In the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail we see many different castle locations that the knights visit in their journeys. However, only a couple castles were actually used in the filming of the movie. The two castles that were used were Doune Castle and Castle Stalker. Because of this they had to get a bit creative during filming to create the illusion of multiple locations. Most of the movie was shot in the highlands of Scotland.
Pictured above is the Doune Castle. This Castle was originally built in the 13th century. Many of the scenes in the film that took place in a castle were shot at this location. For example the scene inside Camelot that portrayed the knights drinking and partying was done here. The use of tight shots was employed to maintain the illusion of various castle locations.
The other castle used was the Castle Stalker. This was only used in the final scene of the film, known as "The castle of Aaarrgghh." Castle Stalker, just like the rest of the film locations is located in Scotland. This Castle was originally built in 1320 as a small fort. Nowadays Castle Stalker is a great tour spot in Scotland.
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I love that the film directors used real castles to film several of their locations. Though we all know that Monty Python is supposed to be pure comedy, it's great to see real castles being utilized and revered in movies like these!
ReplyDeleteLow budget projects really make the most of movie magic. Since one of the creators of the movie received a degree in medieval studies, it's interesting to see how much realism of the era is able to sneak into the Holy Grail!
ReplyDeleteIt's so cool that real castles were used in Monty Python! I suspected that the filming was done in Scotland since it the country was so beautiful. The castle was pretty too.
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