Some of the most famous Monty Python film scenes, including the Black Knight battle, almost failed to see the light of day because the stars thought they were too silly, bloody or offensive, the films’ editor has said.
Julian Doyle, who worked on Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life and The Holy Grail as editor or special effects designer, said that Michael Palin, John Cleese and the other Pythons were “sticklers for perfection” and feared that some of the sketches would fall flat with audiences.
The Black Knight battle in The Holy Grail, which shows a defiant Cleese losing all four limbs during a duel with Graham Chapman’s King Arthur — and delivering lines such as “‘Tis but a scratch” and “Alright,
