Given that it’s one of the funniest movies ever made, it’s not surprising that Monty Python And The Holy Grail has been released numerous times on home video. But while the new Monty Python And The Holy Grail 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition is great if you don’t already own the movie, it doesn’t add enough to make it worth getting if you own the previous Blu-ray edition. Y’know, the one you bought three years ago.
For those who haven’t seen the film, Monty Python And The Holy Grail is a spoof of medieval movies and fantasy films that has King Arthur and his Knights Of The Round Table embarking on a holy quest to find the grail…except they instead find a stubborn warrior, a French jerk, and a cute fluffy bunny who would never, ever try to rip out your jugular.
As you can probably imagine, if you’ve ever watched Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, or Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life, this is a ribald and silly movie, full of smart but also surreal humor. Which not only makes it a good companion piece to the far more serious Excalibur, but also works well after you’ve marathoned Game Of Thrones or spent nearly a week watching The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings movies.
In terms of how the movie looks and sounds, the Monty Python And The Holy Grail 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition has the same version of the film that was on the previous Blu-ray, and thus looks good here, though obviously not as good as a more modern comedy. And the same goes for the sound.
Then there are the extras. Like the previous Bu-ray, the Monty Python And The Holy Grail 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition has a ton of great stuff, most notably some hilarious deleted and extended scenes introduced by co-director Terry Jones; unused animated parts, which are introduced by co-director Terry Gilliam; a 2001 special (I think from the BBC) on the locations with Jones and Michael Palin; and a LEGO parody of the “Knights” theme song. It also has two commentaries: one with Gilliam and Jones, and an even funnier one with Palin, John Cleese, and Eric Idle.
But the Monty Python And The Holy Grail 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition also has a new featurette on the Q&A that Palin, Jones, Gilliam, Cleese, and Idle did after a screening of the movie at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. And while the Q&A does collapse at certain points because these guys are still silly and surreal, there are moments when they reveal things about the movie — and their daughter’s reactions to it — that are informative even if you’ve already listened to the commentary.
That said, it is only thirty minutes long, so it’s not really enough to make the Monty Python And The Holy Grail 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition worth buying if you already own this movie on Blu-ray. But for those who don’t have this film in their collection, the way it presents the film coupled with all the great extras make this best Blu-ray version of this movie…so far.
SCORE: 8.5/10
