Going Medieval: 25 films to watch while waiting for Game of Thrones season 8

25) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

How about some slapstick comedy with your Arthurian legend? You’ll be served both in a big way in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, written and performed by Monty Python, the brilliant British surreal comedy group. Each member of the Monty Python troupe, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle, plays multiple parts in the movie.

The story takes place in 10th century England as King Arthur decides he must search the countryside to find knights worthy of serving him at his round table. Goofy chaos ensues until God shows up and orders Arthur to find the Holy Grail. One killer rabbit and a holy hand grenade later, and it all ends rather unexpectedly…

In 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail was the highest-grossing British-made film to be released in the United States. It’s gone on to immense cult status since then, receiving a 97% reviewer score and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Kevin Thomas of The LA Times called it “an inspired romp…[I]n short, they create a persuasively authentic world with considerable care — the better to send it up. They cherish nonsense for its own sake, but they also skewer stupidity, ignorance, an unquestioning acceptance of conventional pieties and received wisdom.”

This movie is a blast that still holds up today. If you’ve never seen it, the ridiculous opening credits will immediately let you know what you’re in for.

If you stuck with us all the way to the end, here’s a little fun factoid you may not know about Monty Python and the Holy Grail: did you ever wonder why they chose to use coconuts to imitate the sound of their nonexistent horses? It was because they realized their tiny shooting budget wouldn’t allow for the real animals on set, so they came up with the coconut gag. It was so effective that the German release of the film translated the title as The Knights of the Coconut (Die Ritter der Kokosnuß ).

Thanks for reading! Hopefully a few of these flicks will help you weather the long wait for Game of Thrones season 8. Don’t forget to add any of your own movie suggestions in the comments!

Next: Jason Momoa: Game of Thrones season 8 will be “the greatest thing that’s ever aired on TV”

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