Monty Python holy grail

[Jim Schrader]

How many reels were released by Walton on this title? Is the ending ever been released?

[Mark Williams]

Only 2 x 400ft were issued by Walton here in the UK, which make a nicely edition digest.

However, an optical sound edited airline print was also issued for airline use only but a few prints did make it onto the UK collectors circuit.

[Osi Osgood]

Mark is right. Perry's Films, many years ago, had one available, and it sold, the day I saw it, grrrrr! Bring out your dead!

[Jim Schrader]

I was watching mine and was wondering why the rest was never released?

[Brian Fretwell]

Well there was one review that said the Walton prints had low picture quality for a release from a recent film. Perhaps that put sales down and a 4x400ft was not considered viable.

[Phil Moors]

Jim, I believe that Walton were going to release a final reel featuring The Bridge of Death, but went out of business before they could release it. As regards print quality I thought that part 2 was best. My part 1 weaved about on my print which is more acceptable full frame, but this was letterboxed so was more noticeable. Great film though. It’s one of those films that shouldn’t be cut, it’s so good. When I went to see it at the cinema it was full of students smoking and the image was being affected?

[Mark Williams]

Can you imagine the cuts to the UK optical airline print?

Strangely it only got awarded an A certificate by the British censors back in 1975 with a small cut for the F word, I think a lot of the sophisticated humour flew over there head!!

They had a policy at the time that any TV spin off series should be given a non restrictive certificate as you could see the same sort of stuff during peak time TV.

It was the opposite to the USA where a TV series would be a spin off of a successful film like MASH.

[Maurice Leakey]

I remember showing this at the Classic Taunton (Somerset).
The film didn't have a "The End" title, just a hand obliterated the screen.
To the audience it looked like some form of projectionist mistake, particularly as our first showing had a white sheet, we soon learnt to draw the tabs over the last scene but it never looked right.

[Stuart Reid]

I'm lucky enough to have a low fade 16mm feature print of this.