Editing Monty Python and the Holy Grail (section)

==Reception and legacy==
Contemporary reviews were mixed. [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote in a favourable review that the film had "some low spots," but had gags which were "nonstop, occasionally inspired and should not be divulged, though it's not giving away too much to say that I particularly liked a sequence in which the knights, to gain access to an enemy castle, come up with the idea of building a Trojan rabbit."<ref>{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |date=28 April 1975 |title=Monty Python and the Holy Grail |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=31}}</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was also positive, writing that the film, "like [[Mad (magazine)|''Mad'']] comics, is not certain to please every taste. But its youthful exuberance and its rousing zaniness are hard not to like. As a matter of fact, the sense of fun is dangerously contagious."<ref>[[Charles Champlin|Champlin, Charles]] (23 July 1975). "'Monty Python Opens at Plaza". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part IV, p. 1.</ref> [[Penelope Gilliatt]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' called the film "often recklessly funny and sometimes a matter of comic genius."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gilliatt |first=Penelope |author-link=Penelope Gilliatt |date=5 May 1975 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |page=117}}</ref>

Other reviews were less enthusiastic. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that the storyline was "basically an excuse for set pieces, some amusing, others overdone."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=19 March 1975 |title=Film Reviews: Monty Python And The Holy Grail |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=32 }}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film two-and-a-half stars, writing that he felt "it contained about 10 very funny moments and 70 minutes of silence. Too many jokes took too long to set up, a trait shared by both ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' and ''[[Young Frankenstein]]''. I guess I prefer Monty Python in chunks, in its original, television revue format."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (9 June 1975). "Now comes King Arthur to cut 'em off at the pass". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 3, p. 22.</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film "a fitfully amusing spoof of the Arthurian legends" but "rather poky" in tempo, citing the running gag of Swedish subtitles in the opening credits as an example of how the Pythons "don't know when to let go of any ''shtik''".<ref>{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |date=17 July 1975 |title=...Python's Arthurian Knights |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=C1, C11}}</ref> Geoff Brown of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote in a mixed review that "the team's visual buffooneries and verbal rigamaroles (some good, some bad, but mostly indifferent) are piled on top of each other with no attention to judicious timing or structure, and a form which began as a jaunty assault on the well-made revue sketch and an ingenious misuse of television's fragmented style of presentation, threatens to become as unyielding and unfruitful as the conventions it originally attacked."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brown |first=Geoff |date=April 1975 |title=Monty Python and the Holy Grail |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |page=85}}</ref>

[[File:Helmet of Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.JPG|thumb|upright|The [[Black Knight (Monty Python)|Black Knight]]'s helmet. His lines, "Tis but a scratch" and "It's just a flesh wound…" are often quoted.<ref>{{cite news |title=49 of Monty Python's most absurdly funny jokes and quotes |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/49-of-monty-pythons-most-absurdly-funny-jokes-and-quotes/ |access-date=18 August 2019 |newspaper=Yorkshire Post}}</ref>]]
The film's reputation grew over time. In 2000, readers of ''[[Total Film]]'' magazine voted ''Holy Grail'' the fifth-greatest comedy film of all time.<ref name="BBC News" /> The next Python film, ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian|Life of Brian]]'', was ranked first.<ref name="BBC News" /> A 2006 poll of [[Channel 4]] viewers on the [[100 Greatest (TV series)|50 Greatest Comedy Films]] saw ''Holy Grail'' placed sixth (with ''Life of Brian'' again topping the list).<ref name="Channel 4"/> In 2011, an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] prime-time special, ''Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time'', counted down the best films chosen by fans based on results of a poll conducted by ABC and ''[[People (American magazine)|People]]''. ''Holy Grail'' was selected as the second best comedy after ''[[Airplane!]]'' In 2016, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine ranked ''Holy Grail'' 18th in their list of the 100 best British films (''Life of Brian'' was ranked 2nd), their entry stating, "[[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] ordered a print of this comedy classic and watched it five times. If it's good enough for the King, it's good enough for you."<ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 best British films |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100britishfilms/ |access-date=4 September 2019 |work=Empire |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904144411/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100britishfilms/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 2017 interview at [[Indiana University Bloomington|Indiana University]] in Bloomington, John Cleese expressed disappointment with the film's conclusion.<!--Recheck quotations as cited in source. DO NOT change double-quotations that are required by Wikipedia since Cleese's remarks are quoted in the cited article itself. Also, DO NOT alter Wikipedia's preferred standard quotation marks, replacing them with any different style. A personal opinion that "Cleese has become a curmudgeon" is entirely irrelevant to editing any source-cited text of his documented remarks.--> "'The ending annoys me the most'", he said after a screening of the film on the Indiana campus, adding that "'It ends the way it does because we couldn't think of any other way'".<ref>Keck, Mary (2017). [http://news.iu.edu/stories/2017/10/iub/05-matters-mcrobbie-john-cleese.html "Comedian John Cleese talks Monty Python and the secret of happiness with IU President McRobbie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113215241/https://news.iu.edu/stories/2017/10/iub/05-matters-mcrobbie-john-cleese.html |date=13 January 2020 }}, campus news article, 5 October 2017, Indiana University Bloomington. Retrieved 15 September 2019.</ref> However, scripts for the film and notebooks that are among Michael Palin's private archive, which he donated to the British Library in 2017, do document at least one alternative ending that the troupe considered: "a battle between the knights of Camelot, the French, and the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog".<ref name="NYMag">Wright, Megh (2018). [http://www.vulture.com/2018/08/monty-pythons-michael-palin-reveals-cut-holy-grail-scenes.html "Comedy's Holy Grail, Lost Monty Python Scenes, Found in Michael Palin's Archive"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630011148/https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/monty-pythons-michael-palin-reveals-cut-holy-grail-scenes.html |date=30 June 2019 }}, 1 August 2018, Vulture, the culture and entertainment website for ''New York'' magazine. Retrieved 15 September 2019.</ref><ref>Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (2017).[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jun/13/michael-palin-donates-notebooks-to-british-library-monty-python "Michael Palin donates 22 years' worth of notebooks to British Library"], ''The Guardian'', UK and US editions, 13 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2019.</ref> Due to the film's small production budget, that idea for a "much pricier option" was discarded by the Pythons in favour of the ending with "King Arthur getting arrested", which Palin deemed "cheaper" and "funnier".<ref name="NYMag"/>

Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] offers a 91% approval rating from reviews of 126 critics, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The consensus reads, "A cult classic as gut-bustingly hilarious as it is blithely ridiculous, ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' has lost none of its exceedingly silly charm."<ref>{{Citation|title=Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monty_python_and_the_holy_grail|language=en|access-date=2025-04-01|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120115359/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monty_python_and_the_holy_grail|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 91 out of 100 based on 24 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail|title=Monty Python and the Holy Grail Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=12 March 2022|archive-date=3 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403135628/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''Spamalot'' ===
[[File:Azariaspamalot.jpg|230px|thumb|[[Hank Azaria]] in the original Broadway production of ''[[Spamalot]]'']]
The film was adapted as the 2005 [[Tony Award]]-winning [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Spamalot]]''. Written primarily by Idle, the stage show offers a revised plot, while retaining many jokes from the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=McGuigan|first=Cathleen|title=A Very Swordid Affair|magazine=Newsweek|date=24 January 2005|volume=145|issue=4|pages=64–65}}</ref>

In May 2018, [[20th Century Fox]] [[green-light|green-lit]] a film adaptation of the musical. Idle would write the screenplay and stage director [[Casey Nicholaw]] would direct. Slated to begin filming in early 2019, production was delayed as a result of the [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquisition of 20th Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company]].<ref name="SpamalotFilm">{{cite news|author1=Anita Busch|author2=Mike Fleming Jr.|title=Fox Sets Broadway 'Mean Girls' Casey Nicholaw For 'Spamalot' Monty Python Movie: Eric Idle Scripting|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/spamalot-movie-monty-python-fox-mean-girls-casey-nicholaw-eric-idle-1202382256/|date=May 3, 2018|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=May 4, 2018|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110082043/https://deadline.com/2018/05/spamalot-movie-monty-python-fox-mean-girls-casey-nicholaw-eric-idle-1202382256/|url-status=live}}</ref> The project announced a [[turnaround (filmmaking)|move]] to [[Paramount Pictures]] on January 6, 2020, with Idle and Nicholaw still attached as writer and director, and [[Dan Jinks]] joining as a producer.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2021/01/spamalot-paramount-pictures-movie-musical-eric-idle-casey-nicholaw-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-1234665944/ “Paramount Acquires Monty Python Musical ‘Spamalot’; Casey Nicholaw Directing Eric Idle Script“] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106200814/https://deadline.com/2021/01/spamalot-paramount-pictures-movie-musical-eric-idle-casey-nicholaw-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-1234665944/ |date=6 January 2021 }}. ''Deadline''. Retrieved 25 July 2021</ref> However, in 2021, Idle confirmed on his [[Twitter]] account that the film would not be made because two of his former colleagues opposed it.<ref name="twitter.com">{{Cite tweet|author=Eric Idle|author link=Eric Idle|user=EricIdle|number=1630577631233212416|title=One of the best things about the Pythons killing the movie is that Spamalot the stage Show is coming back big time. I love it! See todays news! @TRWShows}}</ref>

A Broadway revival began previews on October 31, 2023 at the [[St. James Theatre]], with an official opening night of November 16, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SPAMALOT on Broadway {{!}} Official Site |url=https://spamalotthemusical.com/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=spamalotthemusical.com |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822162258/https://spamalotthemusical.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case to [[Mark Forstater]], the film's producer, owing a combined £800,000 in legal fees and back royalties to Forstater for the derivative work of ''Spamalot''.<ref>{{cite news |author=Tom Bryant |title=John Cleese: Monty Python reunion is happening because of my £800,000 legal bill |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/john-cleese-monty-python-reunion-3591253 |quote=Last July, the Pythons lost a royalties case to Mark Forstater, who produced 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail. ... |newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=23 May 2014 |access-date=28 December 2014 |archive-date=21 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221111045/http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/john-cleese-monty-python-reunion-3591253 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| title        = Monty Python sued over Spamalot royalties
| url        = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20556684
| work        = [[BBC News]]
| quote        = Mr Forstater claimed he was entitled to one-seventh of this figure, the same share enjoyed by each of the other Pythons – but was told he was only entitled to one-fourteenth, and has been paid accordingly since 2005. ...
| date        = 30 November 2012
| access-date        = 30 November 2012
| archive-date        = 30 November 2012
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20121130191718/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20556684
| url-status        = live
}}</ref> To help cover the cost of these royalties and fees, the group arranged and performed in a stage show, ''[[Monty Python Live (Mostly)]]'', held at [[The O2 Arena|the O<sub>2</sub> Arena]] in London in July 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last= Wilkinson |first= Peter |url= http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/showbiz/monty-python-sellout/ |title= Monty Python reunion show sells out in 43 seconds |publisher= CNN |date= 25 November 2013 |access-date= 20 August 2019 |archive-date= 20 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190820093428/https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/showbiz/monty-python-sellout/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date= 30 June 2014 |author= Kory Grow |title= Watch Mick Jagger Dryly Accuse Monty Python of Being 'Wrinkly Old Men' |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-mick-jagger-dryly-accuse-monty-python-of-being-wrinkly-old-men-62152/ |access-date= 1 November 2019 |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |archive-date= 24 October 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191024023452/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-mick-jagger-dryly-accuse-monty-python-of-being-wrinkly-old-men-62152/ |url-status= live }}</ref>