Holy Grail Publié le 18 mars 2008 par Véro & Raph Monty Python and the Holy Grail Monty Python is one of the most famous groups of British humorists. Their second film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, released in 1975, was directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. This movie was an immediate success and has become a cult film. The plot of the film rests on the erring ways and the encounters of King Arthur while recruiting his Knights of the Round Table. After he has gathered his knights, they are then given a quest by God to find the Holy Grail. This film is indeed based on the legend of King Arthur's quest to find the Holy Grail. According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish used by Jesus at the Last Supper and it is said to possess miraculous powers. As an introduction to British Humour we will study hereafter an excerpt of the film, more precisely the fifth scene that you can find in the following document. First we will sum up the scene and then we will try and explain its humorous sides. The fifth scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail takes place in a little town. King Arthur enters the village and sights monks chanting in procession and a crowd carrying a woman towards a man : Sir Bedevere. The crowd is shouting that she is a witch and that they should burn her. But Sir Bedevere seems to want proof that she is indeed one. Thus follows a discussion about how to prove that she is a witch. A most extravagant deductive reasoning leads to the conclusion that if she weighs the same as a duck, she is made of wood, and then she is a witch. As a conclusion she is weighed and it appears that she does weigh the same as a duck so she is taken away by the crowd to the stake. At the same time King Arthur, who has been helping to solve the issue, asks Sir Bedevere to join him in his court in Camelot. In this excerpt we can find typical components of British Humour, such as nonsense and black humour. Indeed the idea of a representative of authority in the Middle Ages, debating with the villagers as if they were children and he was a teacher is totally absurd. Moreover, the linking that seems to be logical to the Sir, is all but logical. Nonsense is also shown by the way the villagers dressed the witch and the arguments they give to convince Bedevere. They have very little knowledge as far as to say that churches float in water, and their stupid arguments bring a comic effect. An example of their poor reasoning is when a man in the crowd says that the accused woman has turned him into a newt whereas he stands there perfectly human. As regards the black humour, it is denoted by the way a terrible situation such as a death sentencing is ridiculed. Further than making laugh, the scene criticizes the habit people had in the early Middle Ages to easily sentence innocent people. For the population needed scapegoats to be relieved in this dark age and could not blame the authority without expecting reprisals. This cult scene shows typical British Humour features. But unfortunately not everybody appreciate this kind of humour. However we hope that this little introduction to Monty Python and the Holy Grail will help you understanding British Humour but above all spending good time!
