A Monty Python Version Of Camelot Essay — страница 2

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itself about whether they should kill the Brave Sir Robin. After much debate they finally agree to kill him and then have tea afterward. Upon looking back at Robin though they see that he has fled. His minstrels then remind of this fact constantly, no longer singing his praises but making fun of him and calling him a coward. This leads us to our next adventure, set in the castle Anthrax. It is filled with damsels? ages 16 to 20 that would do anything for a good spanking. The adventure is ended before it even has a chance to get started though as two of the knights of the round table come to the ?rescue?, and save one of Arthur?s nearly very heroic knights. Finally we are presented with the tale of Sir Lancelot. Always on the lookout for an adventure or a damsel in distress his

squire is shot in the chest with an arrow with a letter shot from the tallest tower in the nearby castle. After some debate with his squire about the severity of his wound he enters the castle waving his sword and killing everyone in his wake. Upon reaching the tower he discovers that it was not actually a damsel in distress but a very feminine prince instead. After discovering his mistake he makes a hasty exit from the king who wants to marry him off to his new daughter in law. Some time shortly after this King Arthur and his knights are reunited and met by Tim the Enchanter. He tells them the location of the grail is written on the wall inside a cave that is guarded by a hideous and bloodthirsty beast. The Knights embark and discover that the ?beast? is actually a bunny rabbit.

After a hearty laugh Arthur sends one of his knights to kill the rodent. The rabbit viscously attacks the knight and bites off his head, much to the surprise of the King. After a failed frontal assault they call for the holy hand grenade of Antioch which promptly blows up the rodent. After entering the cave they find that they must cross the enchanted bridge and that they will find the grail at the Castle of Aaaaaaagh. While trying to leave the cave they are attacked by a huge monster that chases them throughout the cave until it finally disappears because its animator has a heart attack. After this narrow escape they come upon the bridge to find that they must answer an old man, ?these questions three?, or be cast into the pit of despair. It is here that King Arthur is able to

cash in on his knowledge of African and European swallows and the old man is himself thrown in the pit of despair. Finally they come to the castle Aaaaagh. Upon reaching it they find that the snotty Frenchmen have taken it and refuse to let them in. King Arthur retreats and summons the bulk of his forces, calling for a full attack on the castle. During mid charge the assault is interrupted by sirens and police cars arriving on the scene. The whole round table is arrested and charged for the murder of a historian earlier in the woods who was telling the story of Arthur and his knights. Throughout this film we come face to face numerous times with ideas that are in and of themselves absurd. It is through these ideas that the film gains its main comical attributes. One of the ways

in which the film accomplishes this is through its own self-consciousness as a film. It deviates from most films in that it constantly reminds you that it isn?t real. One example is when they are being chased through the cave by the monster and surely doomed. The day is saved as the monster disappears suddenly. It seams that the animator of the cartoon suffers a sudden heart attack, which they go as far as to break from the movie to show you. In the movie the idea up to that point that a monster could be living in the cave is not totally out of the realm of possibility. Especially considering some of the more insane prior action. The film breaks its own realistic expectations though when it has the knights escape the monster in this way. Another example of the films

self-consciousness would be in the scene with the prince locked in the tower by his father. It seems the prince has a tendency toward song, which the father hates. Every time he begins to sing, music starts to follow the prince?s words. His father promptly puts an end to this though, but not by making him stop singing, rather by yelling into the camera and having them stop the background music. By talking directly into the camera view it lets the viewer know that he knows he is being filmed and that it is not real. This is just one device the film uses to create absurdity, but also a very effective one. Another device that the film employs is that of anachronism. Anachronism is a method employed by introducing something from a different time period into the one being presented.