Sunday, March 09, 2014

Movies by year: 1975

(Duck, spoilers!)

We're mid-way through the 70s now – everyone makes music when they walk with their corduroys and bell-bottoms, David Bowie's starting to get freaky and there are some pretty good movie choices out there. A generation learns to fear the water because of Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show had us all taking a jump to the left. But there's one clear frontrunner for 1975, for me:

Monty Python And The Holy Grail


It's sheer madness from beginning to end – even from the first minute of the opening credits, you know this is no Excalibur. King Arthur 'rides' around England and gathers knights to join him in Camelot, and then they quest to find the holy grail. Simple, right?

In anyone else's hands this would be a majestic, sprawling, epic tale – in the hands of the Terrys Gilliam and Jones, it's a thing of comedic beauty. The coconuts! The witch! The trojan rabbit! The knights who say 'ni'! Brave Sir Robin's minstrels! Tim the Enchanter! The Bridge of Death! There's far too much to list – if you've somehow managed to make it this far without having seen it, you MUST find it right now and watch it.

You might be better off not watching it with me though, I try not to recite the entire movie as it goes, but I don't always succeed. I'm kind of sad I've forgotten my very first reaction to it, I kind of wish I could have that 'first kiss' again, so to speak.

What do you think, good choice? Bad choice?

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