Fun Facts about Pythons

Otherwise known as Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, this was the first feature-length film done by the Monty Python troupe following the conclusion of Monty Python’s Flying Circus (not counting And Now for Something Completely Different, which is more a collection of sketches). Made on a shoestring budget, directed by two men who’d never helmed a film before, and rife with issues during production, it nonetheless became a cult classic and favourite film for British comedy fans. 2015 is the 40th Anniversary of the film’s release and in honour of that mark; here are ten interesting facts about this hilarious trip the Middle Ages.

Rock n’ Roll Funding

Done on an incredibly small budget, the Pythons found funding from an unlikely sources—rock bands. Groups like Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd helped get the money up for the production, with a portion of the funds coming from the Floyd’s album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” This is a trend that would continue later with The Life of Brian, when a large portion of the funding came from former Beatle George Harrison. When Harrison was asked why he funded the film, he responded “Because I wanted to see it.”

“It’s Only a Model”

While the exteriors of several castles (and a couple of models) are shown in the film, the Pythons only got permission to use one for filming interior scenes. The original plan was to use several castles owned by the National Trust of Scotland, but after the authorities read the script, they denied the group the right to film in any of the Trust’s castles, which left the Pythons with only privately owned castles as an option. Fortunately, the Earl of Moray, the owner of Doune Castle, had also given his permission. As a result, all interior castle scenes are filmed at Doune and redecorated to look like different sets. Today, the castle is open to the public and the audio tour is done by Terry Jones.