Poster © EMI Films. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAdventure, Comedy & Fantasy
RatedNot Rated
Runtime1 hr 31 mins
ReleasedApril 3, 1975
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorTerry Gilliam, Terry Jones
StarringGraham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
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| Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Details | |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy & Fantasy |
| Rated | Not Rated |
| Released | 04/03/1975 |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 31 mins |
| Budget | Not reported |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Interests | |
| General | Coconuts, shrubberies, Trojan rabbits, the airspeed of swallows, castles full of rude Frenchmen. |
| Music | Neil Innes wrote the songs, including Brave Sir Robin's theme. The rest is stock library music. |
| Movies | Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). Same troupe, different century, more singing. |
| Television | Monty Python's Flying Circus. Where these six figured out how to be this silly. |
| Heroes | The Black Knight. Undefeated, at least in his own opinion. |
| Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Crew | |
| Director | Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones |
| Writers | Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin |
| Producers | Mark Forstater, Michael White |
| Cinematography | Terry Bedford |
| Music | Neil Innes (songs), De Wolfe Music |
| Edited By | John Hackney |
| Production | Python (Monty) Pictures, Michael White Productions, National Film Trustee Company |
| Distributed By | EMI Films |
Bang two coconuts together and congratulations, you are now the entire horse department of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That’s the energy for 91 minutes. A killer rabbit. A knight who refuses to admit he lost a fight even when there’s not much of him left. French guards hurling insults and farm animals off a castle wall. Every bit is a sketch in armor, and most of them are perfect. Here’s the catch: it’s sketches, not a story. The back half runs low on gas, wanders through a few bits that just kind of exist, and the last few minutes will split the room. The jokes landed in 1975 and they’re still landing, which is why 609,171 people on IMDb bothered to rate it an 8.1. A 9.0 because it’s the funniest movie ever made about a quest that never really gets going. $129 says you clop two cups together the next time you walk across a room.
What works: The Black Knight, the Knights Who Say Ni, the killer rabbit and the coconuts, which get funnier every single time.
What doesn’t: It’s a string of sketches instead of a story, and the back half wanders through a few bits that go nowhere.
Who it’s for: Anyone who quotes movies at dinner and doesn’t care whether the jokes add up to a plot.
Spoilers
The modern-day police investigation that’s been simmering in the background finally catches up right as Arthur’s army charges the castle. Officers arrest Arthur and Bedevere, one of them covers the camera, and the movie just stops.
It's 932 AD and King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is riding across Britain recruiting knights, except he has no horse, just his servant Patsy (Terry Gilliam) clopping two coconut halves together behind him. He collects Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones), Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Galahad (Michael Palin) and Sir Robin (Eric Idle), plus Robin's minstrels, who sing about him constantly and not in a flattering way. Then God personally assigns them the Holy Grail. In the way: a rude French castle, some very demanding knights and a lot of questions about swallows. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones direct. Ninety-two minutes, coconuts included.
Anyone who can tell an African swallow from a European one. Bring a shrubbery.
Arthurphoto: Distributed by Arista Records (Q664167), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sir Lancelot the Bravephoto: Miguel Discart & Kiri Karma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelotphoto: PythonProfessor, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Graham Chapman | Arthur |
| John Cleese | Sir Lancelot the Brave |
| Terry Gilliam | Patsy |
| Eric Idle | Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot |
| Terry Jones | Sir Bedevere the Wise |
| Michael Palin | Sir Galahad the Pure |
| Neil Innes | Leader of Robin's Minstrels |
| Sandy Johnson | Knight Who Says Ni |
| Connie Booth | Miss Islington |
| Carol Cleveland | Zoot and Dingo |
| Bee Duffell | the Old Crone |
| John Young | Frank the Historian |
| Rita Davies | Frank's Wife |
| Avril Stewart | Dr. Piglet |
| Sally Kinghorn | Dr. Winston |
| Julian Doyle | Police Sergeant |
| Charles Knode | Camp Guard and Robin's Minstrel |
| Roy Forge Smith | Inspector at End of Film |
| Maggie Weston | Page Turner |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +360 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $2.9M; Domestic box office $2.6M; profit note now waits on a budget; Rotten Tomatoes 92%; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 92% (131 reviews); Metacritic 91 / 100; IMDb users 8.1 / 10 (609,171 votes); movie.guru score 9.4.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.