This December, prepare to celebrate 48 1/2 years of Monty Python and The Holy Grail with a special nationwide theatrical re-release in select theaters via Iconic Events Releasing and Mercury Studios. Tickets are available at https://HolyGrailInCinemas.com.
This cinematic event kicks off in over 500 theatre locations nationwide on Sunday, December 3rd with encore screenings beginning on Wednesday, December 6th. Select theatre locations will also be offering a Quote-A-long version of the film for audiences to experience the joy in sharing together, as you quote your favorite lines with the characters.
In this new Quote-A-long rendition, fans not only witness the absurdity of Arthurian legend but also actively participate in the laughter. It’s a sidesplitting cinematic event that honors the timeless humor of Monty Python while inviting fans to quote, laugh, and sing-a-long like never before. Get ready to journey into a world of Medieval madness, coconut-clacking horses, and unforgettable one-liners in this uproarious Quote-A-long version of a comedy classic.
Monty Python remains one of the most iconic comedy collectives of all time, influencing generations across theatre, music, TV, and film. Formed in 1969, members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin rose to prominence with their sketch comedy TV series Monty Python’s Flying Circus. This was followed by the publication of multiple books; the release of a number of hugely popular albums; live stage shows including tours around England, Canada and the US; and two more iconic feature films – the mock-Biblical epic, ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ and ‘The Meaning of Life’, a dark, ribald symphony of excess and meditation on mortality. In 2005, Python came to Broadway with the premiere of ‘Spamalot’ – a smash-hit retooling of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’, which returns to Broadway this Fall. In 2014, the group reunited for a sold-out, 10-night valedictory live stage show at the O2 London. Monty Python continues to thrive today. The group’s influence on comedy, and beyond, is incomparable, and has become synonymous with rampant silliness and a refusal to take anything seriously.
If you know, you know. The references are no longer just jokes. They are indelible fixtures in the pop culture zeitgeist. The clack of two coconut halves, signaling the arrival of King Arthur on his “horse”. The need for a shrubbery. The audacity to think that a severed limb is anything more than “just a flesh wound”. And the fact that there is no need to go to Camelot, as it is “a silly place”. Monty Python’s quintessential brand of comedy was so poignant, unique, and absurd, that quips from this film have endured and garnered laughs for nearly half a century. From the Knights Who Say “N!” to the ultimate burn: “your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!”, these genius puns, like the many works of Monty Python, remain relevant to this day. The film is regularly featured in Greatest Comedy Films of All Time lists.
“Both Terry (Jones) and I were very keen on Pasolini’s films because they were always done in real places,” said Terry Gilliam about making the film. “You could smell them, you could (sniffs), you could feel it, the textures, the sounds and everything were all real and that was what we were trying to achieve, just that kind of reality. And I think in the end we did; we achieved a lot because nobody had done comedy like that before where you were so immersed in the time and place and the filth.”
“In the declining years of his life, Elvis himself watched [the film]. That just blew my mind!” said Michael Palin.
“We’d get into this string of chain mail – and it was Scotland in April – and we’d get up on the hillside and it would rain, not very heavily, but it would rain, enough to make us damp for the entire day… we’d be wet in this stuff until we finished when we’d all rush to the cars and jump in.” states John Cleese.
Adds Eric Idle: “Grail is a bit like A Hard Day’s Night. It’s got this energy, this ‘let’s just make it up, let’s just do it’. It’s got a joie de vivre that’s very infections, it’s very hard not to like.”
This film achieved that, and so much more. Monty Python and The Holy Grail isn’t just a film – it’s a cultural landmark. Originally released in 1975, the legendary comedy troupe’s send-up of King Arthur, the quest for Camelot, and its contextualized historic folklore established itself as a blueprint for satirical comedy.
