Overview
A bumbling group of misfits embarks on a ludicrous quest during the Crusades, where hilarity ensues.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- grotesque
- anarchic
- classic comedy night
- italian cinema retrospective
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brancaleone's crusading party is portrayed as disorderly and absurd rather than noble or triumphant.
The feud between Gregory and Clement and the test of walking on hot coals turn papal legitimacy into a grotesque spectacle.
The company includes a dwarf, witch, leper, and masochistic penitent, while Brancaleone encounters Death in person and a witch's reincarnation.
Brancaleone moves from the deceptive sea crossing to the papal ordeal, the Holy Land, combat, and the confrontation with Death.
Films like Brancaleone at the Crusades, and why
Brancaleone at the Crusades
shared medieval setting, anarchic comedy, grotesque satire, and eccentric ensemble
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
shared irreverent period adventure, broad physical humor, and comic revisionism of heroic traditions
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
shared Italian comic sensibility, historical spectacle, and unruly ensemble of outsiders
The Holy Mountain
shared surreal medieval fantasy, macabre humor, and episodic encounters with death and the supernatural
Movie Details
- Director
- Mario Monicelli
- Release Date
- 1970-12-24
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (168)
Cast
- Vittorio Gassman
- Adolfo Celi
- Sandro Dori
- Beba Lončar
- Gigi Proietti
- Gianrico Tedeschi
- Paolo Villaggio
- Lino Toffolo
- Stefania Sandrelli
- Gianluigi Crescenzi
Common questions
- What is Brancaleone at the Crusades about?
- A blundering medieval captain leads an absurd crusading band through religious farce, grotesque trials, and supernatural peril.
- What is Brancaleone at the Crusades like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brancaleone at the Crusades as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Brancaleone at the Crusades violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Brancaleone at the Crusades as moderate.
- Which films are like Brancaleone at the Crusades?
- Films with a similar feel include Brancaleone at the Crusades, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and The Holy Mountain.
- How long is Brancaleone at the Crusades?
- Brancaleone at the Crusades runs 120 minutes.
