Monty Python Gilliam’s stroke

MONTY Python star Terry Gilliam suffered a minor stroke days before winning a lengthy legal battle over his troubled film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

The 77-year-old director, pictured, was taken to hospital after falling ill at the weekend but is now understood to be recovering at home.

The Don Quixote film has been a 20year labour of love for Gilliam, plagued by production, funding and legal problems. The latest was an attempt by Portuguese producer Paulo Branco to block its premiere at the Cannes film festival, claiming he had the rights.

But a court in Paris rejected the lawsuit yesterday, clearing the way for the film to close the festival on May 19.

An elated Gilliam looked well in a photo sent to Cannes officials after the court’s decision. Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with his film’s name, he said: ‘Not dead yet. We are coming to Cannes.’