MONTY PTYHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam @ BIO OKO (Prague, Czech Rep.), 17/12/2015, 16:00
I regard MONTY PYTHON very highly as one of the most important teams of comedic innovations. And for a while, even cinematically, they could do no wrong, downright opening up the boundaries of film in a way that was every bit as fresh as the New Wave movements of their time, particularly from the surrealist Czech one. THE HOLY GRAIL is one of the most beloved films out of the ones they have made, and it was recently re-released in a restored version.
Due to my busy schedule, I managed to miss all the screenings aside from this one in BIO OKO, which would also be my last chance. I couldn't miss it and took a friend of mine along. Initially, under my advice, we sat down in the front row, but then I complied to my friend LUBOMIR's wishes to move back. I was happy to have him tag along, as this was the first time he ever watched the film. We both laughed the whole time, and admired the sheer creativity and rebelliousness of its nature. It wasn't the first time I had seen it, but kept spotting things that I never had before.
Kudos to the cinema for really caring about the overall experience. In the film's famous abrupt ending, they dropped the curtains as soon as it cut off, leaving an exciting impression with the viewer. Terrific.
As a side note, this was only the second time I attended a screening in BIO OKO, but they did something that I have never seen done before. Before the films starts, the projectionist introduces it, and we see him through a camera placed in the projection booth. It's a nice touch, a simple and short thing that makes each one of the screenings feel special. Well done, BIO OKO!