ROVING REPORTER: "Python-a-thon"

Brattle Theatre, 2009 A.D. Saturday, about tea time. The occasion was a celebration of the 40th anniversary of that witty British comedy troupe, Monty Python. The “Python-A-Thon,” which took place last weekend, was little more than an excuse to watch every Python movie back-to-back, not that there is anything wrong with that. The films were interspersed with episodes of “The Flying Circus.” The event even featured a special “Quote-A-Long” presentation of “The Holy Grail,” produced by The Action Pack. The Roving Reporter ventured forth to watch movies, bang some coconuts together, and expect the Spanish Inquisition. Holy spam!

Ned Hinkle, Creative Director of the Brattle Theatre

RR: Do you find that people really get into seeing all the movies in sequence?

NH: Yeah, I think people get a kick out of coming, especially for the big three Python movies: “Life of Brian,” “Meaning of Life,” and “The Holy Grail.”

RR: What’s your personal favorite Python movie?

NH: “Holy Grail” is my favorite, no question.

RR: Why is that?

NH: I think because I was kind of a fantasy nerd while I was growing up, so it strikes a chord with me.

RR: Are you staging a “Quote-A-Long” version of “The Holy Grail” to try to make it more interactive?

NH: Every screening of “Holy Grail” for a Monty Python fan is a “Quote-A-Long” screening, but it’s fun to have it officially sanctioned.

RR: Will you be “Quoting-A-Long”?

NH: I will probably be “Quoting-A-Long,” yes.

RR: Does that make you feel cool?

NH: No, it’s geeky. I almost got beat up in high school because I was watching “Holy Grail,” and I just couldn’t help myself but say all the lines along with the movie.

George Bragdon, Member of The Action Pack

RR: Is it hard work going through the whole movie picking out the best lines?

GB: Yes, it is actually. It’s kind of weird. You think that you watch those movies and you re-watch those movies, and you see them many times—especially for me growing up—and all of that stuff is just embedded in your brain, so to try to think, “What’s the best line?” “Who gets subtitles?” “Who do we call attention to?” It’s difficult choosing.

RR: Do you pick out all the quotes from movies because you yourself love quoting movies so much?

GB: It definitely comes from a very adolescent place of loving a movie so much and quoting them back and forth and realizing how much other people love to do that. What I really love about these shows is that there are not that many occasions when people get to geek out so much, and that’s really what we’re about. Let your geek flag fly. However much you love this movie, you can just channel it all into the experience, and it’s all about sharing the experience with everybody else.

RR: Were you a geek when you were growing up?

GB: I’m a geek now. It’s not over yet.

Ted Lester, Monty Python fan

RR: What is your name?

TL: Ted Lester.

RR: What is your quest?

TL: To seek the Holy Grail.

RR: Really? Where do you seek it?

TL: At the Brattle Street Theatre.

RR: Do you think it’s hidden away somewhere in here?

TL: Yeah, most definitely. Up in the lights.

RR: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

TL: Uh, 42. The answer’s always 42.

RR: What’s your favorite Python movie?

TL: “The Holy Grail.”

RR: Why is that?

TL: It’s got more of a plot than some of the other ones.

RR: You think Monty Python’s about the plot?

TL: No, it’s funny, but some of the other ones, like “Meaning of Life,” are just so bizarre that they’re not as much fun.

RR: What’s your favorite line?

TL: Blue, no yellowwwwww.

RR: Would you be offended if I said I’d throw you into the Gorge of Death for answering my questions wrong?

TL: No throwing me into the Gorge of Death.

—Staff writer Chris R. Kingston can be reached at kingston@fas.harvard.edu.