Witness for yourself the inspired lunacy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail like never before, when Edmond Town Hall Theatre hosts the return of the Sunday Cinema Series.

Introduced in 2014 and featuring classic films — all from 1939, “The Greatest Year in Film” — the Sunday series returns this year with occasional screenings of films that are equally classic in their own right.

On Sunday, June 28, attendees will be treated to a 40th anniversary screening of Monty Python’s first full-length film, shown in its highest definition ever. Screenings will be at 4 and 7 pm. There will also be a screening of The Lost Animations, the new feature by Monty Python troupe member Terry Gilliam, as an extra treat.

All ages are welcome, and costumes — and coconuts, according to series creator Jen Rogers — are definitely encouraged.

Monty Python was a British comedy group that developed a cult following through their British sketch comedy series, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” which was broadcast by the BCC from 1969 until 1974. In addition to Mr Gilliam, members included Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

For their first “proper” film, the historically irreverent Monty Python and the Holy Grail was set in England, 932 AD, and followed King Arthur as he enlisted Knights to join his round table in Camelot. Soon, they are sent on a quest by God to seek the Holy Grail, facing ridiculous obstacles at every turn.

The film had a budget of about $400,000, forcing creative solutions which worked to brilliant comic advantage. Mr Gilliam said in March, prior to special screenings at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, it was “amazing how lack of money saved us from mediocrity.”

“We couldn’t afford real horses,” said Mr Gilliam, who co-directed the film with Terry Jones. “So instead, the knight’s porters clap coconut shells as they ‘ride’ through the countryside.”

The film was voted second best comedy movie of all time in the 2011 ABC-People magazine special, “Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time.”

It was named an OFTA Film Hall of Fame winner in 2014 by the Online Film & Television Association.

“I don’t think there is a single scene in this film that isn’t quotable; fans laugh all the way through it,” says series creator Ms Rogers.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is rated PG, and has a running time of 91 minutes.

Tickets for all shows are $2. All proceeds and donations will support the Edmond Town Hall Theater improvements.

Series Programs

Additional programs for the 2015 Sunday Cinema Series will include screenings of Casablanca on Sunday, July 19; Some Like It Hot on Wednesday, August 19; Breakfast at Tiffany’s on Sunday, November 8; and The Sound of Music on Sunday, December 13. 

Please note the August screenings are going to be on a Wednesday, and the afternoon showing will be at 1 instead of 4. 

This film series is presented by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, and is sponsored by Filet of Newtown and The Hook of Sandy Hook. The screenings of Casablanca is being sponsored by the Law Offices of James O. Gaston.

Visit Sunday Cinema Series on Facebook and NewtownArtsCommission.org for additional information.