-directed by Pythoners Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, the flick's loose
story thread follows King Arthur (the late Graham Chapman) as he assembles
his Knights of the Round Table and then is sent by God on the quest to find
the legendary Cup of the title. It's really more a series of skits than a real
narrative, however, and that's fine; Python works best as skits and they tend
to fall down when the skits get too long.
And silly it is, as only Monty Python can be silly, full of wordplay and zany
swordplay and horseplay in which it be-hooves them to have cocoanuts on hand.
The picture quality is very good for the most part, with lucious color, but
there`s still a lot of grain that`ll probably take another special edition
to have restored completely. It`s anamorphic widescreen and compatible with
16x9 TV`s, which is always a plus (and, in fact, is necessary at this stage
of the TV market). Audio is also up to par.
The extras are well worth having. Well, most of them. First up is a running
commentary by the co-directors ``with complaints and back biting`` by Messrs
Palin, Cleese and Idle.
Disc One continues with "subtitles for people who don't like the film" (taken
from Shakespeare's Henry IV Part II), as well as an onscreen representation
of the film's very silly screenplay. Sony also brags about the new animated
menus (with very loud Dolby Digital 5.1 sound), and they are indeed there.
But they slow down access to the movie, as is so often the case with overblown
menus.
Oh, yes! There's also an extra 24 seconds of running time that was originally
excised from the film but which has now been put back in. We're glad, too.
It isn't a big deal, but it's stuff that should have been there all along (we
won't spoil it by telling you what it is).
Disc Two includes "A Taste of Spamalot," the Pythons` Broadway musical
(and it`s pretty compelling), as well as "The Holy Grail Challenge," a
rather silly trivia game. You also get "three mindless singalongs," a
feature documentary "The
Quest for the Holy Grail Locations," with Michael Palin and Terry Jones
(it's funny in places) as well as a new featurette on the proper use of
cocoanuts (a la Python, of course). There's also a BBC documentary on the film's
production and a rather silly version of the Camelot song done completely in
Lego, those little children's toy blocks. And to sweeten the deal you get "unshot
footage," "unused ideas," and some other stuff.
Disc 5, er 3, is an audio CD, The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of
the Film of Monty Python & The Holy Grail, so you can take it with you wherever
you go.
It's silly, quite a bit of it is lame, but it's definitely the definitive
DVD (at least until Cleese et all need money again) of this, the Monty Python
troupe's first real movie.
We laughed until we thought our pants would never dry.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Extraordinarily Deluxe Edition, from Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment
89 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 TV compatible, Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones,
Michael Palin
Produced by Mark Forstater
Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones,
Michael Palin, Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones.
