Making Light of the Dark Ages: The Best Medieval Comedies

Between bloody crusades, rampant plagues, and the general squalor of life there wasn't much to laugh about in the medieval period. That hasn't stopped some of the finest comic minds in film from taking those dark times and mining them for comedy gold. The recent release of "Your Highness" is only the latest medieval comedy to hit theaters. It joins a short but diverse list of films the best of which never cease to draw laughs.

The reigning king of the medieval comedy without question has to be "Mony Python and the Holy Grail." Following their successful TV show the famed British comedy troupe gave their fractured take on the legend of King Arthur. With Arthur serving as the straight man the film surrounds him with the most insane characters antics imaginable. Black knights who refuse to yield even after having all their limbs chopped off, catapulted cows and a killer bunny rabbit are just the start of this endlessly quotable comedy triumph.

On the more subdued end of the spectrum stands "The Princess Bride." This classic adventure tale may not contain jokes as blunt as some films but its wit is ever-present. This story of true love conquering all odds is a modern take on the classic swashbuckling stories of another era. There's wonderful humorous touches such as wrestler Andre the Giant as a gentle kidnapper, Christopher Guest as a sadist with six fingers on one hand and Billy Crystal as a cranky miracle worker. This film has become truly timeless and holds up just as well now as when it was first released.

On the more irreverent side "The Princess Bride" star Cary Elwes also brought his sharp and witty delivery to Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." While the story mainly spoofs Kevin Costner's version Elwes himself evokes Errol Flynn. Brooks tones down his often adult humor just enough to get a PG-13 rating but he still keeps his edge between Robin's blind perverted servant, Maid Marion stuck in a chastity belt and a few choice circumcision jokes. As a bonus viewers can catch future comic super-star Dave Chapelle in one of his early roles as Achoo.

Disney dipped into medieval comedy with their animated "The Sword in the Stone" which tackles T.H. White's classic novel. In this take on the early life of King Arthur, the future king is a scrawny boy called Wart. When he encounters the wizard Merlin everything changes. Merlin knows what's in store for the boy so he tries to tutor him, often turning Wart into animals to make a point. There's a wolf hunting Wart who is in the Wile E. Coyote vein, but the best humor comes from Merlin knowing the future. His constant whining about the state of the world during the dark ages, such as the lack of plumbing and electricity, makes for many clever jokes.

Rounding things out is Sam Raimi's slapstick conclusion to his "Evil Dead" trilogy: "Army of Darkness." In this action/horror/comedy Bruce Campbell plays the tough but moronic Ash who is cast back in time by an evil book. Ash has no interest in being a hero, he's frankly too selfish for it, but he has little choice if he's ever to get home. This R rated flick maintains the gore of the previous entries but the comedy reaches Three Stooges levels with Campbell literally being slapped around by skeletal hands at one point. A truly insane film that has left fans clamoring for another entry for almost 20 years and quoting Ash every step of the way. "Hail to the King baby."