The Green Knight is a 2021 take on the King Arthur story. It is full of fantasy and magic, but is no less realistic for that. It tells the story of Gawain (Dev Patel), a young man who wants to be a knight more than anything. He sees his chance to prove his bravery when the Green Knight shows up on Christmas Day. The only problem is, there are rules to the game. Whatever Gawain does, however he injures the Green Knight, he must go back in a year and let the Green Knight do the same to him. He cuts the Green Knight's head off and the knight picks up his head and reminds Gawain to find him in a year. About a year later, Gawain sets off on his quest, nervous about what is to come. He is regularly tested along the way. And meets foes and friends, some familiar some not.
It's sometimes difficult to tell the true friends from the foes. The protagonist certainly has trouble with it. And Gawain might not survive this difficult trial. This seems like a serious story, certainly not a comedy, though there might be humorous moments. However, according to the movie's director, David Lowery, it was definitely influenced by a classic comedy. Did this influence the humor in The Green Knight? What is this classic comedy and how did it influence the movie?
In an interview with Fangoria, Lowery mentions the comedy and how it influenced The Green Knight. According to him, Monty Python and the Holy Grail influenced The Green Knight, particularly its look. Lowery believes that Monty Python and the Holy Grail "looks pretty darn good" and is "authentically Medieval." He and others behind The Green Knight were, at one point, unsure about how they wanted the film to look. After watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Lowery felt inspired and wanted to make a movie that seems to look like the time period in which it's set.
Unlike some other recent movies set in a similar time, they did not want to modernize the look of the story. They wanted it to look as if it was really taking place in the past. Monty Python and the Holy Grail particularly inspired the creators of The Green Knight because of how low-budget it was. Despite that, the movie managed to look realistic and fitting to its time period. The Green Knight creators felt that if those behind Monty Python and the Holy Grail could pull off a Medieval setting on such a low budget, they could definitely do so on their budget.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story, or simply haven't watched it in a while, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedic take on King Arthur's story. King Arthur (Graham Chapman) goes to find knights to join his court at Camelot. While on this journey, he and his knights are steered towards another quest: to find the Holy Grail. King Arthur and his knights eventually go their separate ways in order to find the grail.
This leads to hilarious moments such as the supposedly brave Sir Robin (Eric Idle) running away from a fight. The pure and chaste Sir Galahad (Michael Palin) is surrounded by temptation in the form of loads of single women. He is eventually "rescued" by Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), much to his dismay. Sir Lancelot goes to rescue a damsel in distress, only to find out that the person he's come to rescue is actually a young man, Prince Herbert (Terry Jones). His father is trying to force him to marry a woman he doesn't love and he sends a letter that ends up reaching Lancelot. Meanwhile, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) run into the Knights who Say Ni! and end up having to get them a shrubbery.
Eventually, King Arthur and all the Knights reunite and end up finding where they think the grail is located, Castle Aargh. Of course, nothing ends up going as planned for Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The story ends with Arthur and Sir Bedevere getting ready to storm Castle Aargh with an army, but they are promptly arrested by police officers for the demise of a historian. The police break the camera, and that's the end.
So yes, seemingly very different from The Green Knight. Yet is the humor in the two stories similar? Probably not, as the humor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is very silly, while the humor of The Green Knight is humorous but does not seem out of place in a serious tale. The Green Knight certainly has higher stakes than Monty Python and the Holy Grail, since the protagonist is risking his neck, quite literally. While in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his Knights want to find the grail because they were told by God to search for it, yet if they don't find it, they risk nothing. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is also more of an ensemble piece than The Green Knight.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail focuses on King Arthur and several of his knights, while The Green Knight is centered solely on Gawain. The Green Knight is not only more serious than Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but it has a greater focus on its protagonist. Viewers of Monty Python and the Holy Grail don't get to know the main characters in any great depth, but that is okay. Whereas viewers of The Green Knight root for Gawain and sympathize with him. This is partially because they get to know his character well.
Of course, not every viewer of both stories will agree with this assessment of them. That's fine; everyone is different. Yet according to the director of The Green Knight, Monty Python and the Holy Grail definitely influenced the film's look. Both stories definitely look appropriate for the time period they're set in. Both stories have humorous elements, although they are executed differently. And while Monty Python and the Holy Grail is definitely sillier and has less character depth than The Green Knight, its influence on the latter can still be felt.