“Perilously close to perfection, Holy Grail is one of the few comedies that neither repetition nor rabid fans can destroy; its power to loosen bladders from laughter continues to be the stuff of legend. DON'T MISS!”
– David Fear, Time Out New York

(1975, TERRY GILLIAM AND TERRY JONES) ...or Mønti Pythøn ik den Høli Gräilen “We are now no longer the Knights who say Ni.” After the opening credits (helpfully subtitled in Swedish), Graham Chapman’s gallant King Arthur gallops off (well, he prances along on foot, while lackey Terry Gilliam clicks two coconut shells together) to recruit more bold knights to help him eat a lot of SPAM™* and to search for the Holy Grail. Along the way they must brave such horrific obstacles as John Cleese’s dreaded Black Knight coming back for more, even as each of his limbs is shorn; Michael Palin’s plague victim insisting he isn’t dead; Cleese’s richly-accented French castle guard raining offal and scatological taunts on the hapless questers; Gilliam’s Bridge of Death gatekeeper demanding answers to three daunting questions (“WHAT. . . is your favorite color?”) on pain of being launched into a volcano; minstrels composing ballads about the legendary cowardice of Eric Idle’s Sir Robin; Palin’s anarcho-syndicalist Dennis questioning Arthur’s royal legitimacy; the voracious Killer Bunny, stoppable only by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch; and then the shocking final hurdle. Inspired Monty Python lunacy, done on the proverbial shoestring (at the sight of Camelot, a squire carps, “It’s just a model”), complete with personified metaphors, conceits run into the ground, casual straight-to-the-audience remarks, etc., etc., with Chapman’s Arthur the linchpin; despite numerous slow burns and frustrated rages, he plays it straight — heroically, even. Basis for the smash Broadway musical MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, of course...
A RAINBOW FILM COMPANY RELEASE
1:30, 3:20*, 5:10, 7:00*, 9:00*
*Voucher good for two tickets to MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT will be given away to one lucky ticketholder at each 7:00 show of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and at the 9 pm on Fri/Sat, Sept 22/23 & Wed, Sept 27; 3:20 on Sun, Sept 24. Click here for the fine print.

SEPTEMBER 29/30 FRI/SAT
(2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)

THE MEANING OF LIFE

(1983, TERRY JONES) “Is it a boy or a girl?” “I think it’s a bit early to start imposing roles on it, don’t you?” Searching for the meaning of it all from womb to tomb, the Pythons present us with a production number about sperm (“Every sperm is great/If a sperm is wasted/God gets quite irate”), a live action sex education class that still bores the kids, Graham Chapman chased to death by scantily clad girls, and — most memorably (perhaps unfortunately) — the world’s fattest man dining out. 1:00, 5:10, 9:20

“Gross, silly, caustic, tasteless, obnoxious... and funny.” – Variety

LIFE OF BRIAN

(1979, TERRY JONES) “A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world. And severely annoy the other third.” Born in a stable in Bethlehem, visited by three kings, acclaimed as the Messiah, crucified, then resurrected — yes, it’s... Brian Cohen? . . . born just one stable over from Christ. Those darn parallels keep on coming, although singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” during the crucifixion is probably a divergence. 3:15, 7:25

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OCTOBER 1/2 SUN/MON

BRAZIL: The Director’s Cut

(1985, TERRY GILLIAM) In a low-tech 1984ish society, ambitious file clerk Jonathan Pryce finds a flyspeck leading to apocalyptic bureaucratic foul-ups and a search for the girl of his dreams — literally. With Python Michael Palin at his most seriously slimy; Bob Hoskins as a ferocious repairman; and Robert De Niro as a heroic electrical engineer. Brazil occasioned a legendary studio-auteur battle, topped by its designation as Best Picture of the Year by the L.A. Film Critics Circle. 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30

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OCTOBER 3 TUE
(2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)

TIME BANDITS

(1981, TERRY GILLIAM) 10- year-old Craig Warnock knows things are getting weird when a horseman gallops through his bedroom wall, and before long, in company with a group of larcenous dwarfs, he’s rocketing through history, meeting John Cleese’s Robin Hood, Sean Connery’s Agamemnon, and Ian Holm’s Napoleon, while trying to avoid David Warner’s traps. With Ralph Richardson as The Supreme Being.
3:10, 7:30*

A FISH CALLED WANDA

(1988, CHARLES CRICHTON) “I used to box for Oxford.” “I used to kill for the CIA.” Dog lovers, fish lovers, stutterers beware — thieves including Michael Palin, Kevin Kline (Oscar, Best Supporting Actor) and Jamie Lee Curtis pull off a big jewel heist, but it’s their ally in jail who knows where the loot’s stashed, and John Cleese is his attorney. Seductions, murder by safe, and French fries up the nose ensue, in Ealing legend (The Lavender Hill Mob) Crichton’s first film in 23 years, and his last. 1:00, 5:20, 9:40

“Features an unforgettable performance by Michael Palin.” – Ken Switzer, The Village Voice

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OCTOBER 4/5 WED/THU
(2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

(1971, IAN MCNAUGHTON) The Dead Parrot, the Upper- Class Twit of the Year, the Lumberjack Song, Hell’s Grannies, Killer Cars — what’s not to love in the first feature from the manic team, a sort of “Greatest Hits” from the first two seasons of their TV show, re-filmed to introduce the troupe to U.S. audiences. 3:20, 7:10

JABBERWOCKY

(1977, TERRY GILLIAM) “The middle of the dark ages, ages darker than anyone had expected.” Michael Palin’s über-naïve cooper’s apprentice Dennis Cooper, dreaming of the Big Time, treks to a wondrous medieval metropolis, then in the midst of a fleshscarfing- monster scare. With director Gilliam cameoing as Man With Rock (“It’s a diamond!”) and Python Terry Jones as the opening carrion. 1:20, 5:10, 9:00

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For sale at concession & online: ERIC IDLE SINGS MONTY PYTHON CD Sale Price: $10.84 tax included [$10.00 plus tax]

SPECIAL THANKS TO SHARON LESTER (THE RAINBOW FILM COMPANY); MICHAEL SCHLESINGER, SUSANNE JACOBSON (SONY PICTURES REPERTORY); ROSS KLEIN (MGM); HANDMADE FILMS (LONDON); PETER LANGS (IPMA); AND HUGH HYSELL, MATT SICOLI, KEITA WILLIAMS (HHC MARKETING).