An Underseen '70s Fantasy Movie On Prime Video Is Perfect For Monty Python Fans

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is considered by many to be one of the funniest movies ever made. The Arthurian hijinks, which involve everything from a spirited Black Knight who refuses to yield — even after all of his limbs have been cut off — to a confrontation with the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog (a beast that can only be bested via the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch), are utterly inspired and endlessly quotable. It's a film kids tend to discover in their early teens, at which point they become Python fans for life. They thereafter seek out the entire run of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and cue up the troupe's other narrative features, "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (their best work) and "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (a hit-or-miss affair).

Once you get past Monty Python's official works, you'll obviously want to check out Python-adjacent flicks like "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Fierce Creatures," as well as John Cleese and Connie Booth's sublime British sitcom "Fawlty Towers." Then, after you've plowed through these entertainments, you might be surprised to learn Terry Gilliam directed another Dark Ages-set, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"-esque comedy in the form of 1977's "Jabberwocky."

The film, Gilliam's first solo effort as a director, doesn't get a lot of attention because it's wildly uneven. There are some big laughs and one truly inspired set piece, but it generally plays as a dry run for the sporadically brilliant career Gilliam would launch four years later with the wonderful "Time Bandits." Still, if you're gaga for the Python boys, it's well worth watching while it's available on Prime Video.

One significant reason "Jabberwocky" looks like a sequel of sorts to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is that it was shot by the latter film's cinematographer, Terry Bedford. When I was young, I would occasionally run across "Jabberwocky" on The Movie Channel and think I was watching "Holy Grail" for a few minutes.

The film stars Michael Palin as Dennis Cooper, a, well, cooper who, after getting disowned by his father from the old man's deathbed, sets out on an adventure to find a place for himself in a dingy, cutthroat world. He moves to his land's capital city, which is ruled by King Bruno the Questionable (Max Wall). The village is filled with refugees who've fled the outer regions for fear of being eaten by a dragon-like monster. Ultimately, Dennis' efforts to find steady work and a home dovetails with King Bruno's obsession with killing this person-eating beast. When a jousting competition to find a man worthy of hunting and killing the monster proves prohibitively bloody, Bruno is persuaded to settle the matter with a game of hide-and-seek. This is the set piece I was talking about.

"Jabberwocky" isn't bad, but it's generally for Monty Python/Terry Gilliam completists. You can see Gilliam developing his distinct visual style throughout the movie, and you'll also get to see the physical incarnation of Darth Vader, David Prowse, play the hulking Red Herring. It's a little long at 106 minutes, but the laughs, when they come, are worth it.