Posted on 10/26/2003 7:36:21 AM PST by Vince Ferrer
DOUNE, Scotland - Strange things happen to many a traveler while roaming the dark passages and chambers of Doune Castle.
They are overcome with an irresistible urge to say silly things like "Bring out your dead!" and "We are the knights who say NI!" The 14th-century castle was the location for much of the filming of the 1974 classic, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," considered by devotees one of the funniest films ever made.
Doune Castle has become something of a shrine for Monty Python fans - a holy grail of its own.
They walk through the castle reciting lines from the movie, and looking for sites where specific scenes were shot - such as the battlement where John Cleese's French soldier shouts down at King Arthur, "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Castle manager George McWilliam recalls a group of Americans who came last year to re-enact much of the movie and shoot it as a home video. They used a toy cow - the type you might find in a baby's crib - as a stand-in for the full-sized cow hurled over the battlements by King Arthur's French taunters.
McWilliam is a good sport about this, even a co-conspirator. He provides visitors with coconuts so they can wander around the grounds making the "clop-clop" sounds made by the horseless King Arthur and his sidekick, Patsy.
"We had about 23,000 visitors last year," said McWilliam. "I reckon 30 percent come because of the Python thing."
McWilliam himself is a fan of the Monty Python movies.
"My favorite is the Holy Grail. I re-enact it nearly every day with my visitors," McWilliam said, only half-kidding.
For the benefit of the uninitiated, here are some of the scenes from the movie that live on among fans as endless inside jokes:
Sharp-minded villagers deduce that a young woman is a witch because she is made of wood.
In Camelot, the knights eat "Spam a lot."
King Arthur hacks the arms and legs off the Black Knight, but it's only a flesh wound.
Sir Robin soils his armor.
A group of men, asked by Arthur to identify themselves, inspire terror by responding, "We are the knights who say NI!" They then demand a "sacrifice" in the form of "shrubbery."
Sir Galahad struggles to escape from a roomful of virgins.
And the cutest bunny in film history reveals itself to be a serial killer.
And now for something completely different.
All humor aside
Doune Castle is not a silly place. It is a Scottish national treasure, dripping with six centuries of history.
Overlooking a picturesque river just south of the brooding Scottish highlands, Doune Castle is in a region once roamed by Scottish heroes such as Robert the Bruce and William Wallace.
The 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge - in which a force led by Wallace defeated the English - took place 8 miles southeast of here.Doune Castle is considered the best-preserved medieval castle in Scotland. It was built at the end of the 14th century by Robert Stewart, the first Duke of Albany, whose story is laced with intrigue.
When the duke's brother, King Robert III, was deemed feeble and unfit to rule, his eldest son and the heir apparent, the Duke of Rothesay, was taken into custody by the Duke of Albany and died in 1402 under mysterious circumstances - some say of starvation. That left Albany the most powerful man in Scotland.
Albany governed Scotland until his death in 1420. The governorship and Doune Castle passed to his son, Murdoch. The Duke of Rothesay's brother and the rightful king, James I, returned from exile in 1424 and was crowned. Murdoch was executed for treason.
Doune Castle became a royal retreat and hunting lodge for successive kings.
During the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, some prisoners captured by the Jacobites were kept at Doune Castle. Among them was John Witherspoon, a Scottish minister and scholar who later moved to the American colonies. He became president of Princeton, a delegate to the Continental Congress for New Jersey, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Longtime attraction
For decades, Doune Castle's haunting appearance and its rich history were the attractions for visitors. Monty Python's Flying Circus has brought legions more.
While preparing to film their irreverent movie about the King Arthur legend, the British TV comedy troupe went looking for castles. They found two that were suitable - Doune Castle and another in Scotland, Stalker Castle. A third castle seen in the film is only a model.
Fans of the movie started coming to Doune Castle after reading the script book, which disclosed the film locations. Release of a special DVD version of the movie two years ago has resulted in even more visits to the castle by Python devotees.
One of the DVD's bonuses is a documentary in which two of the Python troupe - Michael Palin and Terry Jones - revisit the filming sites.
Much of the documentary is about Doune Castle, including a snippet showing McWilliam with a pair of coconuts. Palin and Jones are astonished when McWilliam tells them many of the castle's visitors come because of the Python movie.
The two Pythoners peruse movie merchandise sold at the castle gift shop. Palin notices traditional books on Scotland and its history.
"Get rid of these!" he says. "Get some Python tapes in!"
Checking things out
Jones and Palin also find the spot outside the castle where the Knights of the Round Table watched the Trojan Rabbit being pushed through the gate by the French taunters and realize they'd forgotten to hide inside the rodent on wheels.
They inspect the hall where Palin's chaste Sir Galahad found himself besieged by virgins.
"Hmm, the sex scene," says Palin.
The pair leaves Castle Doune and travels to a cave on a hill overlooking Loch Tay. It was here that three of Arthur's men were slaughtered by the film's little white bunny.
Palin and Jones finish their trip with a visit to Castle Stalker, known in the film as Castle Aargh!
The movie ends there with modern-day bobbies arresting Arthur and Sir Bedevere for the murder of a bow-tied scholar as he narrated part of the story.
Back at Doune Castle, McWilliam likes to think that Python fans learn a lot about Scotland and its history during their visits to the medieval edifice.
"I've seen about 60,000 people in the past few years," says McWilliam.
"Comments made as I chat with them tell me they are surprised at the number of rooms intact, the fact that it is over 600 years old, and a lot mention the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere," he says.
Still, McWilliam is always ready to hand out the coconuts. But you might want to first give him a shrubbery.
If you go
Getting there: Doune Castle is about 40 miles from Glasgow, Scotland and 8 miles from Stirling. Trains run regularly between Glasgow and Stirling, and there is bus service from Stirling to Doune, though the buses are less frequent on the weekends.
The Castle: Visit www.historic-scotland.gov.uk and search "Properties" section for Doune.To contact the castle by phone, call 1786-8417-42 (punch in 011-44 first if calling from the United States).
The movie: Available on video and DVD. Official website is www.sonypictures.com/cthe/montypython/ but unofficial websites abound. Type a snatch of dialogue from the movie (such as "We are the knights who say NI!") and you're likely to come up with several hits.The region: Doune is in central Scotland, less than an hour from Glasgow. Loch Lomond, Scotland's largest lake, offers beautiful vistas and hikes; old fishing villages and other historic castles dot the countryside. Nearby Stirling, just 8 miles from Doune, is the country's former royal capital, rich with history, architecture and a castle of its own. Fans of another movie, Mel Gibson's "Braveheart," will want to make a pilgrimage to the National Wallace Monument just outside Stirling, a spectacular 220-foot-high 19th-century tower built to commemorate William Wallace's exploits. From atop the tower, visitors can see across the Forth Valley and the Trossachs Hills.
Information: For more information about touring Scotland, contact Visit Britain at 877-899-8391 or www.visitbritain.com
Stuff! Nonsense! Chop-logic!
She has to weigh the same as a duck!
Besides, she turned me into a newt!
PYTHON (MONTY) PICTURES LTD in association with MICHAEL WHITE presents
Monty Python and The Holy Grail Mønti Pythøn ik den Hølie Gräilen
Written and performed by: Graham Chapman John Cleese Eric Idle Terry Gilliam Terry Jones Michael Palin Røten nik Akten Di
With Connie Booth Carol Cleveland Neil Innes Bee Duffell John Young Rita Davies Wik
Also appearing Avril Stewart Sally Kinghon Alsø wik
Also also appearing
Mark Zycon Elspeth Cameron
Mitsuko Forstater Sandy Johnson
Sandy Rose Romilly Squire
Joni Flynn Alison Walker
Loraine Ward Anna Lanski
Sally Coombe Vivienne Macdonald
Yvonne Dick Daphne Darling
Fiona Gordon Gloria Graham
Judy Lams Tracy Sneddon
Sylvia Taylor Joyce Pollner
Mary Allen
Alsø alsø wik
Camera Operator HOWARD ATHERTON
Camera Focus JOHN WELLARD
Camera Assistant ROGER PRATT
Camera Grip RAY HALL
Chargehand Electrician TERRY HUNT
Lighting TELEFILM LIGHTING SERVICE LTD
ANDREW RITCHIE & SON LTD
TECHNICOLOR
Rostrum Cameraman KENT HOUSTON
Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this yër ?
Sound Recordist GARTH MARSHALL
Sound Mixer HUGH STRAIN
Boom Swinger GODFREY KIRBY
Sound Maintenance PHILIP CHUBB
Sound Assistant ROBERT DOYLE
Dubbing Editor JOHN FOSTER
Assistant Editors JOHN MISTER, NICK GASTER,
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL ASKEW,
BRIAN PEACHEY, DANIELLE KOCHAVI
Sound Effects IAN CRAFFORD
See the løveli lakes
Continuity PENNY EYLES
Accountant BRIAN BROCKWELL
Production Secretary CHRISTINE WATT
Property Buyer BRIAN WINTERBORN
Property Master TOM RAEBURN
Property Men ROY CANNON, CHARLIE TORBETT,
MIKE KENNEDY
Catering RON HELLARD LTD.
Vehicles BUDGET RENT-A-CAR LTD
The wøndërful telephøne system
Assistant Art Director PHILIP COWLAM
Construction Manager BILL HARMAN
Carpenters NOBBY CLARK, BOB DEVINE
Painter GRAHAM BULLOCK
Stagehand JIM N. SAVERY
Rigger ED SULLIVAN
And mäni interesting furry animals
With special extra thanks to
Charlie Knode, Brian McNulty, John Gledhill, Peter Thomson, Sue Cable,
Valerie Charlton, Drew Mara, Sue Smith, Charlie Coulter, Iain Monaghan,
Steve Bennell, Bernard Belenger, Alpini McAlpine, Hugh Boyle, Dave Taylor,
Gary Cooper, Peter Saunders, Les Shepherd, Vaughn Millard, Hamish MacInnes,
Terry Mosaic, Bawn O'Beirne Ranelagh.
Made entirely on location in Scotland at Doune Castle, Castle Stalker, Killin, Glen Coe,
Arnhall Castle, Bracklim Falls, Sherriffmuir.
By Python (Monty) Pictures Limited, 20, Fitzroy Square, London W1 England.
And completed at Twickenham Film Studios, England.
Copyright (c) 1974 National Film Trustee Company Limited.
All rights reserved.
The Producers would like to thank the Forestry Commission,
Doune Admissions Ltd, Keir & Cawdor Estates, Stirling University,
and the people of Doune for their help in the making of this film.
The Characters and incidents portrayed and the names used are fictitious and
any similarity to the names, characters, or history of any person is entirely
accidental and unintentional.
Signed RICHARD M. NIXON
Including the majestik møøse
Songs NEIL INNES Additional music DEWOLFE A Møøse once bit my sister...
Costume Designer HAZEL PETHIG No realli! She was Karving her initials øn the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law -an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"...
We apologise for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible have been sacked. Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...
We apologise again for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked.
Production Manager JULIAN DOYLE
Assistant Director GERRY HARRISON
Special Effects JOHN HORTON
Choreography LEO KHARIBIAN
Fight Director & Period Consultant JOHN WALLER
Make Up Artists PEARL RASHBASS, PAM LUKE
Special Effects Photography JULIAN DOYLE
Animation Assistance LUCINDA COWELL, KATE HEPBURN
Møøse Trained by YUTTE HERMSGERVØRDENBRØTBØRDA
Lighting Cameraman TERRY BEDFORD Special Møøse Effects OLAF PROT Møøse Costumes SIGGI CHURCHILL
Designer ROY SMITH
Møøse choreographed by HORST PROT III
Miss Taylor's Møøses by HENGST DOUGLAS-HOME
Møøse trained to mix concrete and
sign complicated insurance forms by JURGEN WIGG
Editor JOHN HACKNEY
Møøses noses wiped by BJØRN IRKESTØM-SLATER WALKER
Large møøse on the left hand side
of the screen in the third scene from the
end, given a thorough grounding in Latin,
French and "O" Level Geography by BO BENN
Suggestive poses for the møøse
suggested by VIC ROTTER
Antler-care by LIV THATCHER
The directors of the firm hired to
continue the credits after the other
people had been sacked, wish it to
be known that they have just been
sacked.
The credits have been completed
in an entirely different style at great
expense and at the last minute.
Executive Producer JOHN GOLDSTONE & "RALPH" The Wonder Llama
Producer MARK FORSTATER Assisted By EARL J. LLAMA MILT Q. LLAMA III SY LLAMA MERLE Z. LLAMA IX
Directed By 40 SPECIALLY TRAINED ECUADORIAN MOUNTAIN LLAMAS 6 VENEZUELAN RED LLAMAS 142 MEXICAN WHOOPING LLAMAS 14 NORTH CHILEAN GUANACOS (CLOSELY RELATED TO THE LLAMA) REG LLAMA OF BRIXTON 76000 BATTERY LLAMAS FROM "LLAMA-FRESH" FARMS LTD. NEAR PARAGUAY and TERRY GILLIAM & TERRY JONES
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