'Holy Grail' - Follow Only if Ye Be Men of Valour Quiz

Answer: Spike Milligan

In case you were wondering, John Cleese, star of 'Fawlty Towers', played Launcelot, Tim and about six other parts. Neil Innes played Robin's least favourite minstrel and the first of the self destructive monks. John Young played the historian and the dead body that claims it isn't.

He also play the slightly larger part of Matthias in 'Life of Brian,' the Pythons' next masterpiece. Spike Milligan, the main inspiration for Python, didn't star in 'Holy Grail' but had a cameo in 'Life of Brian' as the man who wants people to pray.

This cameo wasn't originally in the film, the Pythons just found out he was on holiday in the area and dragged him onto the set.

Answer: Terry Gilliam

He did them for 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' as well. They contain such classics as 'Conrad Poohs and his Dancing Teeth,' 'Brian Islam and Brucey,' and 'The Carnivorous Pram.' He starred in the series and films as well, his greatest performance probably as Cardinal Fang in 'The Spanish Inquisition.'

Answer: Rabbit

The good old wooden rabbit trick. Swallows are mentioned a lot in the film as well, but the statue is a rabbit. If you didn't get this one right, I suggest simmering your brain in vinegar overnight or watching the film again. Run along now.

Answer: Phoenix

None of the knights have a phoenix on their shield. Arthur and Patsy have a sun, Launcelot has a dragon, Bedevere has a tree, Galahad has a cross, and Robin has a chicken. And in case no one else noticed, Launcelot wears chainmail over his head, and you never actually see John Cleese's hair at all in the film. Galahad never wears anything over his head, but in the scene next to the gorge, a chainmail hat like Launcelot's mysteriously appears on his head, though he wasn't even wearing it when they walked towards the gorge. Oh well, I guess this isn't the most perfectly edited film. I'm being too much of a nitpicker. Sorry.

Answer: 3

The hiccuping guard and one of the heads on the three-headed knight. I put in 'not including voices' as he did the voice of God as well. "God" is in fact a photograph of the famous 19th Century English Cricketer W.G. Grace! Apparently no one wanted to play the main serious person (King Arthur), rather than lots of other silly characters, and it was only after a lot of arguing that Graham Chapman volunteered. Terry Jones says he still would have rather liked Eric to have played him. Graham was actually fighting alcoholism throughout this movie.

In the gorge scene he was so drunk he couldn't walk over the bridge and had to be doubled by the first assistant director. He played the hiccuping guard sent to guard Prince Herbert.

Answer: Laurels

"It is a good shrubbery, I like the laurels particularly." He says 'it', though that is the word that the Knights Who Say 'Ni' cannot hear. Am I the only person to notice that? How could they let that slip...Oops, I'm being picky again. I am ashamed.

Answer: Sir Galahad

This line is said in the most pathetic way possible, acted brilliantly by Michael Palin. In the same scene he chattily asks the Frenchman what he's doing in England, only to be told to mind his own business. He gives Arthur a perfect expression. Michael is fantastic in the film. God, Gallahad's so brilliant, isn't he? I'll give you three guesses as to who my favourite Python is.

The answer's at the bottom of the page.

Answer: Green

Either a gag or the fact that Terry Gilliam's animations were only watched about five minutes before editing the film. The The Legendary Black Beast of Arrrrghhh is barred from killing the knights as the animator, Terry Gilliam, suffered a fatal heart attack, and the cartoon peril was no more.

Answer: 50 pounds each

And Launcelot killed the lot, along with eight wedding guests as he heroically hacks his way through the crowd to rescue 'a fair maiden.' When he gets to the top of the tower he finds out that it is, in fact, Prince Herbert. This has got to be the biggest wedding catastrophes in film history, even worse than the groom having his legs eaten by a shark in 'License to Kill.' Actually, if you look closely, you can see one of the 'dead' guards waving at the camera. I'm not being picky, I just thought you'd find it interesting.

Answer: Lightning

Tricky one there. You can see this in the 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail' book, where it always says Lightning (crossed out) and then Concorde. He is shot accidentally by Prince Herbert, but survives without any serious injuries. He also helps Launcelot to speak a little more dramatically. He was one of nine parts played by Eric Idle.

Answer: 5

Patsy (Arthur's Noble Steed), The Green Knight, The Old Man from Scene 24, The Bridgekeeper (I guess these could be considered the same part, sorry) and Sir Bors, as well as doing the animations and co-directing. Busy guy. He appears as the animator for the film (i.e. himself) having a heart attack. Four of these character die, making him the person to die most regularly in this movie. If you want to know what I meant about the hand, his is the gorilla hand that turns the pages of the book. I assume he was wearing a glove, his hands aren't that hairy.

The human hand that the gorilla hand pulls off screen was the hand of his wife, who was the make-up artist for the film. You can tell this by looking at Terry Gilliam as the Old Man from Scene 24, where it seems he's had everything tried out on him.

Answer: 'impeccable'

One of the greatest Python songs ever written, about parallel with 'The Lumberjack Song'. "Between our quests, we sequin vests, and impersonate Clark Gable..."

Answer: False one

The witch was played by Connie Booth, who was married to John Cleese at one point. She also co-wrote and starred alongside him as the calm and capable Polly in the hilarious series, 'Fawlty Towers.' Connie bought her and John's daughter (who was about 4 years old) onto the set for the filming of the Black Knight scene.

The girl watched her father beating Terry Gilliam as the Green Knight into a pulp for some time and then whispered to Connie 'Daddy doesn't like that man, does he?'

Answer: Albatross

MONK: (reading from Bible) '...and the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orang-utans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and...'

BROTHER MAYNARD: 'Skip a bit, Brother.'
(The albatross was an important part of one of the 'Flying Circus' sketches but it's never mentioned in the film. Oh well. 'Albatross!'

Answer: Boar

This scene involves the Black Knight having all his limbs hacked off, with gallons of fake blood flying everywhere. It's entirely pointless to the plot, but it's a typical Cleese/Chapman sketch, and one of the best in the film. Chapman was going to be a doctor before becoming a Python. I suppose this explains the amount of blood featured in his sketches. If you've seen 'Meaning of Life,' you'll have probably guessed that he wrote the 'Live Organ Donor' sketch.

He did.

Answer: "Hey!"

This was after about five seconds, so it seems pretty pathetic.

Answer: 'The Tale of Sir Launcelot'

Another of Terry Gilliam's (fairly) pointless animations. When I say 'disturbed by the weather,' I mean it literally; he is disturbed by a sun and three clouds jumping up and down outside his castle and making the ground shake.

Answer: John Cleese

Other suggestions were bread, apples, cider, gravy, cherries, mud, churches, lead and various others, barely any of which actually float. The villager John Cleese played was also the one who said he had been turned into a newt. The other options also play villagers. If you look closely, you can see Eric Idle is fighting off laughter throughout this scene. During a long pause, he has to bite on his scythe to contain it.

Answer: Sir Galahad

He says 'One, two, five' before throwing the Holy Hand Grenade, even though the Monk had just read a lengthy passage from the Bible about how to count to three. I'd have thought it would be Sir Bedevere that corrected him, as he is intelligent enough to think that the world is banana-shaped.

Answer: Michael Palin

This was his only film appearance (and in a photo at that). According to IMDb and Michael himself, his name is William Palin. However, says that it was William's twin brother, Thomas. (Thank you robmeister) I hope you enjoyed the quiz. Your quest is at an end. Oh, and my favourite Python is Michael Palin.