A Book about the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail: All the References from African Swallows to Zoot

by Darl Larsen

Monty Python's Flying Circus aired from 1969 until 1974, but the conclusion of the series did not mark the end of the troupe's creative output. Even before the final original episodes were recorded and broadcast, the six members began work on their first feature-length enterprise of new material. Rather than string together a series of silly skits, they conceived a full-length story line with references to the real and imagined worlds of the mythical King Arthur, the lives of medieval peasants, and the gloomy climate of 1970s Britain. Released in 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a modest success but has since been hailed as a modern classic. In A Book about the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail: All the References from African Swallows to Zoot, Darl Larsen identifies and examines the cultural, historical, and topical allusions in the movie. In this entertaining resource, virtually every reference that appears in a scene--whether stated by a character, depicted in the mise-en-sc�ne, or mentioned in the print companion--is identified and explained. Beyond the Arthurian legend, entries cover literary metaphors, symbols, names, peoples, and places--as well as the myriad social, cultural, and historical elements that populate the film. This book employs the film as a window to both reveal and examine "Arthurian" life and literature, the historical Middle Ages, and a Great Britain of labor unrest, power shortages, and the common man. Introducing the reader to dozens of medievalist histories and authors and connecting the film concretely to the "modern" British Empire, A Book about the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail will appeal to fans of the troupe as well as medieval scholars and academics who can laugh at themselves and their work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

632 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2015

About the author

Darl Larsen is program director and professor of film and animation studies at Brigham Young University, Media Arts Department, and affiliated with the Center for Animation at BYU.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans can be an obsessive lot, but even the most devoted Monty Python afficionado must tip their hat to the level of dedication demonstrated by Darl Larson with this book. In it he offers a meticulous breakdown of the group’s most famous movie, one that weaves the history of the film’s production into an explanation of virtually every historical, contemporary, and cinematic reference contained within it. His thoroughness is such that he does not confine himself to the finished film, but includes as well consideration of the insights offered by the drafting process into the final work. The sheer weight of the detail makes this less a book to be read cover-to-cover than one to be dipped into and consulted whenever someone has a question about a passing comment or a desire to chase down an obscure allusion. Even a committed Python devotee will likely find much within it that they did not know, and reading it can only enhance their appreciation for the genius behind their cinematic masterpiece.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An almost exhausting reference guide to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tib bits about some cut scenes and extra stuff I did not know about film but bog down on over-analyzing every piece of dialogue in the film. Only for people who want to REALLY know if swallows fly south for the winter.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely more of a reference book than something to sit down and read. Sometimes it was very interesting, but too many details and it belongs more in academia.