Jeremy Urquhart is a writer at Collider who focuses on the Godzilla series, the films of Martin Scorsese, and anything in the action genre.
Ranking among the most well-known comedy troupes of all time – arguably even being #1 – Monty Python has a vast legacy of television skits, live performances, and movies that have endured and stayed funny over decades.
The six members – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin – formed the group in 1969, working in television and film for almost 15 years before disbanding but then reuniting several times in the years since 1983. COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Monty Python had a knack for crafting instantly iconic gags, mixing clever wordplay, satire, dark humor, and absurdist comedy all at once, and creating numerous skits and scenes that have proven highly quotable. While some of the group’s material might be over-quoted, that doesn’t take away from how funny much of it still is, or, at worst, how funny it once was before over-exposure. The following quotes are some of the very best and funniest, ranked below in a way that will hopefully anger as few people as possible . 10 "It's just a flesh wound." 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' The most popular thing Monty Python ever made was the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and honestly, that’s okay. It sees the comedy troupe travel into the realm of live-action fantasy, putting a distinctly comedic spin on the legend of King Arthur, depicting a search for the titular Holy Grail that proves chaotic, nonsensical, absurd, and almost always hilarious. There’s the loosest of narratives to be found in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but it does mostly feel like a collection of skits, and that’s perfectly fine when the skits are this funny. King Arthur encountering the seemingly unkillable Black Knight is one of the best individual scenes, with a memorably silly sword fight ensuing. The Black Knight declaring injuries that involve the complete loss of limbs as “flesh wounds” or being just “a scratch” never really gets old.Release Date May 25, 1975 Director Terry Gilliam , Terry Jones Cast Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam , Terry Jones , Michael Palin Runtime 91 minutes Watch on Netflix 9 "It's a Mr. Death or something. He's come about the Reaping? I don't think we need any at the moment." 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life' Monty Python's The Meaning of Life was the final film the comedy troupe made together, as future recorded stage shows and documentaries lacked founding member Graham Chapman, who passed away in 1989. It’s commonly seen as containing lesser material by the troupe’s high standards, but the “worst” Monty Python film or series is still leagues funnier than many comparable works out there. The Meaning of Life is a sketch comedy movie, with a concept rather than a story: each sequence aims to look at the ever-broad theme of life and all its stages. Naturally, near the end, things turn towards the topic of death, with Monty Python handling such a heavy concept in their typically irreverent and nonchalant way. The Grim Reaper appears to a group of people having a dinner party who all collectively disagree when the personification of Death itself tells them they have ceased to be; that they’re ex-people. 8 "All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?" 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' Causing a stir upon release, and sometimes still considered controversial, Monty Python’s The Life of Brian might also represent Monty Python at its most effectively satirical and even thought-provoking. It tells a story about an unassuming man named Brian, who was born at the same time as Jesus Christ and found himself mistaken for the Messiah. It sounds provocative, but very little of it actually makes fun of Jesus, with Monty Python criticizing the concept of blind faith and those who use religion as a means to control people instead. During Brian’s chaotic and tragically short life, he gets mixed up with the People's Front of Judea , a group composed of rather useless revolutionaries. Their meetings and in-fighting prove a good source of comedy, particularly the famed “What have the Romans ever done for us?” scene.Release Date August 17, 1979 Director Terry Jones Cast Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle , Terry Jones , Michael Palin Runtime 94 Main Genre Comedy Watch on Netflix 7 "Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!" 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Before playing a role in bringing the entire movie to an abrupt end, the unnamed French Taunter proves himself to be one of the highlights of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He does exactly what his title suggests: mercilessly annoys and trolls King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table from atop a castle wall, all with his outrageous French accent, of course. Everything that comes out of the French Taunter’s mouth is comedy gold, with the icing on the cake being that he and his soldiers are also willing to fire a cow – via catapult – at the knights. As for his best line? It’s hard to go past the wonderfully blunt, “Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time.” Truly, the character is a testament to the fact that words can sometimes be more destructive and frustrating than actions. 6 "And finally, a wafer-thin mint." 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life' Of all the sequences found in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, the most infamous is arguably the Mr. Creosote scene, which features a comically large and gluttonous man dining at a high-class restaurant. He’s apparently stuffed with so much food that the sheer act of walking into the restaurant causes him to projectile vomit all over the place as soon as he sits down, and things just get messier once he starts eating. It's an absolutely disgusting scene, and was bad enough that even Quentin Tarantino – who’s directed his fair share of shocking sequences – himself felt nauseated while watching it. Still, for those who don’t mind a bit of gross-out comedy, the Mr. Creosote skit pushes things so far that the entire thing might wrap back around and become hilarious. At the very least, the scene’s pay-off, which involves a “wafer-thin mint,” is amazing. 5 "I think it was 'Blessed are the cheesemakers.'" 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' An early scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian features the titular character, his mother, and a handful of other people showing up to Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount late. Just as is the case with ill-prepared concertgoers in the 20th and 21st centuries, this results in the group having to listen to the famed sermon from a great distance, ultimately hearing very little of it. During a conversation about what’s being said, someone suggests that Jesus’s declaration of “Blessed are the peacemakers” was actually “Blessed are the cheesemakers.” Trying to find meaning out of non-meaningful things becomes a running joke and source of commentary in Life of Brian, established here by someone saying, “Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.” It’s just a quintessentially Pythonesque sequence all around. 4 "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' Ironically, you can expect the Spanish Inquisition scene that originated in the classic series, Monty Python's Flying Circus, to be included among the troupe’s best-known skits. Of course, the actual Spanish Inquisition wasn’t particularly funny for those targeted, with it being an institution that existed for hundreds of years and was intended to identify and root out heresy within the Catholic Church. The original sketch involves a character expressing frustration with a question, claiming they weren’t expecting “a Spanish inquisition,” prompting actual members of the Inquisition to come out of nowhere and say that "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Ineffective questioning and torture methods then ensue. It’s a funny sketch of course, but it’s also the kind of quote that sounds great as a non-sequitur, and a line that’s become one of the most well-recognized from Monty Python’s original sketch comedy TV series.Release Date October 5, 1969 Cast Graham Chapman , Michael Palin , Terry Jones , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam Main Genre Comedy Seasons 4 Watch on Netflix 3 "Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony." 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Like the Black Knight sequence, the scene where King Arthur encounters some well-spoken peasants with strong anti-monarchy views occurs relatively early on in the classic comedy that is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They’re unimpressed with the fact that Arthur is purportedly a king, and remain unconvinced when he tries to tell them about how he came across the mythical sword known as Excalibur. One of the peasants, apparently called “Dennis,” makes some persuasive points about the ridiculousness of King Arthur’s status and how he views himself, and if you want to read into it, such points could still be broadly made about certain monarchies that exist to this day. It’s a wordy and rather political scene, but the fact it’s verbose and extended just makes it funnier, especially dialogue like “strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.” 2 "This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker… This is an ex-parrot!" 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' Even before the making of any groundbreaking films, the members of Monty Python were well-established comedic legends from Monty Python's Flying Circus alone, which ran for four seasons and had a total of 45 episodes. With numerous sketches to choose from, one of the simplest and silliest is also the best: the infamous dead parrot sketch, which revolves around a customer desperately trying to get a refund from a shopkeeper after purchasing the titular bird. From there, the sketch milks all the comedy it can out of such a simple premise, concluding with John Cleese’s character dropping the immortal tirade that ends with the declaration that his parrot “is an ex-parrot.” Decades of being quoted might well have made this whole sketch unfunny or overplayed, but again, something does have to be instantly memorable and hilarious for it to reach the point of over-exposure. Long live the sketch about the dead pet bird. 1 "He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!" 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' Monty Python’s Life of Brian is a surprisingly good Easter movie, playing out against the backdrop of more familiar events and situations while exploring the ways in which religious institutions can lead people astray or do harm. Brian himself becomes a victim, given he’s unjustly declared a Messiah, which leads to him finding next-to-no peace in his life and eventually being persecuted by those in power with deadly results. Just as troubling for Brian is his overbearing mother, played expertly by Terry Jones, who seemed to be the Monty Python member most often cast in the female roles out of the core six. Addressing Brian’s countless followers and trying to get them to go away with the declaration that “He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!” is probably the single funniest moment of any Monty Python movie or series. Also, the Dune crossover jokes basically write themselves.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Is San Francisco still liberal?’ is a silly questionThe debate as to whether San Francisco can still be considered liberal or progressive is, to borrow the Monty Python line, *rather silly.*
Read more »
Funny Movie Quotes and Iconic Lines From Classic Comedy FilmsSarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.
Read more »
15 Funniest Far Side Comics About GoldfishThe funniest Far Side fish.
Read more »
Singe Mom Quotes: 40 Quotes To Honor The Strength Of Single MomsKristian is an editorial intern for TODAY.com.
Read more »
15 Positively Hilarious Fails From The Internet This Week That Make Me Glad I'm Chronically Online To See Them AllCompilation of the funniest fails on the internet this week, in no particular order.
Read more »
Loss Of Mother Quotes: 42 Quotes That Honor The Special BondKristian is an editorial intern for TODAY.com.
Read more »