60 Fun Facts About Monty Python and the Holy Grail

In what year was Monty Python and the Holy Grail released?

It grossed more than any other British film shown in the US that year.

Which two Pythons directed the film?

It was the feature directorial debut for both.

Who plays King Arthur?

He also voices God and the middle head of the Three-Headed Giant.

Instead of horses, how do Arthur and his men travel?

The joke came from the old radio sound effect for hooves; the budget ruled out real horses.

The German title of the film translates as what, referencing the hoof-clopping gag?

The Hungarian title, Gyalog galopp, means 'Galloping on Foot'.

What does King Arthur cut off first from the Black Knight?

The Knight insists ''Tis but a scratch' and fights on.

What does the Black Knight say after losing an arm?

He later dismisses losing both arms as 'just a flesh wound'.

Which Python plays the Black Knight?

Gilliam plays the Green Knight the Black Knight kills at the start of the scene.

Why does Arthur turn away from Camelot?

He changes his mind after the knights perform a musical number.

Who orders Arthur to find the Holy Grail?

God is voiced by Graham Chapman and appears as a cut-out animation.

What do the French soldiers use to drive the Britons back from their castle?

They also insult the knights' mothers.

What flaw ruins the Trojan Rabbit plan?

The rabbit is flung straight back at them.

What one word terrifies Arthur's party in the woods?

The leader of the knights is played by Michael Palin.

What do the Knights Who Say 'Ni!' demand?

Later they demand a second shrubbery and that he cut down a tree with a herring.

How does Sir Robin avoid the Three-Headed Knight?

Robin is 'the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot'.

Who occupies Castle Anthrax?

Lancelot 'rescues' Galahad against his will.

Who really wrote the distress note Lancelot answers at Swamp Castle?

Lancelot slaughters much of the wedding party before realising his mistake.

Who is Tim the Enchanter?

John Cleese plays him; he warns them about the beast guarding the cave.

What guards the Cave of Caerbannog?

The knights mock it before it kills Bors, Gawain and Ector.

What does Arthur use to destroy the beast at the cave?

Brother Maynard provides it and reads its instructions from the Book of Armaments.

Arthur miscounts while using the grenade, saying 'One, two...' and then what?

Galahad corrects him: 'Three, sir!'

How was the killer beast at the cave actually filmed?

Gilliam covered the real rabbit in red liquid without its owner knowing.

At the Bridge of Death, what must each knight do to cross?

Getting one wrong flings you into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Which question stumps the bridgekeeper himself, sending him into the gorge?

Arthur asks him to clarify African or European.

How does the film end?

Cleese later said they ended it that way because they couldn't think of anything else.

Which modern-day character is murdered, triggering a police subplot?

An unknown knight on horseback kills him.

Which fortress provided most of the film's exteriors and interiors?

Shot from different angles or as hanging miniatures, it stood in for many castles.

Which Argyll stronghold appears as 'Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh' at the end?

It is a privately owned castle in Argyll.

Why did the crew rely so heavily on one location?

Permission was pulled in the two weeks before shooting, over fears of damage.

Which fortress, later Winterfell in Game of Thrones, was Holy Grail's main location?

It also plays Castle Leoch in Outlander.

How did the Pythons fund the film when no studio would?

The stars saw it as a tax write-off, with UK income tax then as high as 90%.

Which band contributed the largest rock-star investment, £31,500?

Pink Floyd put in £21,000 and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson £6,300.

Which member of Jethro Tull personally invested in the film?

He put in £6,300.

Why did Arthur's actor stop drinking during filming?

He achieved lasting sobriety three years later.

Where did the Black Knight idea come from?

He heard it in an English class at school.

Rather than an original composition, what did the film mostly use?

Neil Innes's original soundtrack was dropped for feeling too appropriate.

Which 2005 Tony-winning musical was based on the film?

Eric Idle wrote it thirty years after the film.

Who directed the original 2005 Broadway production of the film's musical?

It won three of its 14 Tony nominations, including Best Musical.

Who played King Arthur in the original Broadway version of the musical?

Hank Azaria played Lancelot and David Hyde Pierce played Sir Robin.

Which Python film did the same polls rank ABOVE Holy Grail?

Total Film readers put Holy Grail fifth, with Life of Brian first.

According to Empire, which star ordered a print of the film and watched it five times?

Empire ranked Holy Grail 18th among the best British films.

What alternative subtitle track did the 2001 DVD offer?

They were billed as 'Subtitles for People Who Don't Like the Film'.

Which Python plays the peasant Dennis, who argues about anarcho-syndicalist communes?

Terry Jones plays Dennis's mother in the same scene.

Which Python plays Sir Bedevere the Wise and Prince Herbert?

He co-directed the film with Gilliam.

Which Python plays Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave and Concorde?

He is the collector of the dead too.

Besides Patsy and the bridgekeeper, which role does Gilliam play?

His off-screen 'death' erases the Legendary Black Beast.

Which actress plays the twins Zoot and Dingo at Castle Anthrax?

Connie Booth plays the witch, Miss Islington.

In what year is the film's opening set?

The subtitles descend into a joke about a moose before the action starts.

How much was the film's original budget, split among eight investors?

That was roughly $410,000 in 1974.

What alternative ending did the Pythons reject as too expensive?

They chose the cheaper, funnier arrest ending instead.

The Holy Hand Grenade parodies which royal object?

It is a globus cruciger with a safety pin.

Who won £800,000 from the Pythons in a 2013 royalties case?

To pay it, the Pythons staged Monty Python Live (Mostly) at the O2 in 2014.

What upset the Pythons about the 1977 US TV premiere?

They pulled the rights and kept it on PBS and later cable, uncut.

What was the name of the second-best comedy in the 2011 ABC poll that placed Holy Grail second?

Holy Grail came in just behind it.

Which Welsh fortress appears in the film's very first exterior shot?

Nearly every other castle is Doune shot from different angles or a hanging miniature, with Bodiam in East Sussex standing in for the Swamp Castle exterior.

According to Eric Idle, how much did Pink Floyd invest in the film's original budget?

Terry Gilliam said the rock stars saw the film as a tax write-off, since the top UK income tax rate was then as high as 90 percent.

Which Python regular wrote several songs for the film, alongside licensed library music?

Other cues came from the De Wolfe Music Library, including 'Starlet in the Starlight' for Prince Herbert's attempts at song.

To cover the 2013 Spamalot royalties judgment, the Pythons staged a 2014 reunion show at which venue?

Monty Python Live (Mostly) ran in July 2014 after the troupe was ordered to pay producer Mark Forstater about £800,000.

The 40th-anniversary Blu-ray box set was shaped like a castle and came with what to launch?

The 2015 release also included a Q&A with the Pythons recorded at the Tribeca Film Festival.

How much did the film take in its first three weeks in London?

It went on to out-gross every other British film shown in the US in 1975, with $35,000 from its first week in New York alone.