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The French Taunter was a character from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, portrayed by John Cleese. He was a witty, mustached French soldier who taunted and insulted King Arthur and his knights twice when they met, along with his fellow soldiers, as they hated Englishmen.
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The French Taunter is the main antagonist of the 1975 film Monty Python, and the Holy Grail.
He was portrayed by John Cleese who also played the Black Knight in the same film and King Gristle Sr. in DreamWorks' Trolls.
The French Taunter is not exactly a villain in the traditional sense of the word but rather a very obnoxious obstacle that King Arthur and his men face when trying to get the Holy Grail. He was part of a group of French soldiers who have mysteriously arrived in England and taken command of a castle which they refuse to share: he is the loudest and most insulting of them all and despite King Arthur trying to reason with him simply treats them all with contempt and denies them entry. When King Arthur and his men finally lose patience with the annoying and troublesome trickster, he and his men assault King Arthur and his group in a way that could only come from the surreal minds of Monty Python - by catapulting livestock at them (including a cow) - this forced King Arthur and his men to retreat, so in some ways the French Taunter is a villain who succeeded, albeit in a very outlandish and strange manner and for reasons that can probably never be fully explained.
Later, at the end of the movie, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere cross the Bridge Of Death to reach the Grail and discover that the Grail is in a castle across the ravine. When they approach it, they realize that the French Taunter is on the ramparts, implying that one of his earlier "insults" (telling Arthur that they already had a Holy Grail) was actually true. Arthur leaves and gathers an enormous army to attack the castle, however as they charge the modern-day police arrive, arrest Arthur and Bedevere for the murder of a historian who died earlier and shut down the film.
•Despite being considered the main antagonist, as the vast majority of the movie is about Arthur finding a way to defeat him, he has very little screen time.
•Furthermore, it is possible that the French Taunter works for the French government. Since France was a monarchy in 932 A.D. (the year the movie takes place), and was often in conflict with England due to being two major European empires, it can be assumed that the Monarch of France is the Bigger Bad with the French Taunter being the one driving the plot.
The French Taunter is a guard at a castle where King Arthur and his knights attempt to find shelter for the night in exchange for allowing the master of the castle to join in the quest for The Holy Grail. The Taunter refuses, at first hurling insults and then farm animals at the knights.
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