Terry Gilliam: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

2. Monty Python And The Holy Grail

A common misconception about Monty Python and the Holy Grail is that Terry Gilliam was responsible only for the animated sequences and that all the live action was directed by fellow Python Terry Jones. The truth is, the direction for the film was split between the two Terrys, with Jones directing the actors and Gilliam handling the photography. It is with this in mind that The Holy Grail fully deserves a place in the Gilliam filmography - to omit it would be to do him a great disservice. Few readers will be unfamiliar with the plot even if they haven't seen the movie - King Arthur (Graham Chapman) gathers his most trusted knights and sets off across medieval England in search of the treasured Holy Grail, encountering along the way an oddball assortment of French soldiers, peasantry, witches, three-headed giants and the dreaded enchanter by the name of ... Tim. In typical Python tradition, the lead actors take on most of the parts themselves, with the silly plot playing second fiddle to an endless stream of gags, one-liners, slapstick and satire which relentlessly assaults the funny bone. Rarely does a film come along which is so inventively and gleefully stupid and entertaining - and few have endured the test of time quite so unscathed by changing tastes. Eminently quotable - from the fight with the Black Knight (declaring "tis but a scratch!" after losing a limb) to the Knights Who Say "Ni!" demanding a new shrubbery - few comedies have surpassed Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Except, perhaps, Monty Python's Life of Brian.