|
|
The Monty Python comedy troupe had to stage a last-minute castle search before shooting their Holy Grail movie because Scottish officials banned them from all the nation's historical sites.
The group was just two weeks away from filming when Department of the Environment for Scotland bosses refused the funnymen access to all their castles.
Terry Jones explains, "They considered that we'd be doing things that were inconsistent with the dignity of the fabric of the building."
Co-director and star Terry Gilliam adds, "(It was as if) a little jokery might undermine all the blood spilling that had gone on in this castle. I thought it was just extraordinary."
The troupe spent a week looking for a privately-owned castle in Scotland after determining the now-cult film should be shot there.
The Pythons eventually settled for Doune Castle in Sterling, but ran out of time to find other sites.
Jones adds, "It had to stand in for every castle."
