Monty Python’s Primary Materials

From “And Now For Something Completely Different” by Scott McLemee:

While brainstorming for their feature films Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Life of Brian, the group enjoyed reading up on the Arthurian legends and the world of Roman-occupied Palestine. And it shows. The irreverence works because there is, to begin with, a core of reverence for the primary sources [e.g., Le Mort d’Arthur and the Dead Sea Scrolls].