Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Ending Explained

The film's most daring narrative turn is the interruption of the past by the present. The murder of the historian early in the film acts as a ticking clock for a modern police investigation that runs parallel to the quest. The 'twist' is that there is no epic resolution: just as Arthur and his massive army (which was mostly the crew and locals) are about to charge a castle, the police arrive in squad cars, arrest Arthur and Bedevere, and shut down the production. A policeman places his hand over the camera lens, literally ending the film. This meta-ending highlights the fact that the 'Grail' was never the point; the point was the collapse of the narrative under the weight of its own absurdity.

One popular 'fan theory' or interpretation (discussed by critics like Rob Ager) is that the knights are actually modern-day lunatics engaging in an elaborate LARP (Live Action Role Play). This theory suggests the entire 'medieval' world is a delusion, explaining why they have no horses, why they use 1970s logic, and why the police eventually arrest them for the murder of the historian. Another reading view the film as a Marxist critique of feudalism, where the 'heroes' are irrelevant aristocrats and the real victims are the articulate peasants struggling under their feet.