"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" actually holds true on both counts. For those who have never seen Monty Python before, their style of comedy might take a while to get accustomed to. The six original members of the comedy troupe (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle) derive their humor from being as outrageous as possible. Nothing is sacred to them, least of all their noble British heritage. As a matter of fact, a great deal of their humor comes from bashing the stereotypical British image. Of course, they don't hold back on making fun of the French, or the American, or the Asian...

"Holy Grail" also holds true in the second aspect, in that it is created of multiple layers of humor and endless throwaway jokes that can easily be missed. Every scene is tightly packed with action, and things are happening in the corners of the frame that are usually overlooked the first time around.

Take, for instance, one of the early scenes where King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is riding through a small, dirty village. Most remember this as the scene where two villagers are pushing a cart loaded with dead bodies, calling solemnly, "Bring out yer dead." But look at the scene again, and check out everything that's going on in the background. One of the most obvious is a woman continuously smacking a live cat up against the side of a house. A lesser comedy might have tried to make this the center of the scene, but Monty Python has enough at its disposal that it can relegate such action to the background.

The main purpose of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" seems to be undermining Britain's national legend, King Arthur. There are few things in England as sacred as the legend of King Arthur, but Monty Python shows it as little respect as they show for everything else. To them, Arthur is an overblown concept ripe for mocking. During the film's hour and a half, they manage to destroy every aspect of the Arthurian legends, right down to his kingship based on the magical sword, Excalibur ("You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!!," someone tells him in one of the film's funniest scenes of political satire). What if brave Sir Robin were actually a complete coward? What if they great Sir Launcelot were actually an overzealous nitwit who kills an entire wedding party before realizing he's in the wrong place? Monty Python answers those questions and more.

Although the film as a whole is somewhat uneven, several scenes are the stuff of comedy legend, including the Knights Who Say "Ni!," the Castle Anthrax filled with busty, sexually starved women between the ages of 16 and 19, the killer rabbit, the insulting French soldier, Sir Robin's terribly honest minstrel, the Holy Hand Grenade, and the question of whether an African or European swallow could carry a coconut. Of course, all of this sounds ridiculous on paper to someone who has never seen the movie. Well, then again, I guess it's just as ridiculous on film, but in Monty Python's deranged world, somehow it all has its own kind of logic.

One of the questions I have always asked about "Holy Grail" and Monty Python in general is, "Would it be as funny if the actors weren't British?" Granted, the film is hilarious on its own merits, but I have always been of the notion that their British accents give an extra edge to the humor. The English are stereotypically seen as snotty, upright aristocrats, whose sense of humor requires a double major in history and philosophy. I suppose it's this image that Monty Python is so eager to upend, to show that the English can be just as loony, just as ridiculous as any American.

I think they proved their point.

Overall Rating: (3.5)