Monty Python and the Holy Grail Question???

Question

I am writing an essay on the scene where the villagers have found a witch. I have to analyze two elements of the film and i decided acting and cinematography (camera angles) would be the easiest to analyze. I need help with writing an introductory paragraph and list one good thing and one bad thing about both the acting and the camera angles. thanks for your help

Answer 1

Cinematography is about a lot more than camera angles. Filters, lenses, lights, framing, movement, focus, etc. are all part of the cinematographer's job.

I don't have a copy of the film in front of me, but I can give you a few pointers on where to look. Remember that this is a comedy. What makes the scene funny? Would the scene be less funny if it were shot differently? I seem to recall that the camera didn't move much, but look at the way the lighting makes everything look drab and squalid. Look at the way some figures are made to look important (or self-important) and others made to look silly.

As for the acting... these are comic geniuses you're looking at. Analyzing comic performances is more difficult than analyzing dramatic ones. Listen to the accents; why are they funny? Listen to the timing and delivery of "A duck!", which is funny because of the contrast between the life-and-death decision they're making with such a silly sounding word. Consider the very precise comic timing and delivery of the debate that follows that: what is it mocking?

Basically, to analyze the acting, consider how else it could have been done. Imagine yourself as an actor in the scene, and look at it as if you'd never seen it before. What would you have done differently? Would it have been better? Did they miss any comic opportunities?

Answer 2

I think you've picked a very hard scene to analyse, compared to some others in the film.

For the acting side, I would concentrate on how they establish humour - the twisted logic of how Bedevere established witches are made of wood etc.

If you want to look at cinematography, you would be better looking earlier in the film. The opening scene where Arthur is first seen is a good example. You hear hooves before you see him, then see his head bobbing so you think he's on a horse, before its revealed he's actually miming and the "trotting" comes from his squire Patsy banging coconuts together. You can also write about how the background has skeletons on wheels, and how this motif is seen in other movies directed by Terry Jones (e.g. Erik the Viking) and Terry Gilliam (e.g. Time Bandits). You could even discuss about this motif originates in medieval manuscripts and the influence these had on the look of the scene. As this scene leads into the guards discussing swallows, you could also write about how the castle it was filmed at (Doune Castle) provided the setting for 3 different castles in the film (this one, Castle Anthrax and the castle with the french taunters), and how angles were changed so it didn't look like the same castle.

In fact you could probably write a much better essay overall using the scene from where Arthur appears to the end of the guards discussing coconuts, because there's all sorts of things you can write about the humour of the scene (african vs european swallows, Arthur's exasperation at trying to get an answer etc).

Hope this isn't too confusing.

Answer 3

17

Answer 4

King of Swamp fortress: Please! it truly is meant to be a contented celebration. enable's not bicker and argue over who killed who. God: every time i attempt to search for suggestion from with someone this is "sorry this" and "forgive me that" and "i'm not worth"... i love the scene the position each of the limb get shrink off of that black knight (human being/component) and he finally ends up merely being a head!!! lol