Monty Python Double Parody
First of all, if any of these ideas seem too extreme and ridiculous, feel free to mention–for I find this assignment particularly challenging considering my lack of understanding of the movie. Ultimately, I’ve decided that the author’s main purpose is to parody medieval events by poking fun at modern day interpretations of these stories. Here it goes…
So, the first and most obvious modern element that jumped out at me was the elderly man whose character was a “famous historian.” In this particular scene, he attempts to serve as the narrator, I believe, and describe more events in the story. However, while explaining the plot his throat is cut by a knight riding past him. From this scene I’ve drawn the conclusion that the producer wants the audience to laugh (ha-ha) then, realize that historians aren’t always accurate when describing the events in the medieval era; therefore, the extreme is taken on the poor man’s miscalculations and the historian is murdered.
Next, after a few other tales involving the different men and their search, the scene returns to the slain historian and reveals that the police had arrived at the scene of the crime. I have a couple ideas about this modern gesture: firstly, I was playing with the notion that the event reflected the idea that law in the medieval era lacked order and was complete chaos. This idea unfolded when I noticed the unorganized process the police were using to search for the murderer. Could the producer be conveying that uniform laws enforced by certain people can not be fathomed in that time period? The other idea I had about the police, was that they served as Britain trying to control uncontrollable people. What are your thoughts on this dear blogger?
Somewhere during the scene where the animated “cave monster” was chasing some of King Arthur’s knights, the animator is shown having a heart attack and thus not able to finish that skit. I found this interesting considering the author of The Canterbury Tales passed away before he could complete his epic as did a few others. Do you think the producer could be poking fun at the way the medieval stories have been altered over the years due to the early death of the original writers? That humor does seem a bit harsh, but you never know with this movie.
In the end, I feel like the makers of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, were simply parodying many British Literature epics while using modern elements to also make fun of the way people view the events of the past now a days. Despite the lack of understanding we have for the medieval era, the movie does make for a humorous parody!
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Dear Paige,
I formed a similar conclusion about the intent of “Monty Python’s Holy Grail,” although I found different evidence in the film.
I think that the historian’s slaying by knight could also indicated that our image of medieval life is a part of our modern society and not some past time. The historian describes the knights’ past actions, but he really knows very little about their lives; his interpretation did not exist in the past, however, it does exist in the present (i.e. in our books, movies, shows like Medieval Times, etc.). Because of the corresponding time period of the historian and his interpreted knights, one is capable of riding through the scene and slaying him. I did not fully comprehend the two questions that you asked about the police officers, but I feel that the filmmakers were making another criticism of our representation of the past. The Medieval era is often characterized with a lawlessness that is withheld from total anarchy only by the actions of mobs and those lords who deemed themselves the executors of justice. The producers create a mocking parallel with our modern police force and our assumptions about medieval law enforcement. Often, our culture declares itself far advanced from the past; Python ridicules our haughtiness.
I am impressed by your connection between Chaucer and the fictional animator of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” They could very well be pointing out that a work seems to continue in the author’s absence; I cannot recall if any more animation was presented or not…Do you? Could the intent of the animator’s sudden death be to show that our representation of history is wholly dependent on whoever is creating it? This movie purports its history as truth, but once the animator dies, the monster is no longer existent to chase the knights. I think the scene could illustrate how a “truth” relies on someone to tell it.
Great points Paige, I had fun reading your blog!
Margo
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