50th anniversary Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Join us at The Regent Theatre for the revival of a motion picture classic. Although you may not need on-screen prompting to sing along, the re-release is done in a special Sing-A-Long version to make the experience more interactive. To make the experience even cooler, the surviving Pythons—Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam (both of whom directed the film), John Cleese, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle—have recorded a special introduction for the screenings, and attendees are encouraged to dress-up for the event, though you’ll need to check your shrubbery at the door.

From its opening multi-language titles (that sure looks like Swedish) to the closing arrest of the entire Dark Ages cast by modern-day bobbies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail helped to define “irreverence” and became an instant cult classic. This time the Pythonites savage the legend of King Arthur, juxtaposing some excellently selected exterior locations with an unending stream of anachronistic one-liners, non sequiturs, and slapstick set pieces. The Knights of the Round Table set off in search of the Holy Grail on foot, as their lackeys make clippety-clop sounds with coconut shells. A plague-ridden community, ringing with the cry of “bring out your dead,” offers its hale and hearty citizens to the body piles. A wedding of convenience is attacked by Arthur’s minions while the pasty-faced groom continually attempts to burst into song. The good guys are nearly thwarted by the dreaded, tree-shaped “Knights Who Say Ni!” A feisty enemy warrior, bloodily shorn of his arms and legs in the thick of battle, threatens to bite off his opponent’s kneecap. A French military officer shouts such taunts as “I fart in your general direction” and “I wave my private parts at your aunties.” Rabbits are a particular obsession of the writers this time around, ranging from the huge Trojan Rabbit to the “killer bunny” that decapitates one of the knights. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin collaborated on the script and assumed most of the onscreen roles, while Gilliam and Jones served as co-directors.

(Runtime: 91 min. Rating: PG.)