The Black Knight is one of the most iconic and hilarious characters in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). He’s played by John Cleese and appears in a memorable early scene where King Arthur (Graham Chapman) tries to cross a tiny bridge over a small stream in the forest.
The Scene in a Nutshell
When Arthur tries to cross the bridge anyway, the Black Knight blocks his path with the classic line:
“None shall pass.”
Arthur politely explains he has no quarrel but needs to continue. The Black Knight insists, and they fight.
What Makes It Legendary
The humor escalates as Arthur progressively chops off the Black Knight’s limbs one by one with his sword:
- First the left arm → Black Knight dismisses it: “Tis but a scratch.”
- Then the right arm → “I’ve had worse.”
- Then a leg → “I’m invincible!”
- Finally the other leg → The knight is reduced to a limbless torso on the ground, still defiantly yelling:
“All right, we’ll call it a draw.”
“Come back here and I’ll bite your legs off!”
“The Black Knight always triumphs!”
Arthur and Patsy (Terry Gilliam) just walk past, with Arthur muttering something like “You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine” while the torso keeps taunting them from the dirt.
It’s a perfect satire of stubborn British machismo, chivalric honor taken to absurd extremes, and refusal to accept reality no matter how obvious the defeat. The scene brilliantly uses minimal props (just a small plank over a stream) and relies entirely on Cleese’s deadpan delivery and physical comedy.
Fun Facts
- The whole bit highlights the Pythons’ low-budget genius (coconuts for horses, this tiny “bridge,” etc.), which ties back to why rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Ian Anderson had to help fund the film.
- It’s endlessly quotable and often cited as one of the funniest sequences in cinema history. Fans still act it out line-for-line.
