Now, a note concerning the name ‘Monty Python’, which confounded me, as others, I’m sure. The name was chosen by the group simply because they thought it was funny. 'Monty' was chosen to pay homage to Field Marshal Lord Montgomery, who was a legendary British general of second world war, and the team agreed that they wanted a 'slippery' sounding name as well. The word 'Python' was perfect, they felt.
Concerning ‘Holy Grail’, their first film, it is based on the quest of King Arthur for the Holy Grail. It has an episodic plot line, with a style based on the sketch comedy of Monty Python's television show. Most of the story is told in sections, connected only by the ongoing theme of the quest for the Holy Grail and somewhat odd animations. In their quest, of course, each of the Knights run into their share of amusing obstacles.
Now that you are introduced to The Pythons and their work, feel free to take a look at the links which I have created on the main page. Enjoy!
Related Links:
Monty Python's Completely Useless Website
For the benefit of those reading this page who may not be familiar with the Monty Python troupe and their work, let me elaborate a little. Monty Python, or ‘The Pythons’ as they are sometimes referred to as, were a group of comedians who first got together in or around 1969 in Britain. They consisted of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. In 1969, they created and first broadcast their televison show, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” It ran until 1974. Their programme was a collection of various skits and sketches intermingled with a rather bizarre style of animation which became characteristic of Python. While their manner of comedy was quite revolutionary at the time in Britain, it still reflected the immensely funny dry wit of English humour. In terms of content, the troupe were really very radical, dealing with many issues which were considered taboo at the time. In terms of style, though, they brought to attention a rather ‘absurdist’ fashion of entertainment, not always being conventional in their method of poking fun at things. After their success with “Flying Circus”, they went on to produce three films, mentioned above.
BBC Comedy Guide
