Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky
PG | 15 April 1977 (USA)
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A medieval tale with Pythonesque humour: After the death of his father the young Dennis Cooper goes to town where he has to pass several adventures. The town and the whole kingdom is threatened by a terrible monster called 'Jabberwocky'. Will Dennis make his fortune? Is anyone brave enough to defeat the monster?

Reviews
Jeanskynebu

the audience applauded

Onlinewsma

Absolutely Brilliant!

Lachlan Coulson

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

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Ginger

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

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Leofwine_draca

JABBERWOCKY feels very much like a follow-up to MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, featuring as it does an identical medieval setting, similar fantastic elements in the story, a grubby look, and many of the assembled Monty Python cast (although Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and John Cleese are notable by their absence). This one's a very loose adaptation of the Lewis Carroll poem, with Michael Palin playing a youthful idiot who must battle a legendary monster. Truth be told, this is rather a scattershot affair that never manages to be particularly funny, or at least as funny as it should be. However, it does have an excellent supporting cast of numerous faces familiar from British comedy (Bernard Bresslaw, Warren Mitchell and John Le Mesurier to name but three), so at least that's something.

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mengels-845-984419

I really don't get the guys who don't like the movie. Must be because they were not growing up in the 70ies or 80ies. We laughed our ass off watching the film. And still today the movie has some good laughs. Yes in comparison with today's movies without CGI and stupid sex jokes the younger ones don't understand this chaotic but somehow truthful to the medieval reality. Michael Palin is great as Dennis and even Terry Gilliam plays more than the usual. It just came out Remastered on Criterion and I really would recommend it to everyone.

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TheExpatriate700

Jabberwocky is Terry Gilliam's grimier follow up to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, set in a dirty, mud-strewn vision of the Middle Ages. A monster is terrorizing the kingdom of King Bruno the Questionable, and it falls to a young cooper's son to slay the beast. In the process, he must deal with an oversexed princess, a randy squire, his fat lover and her family, and enterprising beggars.Jabberwocky is a dirty, darker counterpart to the Holy Grail, with greater attention to the class issues of the Middle Ages. The cooper is faced with corrupt merchants who want to keep the monster alive, restrictions on entering cities, and terrible food. Furthermore, the monster's attacks are by and large played seriously, with considerable violence. Although all is this is played for humor, it's much less zany than the previous film.The film's main drawback is that it's overlong, with the Jabberwock not really playing a role for most of it. A bit of editing would have tightened the comedic timing, and made it funnier. Still, it is an enjoyable dark comedy and a good companion to the Holy Grail.

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phishtails

Gilliam's first "Definitely NOT a Python Film" (as it was advertised on the movie poster) is typical of an artist's early attempt to escape from the pigeonhole of an annoyingly successful run in a cult-followed genre. If you need other examples, I cite William Shatner and Douglas Adams. Though he put more gore and serious satire in this film, the comparison to "Holy Grail" cannot be avoided. Gilliam's goal of escape ultimately hurt this film as he tried to squash his own artistic intuition that nevertheless surfaces in a battered and gasping form.The satire of a war-driven economy is brilliantly done, cast starkly against the backdrop of a nonsensical poem brought to life. The choice to make "real" a completely unrealistic story to justify a society's reaction to hide behind religion and governmental protection at the cost of personal freedom and happiness is nothing short of genius. It serves as a contrast to today's society in which many have given up those same freedoms and taken refuge from a threat that is imaginary.A few bad points: The film is low-budget and overstepped the limits of its budget in a few scenes. Film equipment makes an appearance here and there, and the Jabberwocky itself is a bit hokey. The costume and prop recycling from "Holy Grail" is glaringly apparent. I think if Gilliam had embraced this fact during its conception and production, this film would have gone in a much different direction. Better production? I couldn't say.Terry Gilliam is a brilliant director who has gifted us with gems such as "Brazil", "Fear and Loathing", and "Parnassus". I hold no illusions that this has colored my review of this film and possibly even added a star or two to its grade. If I had seen this movie before other Gilliam works, I would have been a bit confused by some of the inappropriate zaniness of some scenes. As a study of Gilliam's early works, it is a great milestone in his transition from Python-to-Director.If you are unfamiliar with Terry Gilliam's later films, I recommend that you NOT see this as your first. Come back to it later though -- it's an interesting by-line to director who later found his own brilliance.

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