About Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Director

Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

Cinematography

Terry Bedford

Shot on

35mm film

Look

Color

Aspect ratio

1.66:1

King Arthur and his knights go looking for the Holy Grail and keep getting derailed by absurd obstacles. It was made on a tiny budget, which became part of the joke.

How it was made

• Camelot was a 12-foot cutout of a castle. Gilliam and Jones used forced perspective to make it look like a real location.
• The budget ruled out horses. Porters trotted behind the knights banging coconut shells together instead.
• The killer rabbit was a real white rabbit, switched with puppets for its attacks. The rabbit was covered in red liquid to look bloody.
• The troupe was denied access to most of the castles it had scouted. Doune Castle stood in for three different locations.