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| January in Illinois |
As mentioned previously, John and I belong to a movie discussion group at our local library. We watch a movie at home and then discuss this as a group at the library. There are about 15 or so folks who attend regularly and another 7ish who dip in and out. Our movie for January this year was Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I had actually seen the movie before but not for like 25 years, I think. It had been a while, in any case.
I really can't explain Monty Python if you haven't already seen them. If, for some reason, you haven't, go to youtube, do a search and watch a video. I recommend the one about the parrot and the coal miner skit. Those are a pretty good litmus test for Monty Python. If you think those are funny, watch some episodes of their TV show (Monty Python's Flying Circus) and this movie. If you don't think they are funny, go check out Benny Hill or something else. I don't know where you go from there.
In our discussion of the movie, I learned that this was an independent film and the Pythons had a great deal of trouble financing it. While convenient for purposes of completing my film critic badge, this was also completely mind blowing. Monty Python is such a cultural icon and juggernaut. Almost all of the Pythons have gone on to become extremely successful and famous and it is just like inconceivable that they couldn't get backers for this project. I understand that they were much less well known then, but still. Shocking.
Watching the film again really emphasized two things. Well, three, I guess. The first is that the Pythons are really weird. The second was what an impact they have had on humor and the way we tell jokes. Like you can still see traces of a vaudeville influence here but just barely. These jokes are much more sophisticated, often building over time. And they use a callback so effectively! Just watching this movie is like a masterclass in humor.
The third thing is what a profound influence this movie has had on my husband. There are so many things he says all the time that are from this movie! And I knew that but I'd really stopped thinking about it. (Weirdly, I think the thing he might say most often from this movie is "What is the capital of Assyria?")
I recommend that everyone watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you don't think it's funny, at least you'll know what people are talking about when they say "Bring out your dead!".
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