I've watched this movie twice now but I am still very amused by it. I think it's the boldness of the subject, the keen observations of the Pythons on society and human behaviour, and the overall humor that ensues that makes this movie such a memorable one. In fact, if you read the full article on Wikipedia on the movie, you would realize that despite the fact that it is a comedy, it is in fact a very intellectual take on various aspects of our lives (religion, politics, mother-son relationships) made very accessible to the wider audience.



Life of Brian was Monty Python's second movie after their series, Monty Python and the Flying Circus, ended its run of 4 years.

From left to right: Michael Palin, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones (see my previous post for more information)

No doubt, the subject would be touchy. But as demonstrated beautifully in one BBC discussion programme, it is offensive largely to those who take an extremist view in religion, and those who pass judgement over the movie without actually seeing it. In that debate session on BBC, Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, the Bishop of Southwark, put the case against the film, with Pythons John Cleese and Michael Palin in the defending team. The debate ended with the comedians winning, as "both Pythons later felt that there had been a strange role reversal in the manner of the debate, with two young upstart comedians attempting to make serious, well-researched points, while the establishment figures engaged in cheap jibes and point scoring." Segments of the debate session can now be found in the documentary in the DVD.

Why is it so hard to look at this movie from a satirical point of view? In fact, from very early on in the movie it was established that Brian and Jesus are two different people, and Brian is simply a man born in the wrong time, the wrong place, and thrown into all the wrong circumstances. The movie is not about the religion, but about the way we humans behave within a social entity. At the end of the day, I suppose people choose to believe what they want to believe in - which really is the whole point of the movie.

Despite the huge controversy which sparked off protests, demonstrations and some really harsh words on religious grounds in the 70s when it was released, Life of Brian has managed to win over most in the public and has remained one of the most memorable movies in modern film history today.

Highly recommended read on Life of Brian with a wealth of information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_brian. All quotes in this post have been taken from there.

A timeless classic.

Description of the story

(since it's already almost 30 years old, I thought no harm posting the entire story from Wiki :P):

Brian Cohen is born in a stable a few doors from the one in which Jesus is born, a fact which initially confuses the Three Wise Men who come to praise the future King of the Jews. They manage to put up with Brian's boorish mother Mandy until they realize their mistake. Brian grows up an idealistic young man who resents the continuing Roman occupation of Judea, even after learning his father was a Roman Centurion, Naughtius Maximus - who raped Brian's mother ("You mean; you were raped?", "Well, at first, yes").

"Naughtius Maximus his name was. Promised me the known world he did. I was to be taken to Rome, House by the Forum. Slaves. Asses' milk. As much gold as I could eat."

While attending Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he becomes infatuated with an attractive young female rebel, Judith. His desire for her and hatred for the Romans lead him to join the People's Front of Judea (PFJ), one of many factious and bickering separatist movements who spend more time fighting each other than the Romans.

"Oh. I thought we were the Popular Front."

The group's cynical leader Reg gives Brian his first assignment: He must scrawl some graffiti on the wall of the governor's palace. Just as he finishes doing this, he is confronted by a passing centurion who, in disgust at Brian's faulty Lati grammer (being the infamous "Romanes eunt domus", or "the people called 'Romanes' they go the house"), forces him to write the grammatically correct message ("Romani ite domum" or "Romans, go home") 100 times. The walls of the fortress are covered in text by dawn. When the Roman guards change shift at daybreak, the new guards try to arrest Brian, but he manages to slip away with the help of Judith.

Brian then agrees to participate in a kidnapping plot by the resistance, which fails miserably (due to a clash with an "enemy" separatist faction intent on the same mission) and forces him to go on the run again. This time, he doesn't evade capture and is summoned before Pontius Pilate. He tries to get away with it by claiming to be a Roman, and the son of Naughtius Maximus, but the captain of the guards refuses to believe Brian and believes it to be a fake name, "like Silius Soddus or Biggus Dickus." Fortunately for Brian, the guards collapse into a giggling fit after an irate Pilate reveals that one of his best friends is a high-ranking centurion genuinely named Biggus Dickus, and he makes his escape.

"Anybody else feel like a little... giggle... when I mention my 'fwiend'... Biggus... Dickus?"

Following a series of misadventures, the fugitive winds up in a lineup of wannabe mystics and prophets who harangue the passing crowd in a plaza. Forced to come up with something plausible in order to blend in and keep the guards off his back, he babbles pseudo-religious nonsense which quickly attracts a small but intrigued audience. Once the guards have left, Brian tries to put the episode behind him, but has unintentionally inspired a movement; and finds that some people have started to follow him around, with even the slightest unusual occurrence being hailed as a "miracle."

"Oh, uhh, no, the point is the birds. They do all right.... and you're much more important than they are, right? So, what are you worrying about? There you are. See?"

"I'm worrying about what you have got against birds."

After slipping away from the mob (who are busy persecuting a "heretic" - actually a hermit that Brian unwittingly disturbed) and spending the night with Judith, he opens the curtains the following morning to discover that an enormous mass of people, proclaiming him the Messiah, has formed outside his mother's house. Appalled, Brian is helpless to change the peoples' minds, as his every word and action are immediately seized as a point of doctrine.

The hapless Brian cannot even find solace back at the PFJ's headquarters, where people fling their afflicted bodies at him demanding miracle cures. Reg even claims that he has booked a session at the Mount for him. After sneaking out the back, he is finally captured and scheduled to be crucified.

Meanwhile, a huge crowd of natives has assembled outside the palace, spurred on by the general feeling in the community that Brian's fellow "prophets" have been exacerbating. Pilate (together with the visiting Biggus Dickus) tries to quell the feeling of revolution, by granting them the decision on who should be pardoned. Instead they are just fed various names intended to highlight their respective speech impedements, e.g. pronouncing "Roger" as "Woger". The assembled hordes collapse to the floor in laughter at the spectacle.

Pilate eventually orders Brian's release, but various crucified people all claim to be "Brian of Nazareth" - one man stating "I'm Brian and so's my wife" - and the wrong man is released. Various other opportunities for a reprieve for Brian are denied as one by one his "allies" (including Judith) step forward to explain why they are leaving the "noble freedom fighter" hanging in the hot sun. Condemned to a long and painful death, Brian's fellow sufferers attempt to lift his and their own spirits by singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".

Absolute favourite moments:

Oh, so many of them! How do I even begin...?

I supposed the best way is to simply post the clips - those that I can find, that is.

As some of the accents can be quite strong, coupled with poor sound quality, I've managed to find full transcripts of the relavent clips from this website: http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/brian/brian.htm. This is useful in appreciating the jokes, really.

Clip 1: The People's Front of Judea discussing what the Romans had ever done for them.



In this clip:

Reg - John Cleese
Loretta/Stan - Eric Idle
Francis - Michael Palin

REG: They've bled us white, the bastards. They've taken everything we had, and not just from us, from our fathers, and from our fathers' fathers.

LORETTA: And from our fathers' fathers' fathers.

REG: Yeah.

LORETTA: And from our fathers' fathers' fathers' fathers.

REG: Yeah. All right, Stan. Don't labour the point. And what have they ever given us in return?!

XERXES: The aqueduct?

REG: What?

XERXES: The aqueduct.

REG: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that's true. Yeah.

COMMANDO #3: And the sanitation.

LORETTA: Oh, yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like?

REG: Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.

MATTHIAS: And the roads.

REG: Well, yeah. Obviously the roads. I mean, the roads go without saying, don't they? But apart from the sanitation, the aqueduct, and the roads--

COMMANDO: Irrigation.

XERXES: Medicine.

COMMANDO #2: Education.

REG: Yeah, yeah. All right. Fair enough.

COMMANDO #1: And the wine.

COMMANDOS: Oh, yes. Yeah...

FRANCIS: Yeah. Yeah, that's something we'd really miss, Reg, if the Romans left. Huh.

COMMANDO: Public baths.

LORETTA: And it's safe to walk in the streets at night now, Reg.

FRANCIS: Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order. Let's face it. They're the only ones who could in a place like this.

REG: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

XERXES: Brought peace.

REG: Oh. Peace? Shut up!


Clip 2: How the case of the mistaken identity escalated out of proportion...



In this clip:

Brian - Graham Chapman
Simon the Holy Man - Terry Jones
Arthur - John Cleese
Shoe Follower - Michael Palin
Youth - Eric Idle

[holy music]
FOLLOWERS: Master! Master!...

BRIAN: (sees Simon the Holy Man) Hey! Is there another way down? Is there another path down to the river?

SIMON THE HOLY MAN: Mmmmmmm.

BRIAN: Please! Please help me! I've got to get-- (Brian falls)

SIMON: Mm. [whump] Oh, my foot! Oh!

BRIAN: Shhhh!

SIMON: Oh, damn, damn, damn!

BRIAN: Well, I'm sorry. Shhh.

SIMON: Oh, damn, damn, and blast it!

BRIAN: I'm sorry. Shhhh!

SIMON: Don't you 'shhhh' me. Eighteen years of total silence, and you 'shhhh' me!

BRIAN: What?

SIMON: I've kept my vow for eighteen years. Not a single, recognisable, articulate sound has passed my lips.

BRIAN: Oh, please. Could you be quiet for another five minutes?

SIMON: Oh, it doesn't matter now. I might as well enjoy myself. The times in the last eighteen years I've wanted to shout and sing and scream my name out! Oh, I'm alive!

BRIAN: Shhh!

SIMON: Hava Nagila! Hava Nagila, ha ha ha! Look out. Oh, I'm alive! I'm alive! Hello birds! Hello trees! I'm alive! Get off. I'm alive! Hava Nagila. Hava the relinq--

FOLLOWERS: Master! The Master! Master! Master!...

SHOE FOLLOWER: The Master! Aha. He is here!

FRANK: Master!

FOLLOWERS: The shoe!...

ARTHUR: The shoe has brought us here!

ARTHUR and HARRY: Speak!

FOLLOWERS: Shhhhh!

ARTHUR and HARRY: Speak to us, Master! Speak to us!

BRIAN: Go away!

FOLLOWERS: A blessing! A blessing!

ARTHUR: How shall we go away, Master?!

BRIAN: Oh, just go away! Leave me alone!

SHOE FOLLOWER: Give us a sign!

ARTHUR: He has given us a sign! He has brought us to this place!

BRIAN: I didn't bring you here! You just followed me!

SHOE FOLLOWER: Oh, it's still a good sign by any standard.

ARTHUR: Master! Your people have walked many miles to be with You! They are weary and have not eaten.

BRIAN: It's not my fault they haven't eaten!

ARTHUR: There is no food in this high mountain!

BRIAN: Well, what about the juniper bushes over there?

FOLLOWERS: A miracle! A miracle! Ohh!...

SHOE FOLLOWER: He has made the bush fruitful by His words.

YOUTH: They have brought forth juniper berries.

BRIAN: Of course they've brought forth juniper berries! They're juniper bushes! What do you expect?!

ELSIE: Show us another miracle!

ARTHUR: Do not tempt Him, shallow ones! Is not the miracle of the juniper bushes enough?!

SIMON: I say, those are my juniper bushes!

ARTHUR: They are a gift from God!

SIMON: They're all I've bloody got to eat. Uhm. I say, get off those bushes! Go on! Clear off, the lot of you! Go on!

HARRY: Lord! I am affected by a bald patch.

BLIND MAN: I am healed! The Master has healed me!

BRIAN: I didn't touch him!

BLIND MAN: I was blind, and now I can see! Aargh! (falls into the hole)

FOLLOWERS: A miracle! A miracle! A miracle!

SIMON: Tell them to stop it. I hadn't said a word for eighteen years till he came along.

FOLLOWERS: A miracle! He is the Messiah!

SIMON: Well, he hurt my foot!

FOLLOWERS: Hurt my foot, Lord! Hurt my foot. Hurt mine...

ARTHUR: Hail Messiah!

BRIAN: I'm not the Messiah!

ARTHUR: I say You are, Lord, and I should know. I've followed a few.

FOLLOWERS: Hail Messiah!

BRIAN: I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand?! Honestly!

GIRL: Only the true Messiah denies His divinity.

BRIAN: What?! Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!

FOLLOWERS: He is! He is the Messiah!

BRIAN: Now, fuck off!

[silence]

ARTHUR: How shall we fuck off, O Lord?

BRIAN: Oh, just go away! Leave me alone.

SIMON: You told these people to eat my juniper berries. You break my bloody foot. You break my vow of silence, and then you try and clean up on my juniper bushes!

BRIAN: Oh, lay off!

ARTHUR: This is the Messiah, the Chosen One!

SIMON: No, he's not.

ARTHUR: An unbeliever!

FOLLOWERS: An unbeliever!

ARTHUR: Persecute! Kill the heretic!

FOLLOWERS: Kill the heretic! Kill him! Persecute! Kill!...


Clip 3: A hapless Brian tries to teach his 'followers' some valuable lessons, with hilarious results.



In this clip:

Brian - Graham Chapman
Mandy (Brian's mother) - Terry Jones
Arthur - John Cleese
Youth - Eric Idle

(Brian's mother, Mandy, has just agreed the crowd to allow her son to speak to them for just one minute)

BRIAN: But I don't really want to, Mum...

FOLLOWERS: Brian! Brian! Brian!...

BRIAN: Good morning.

FOLLOWERS: A blessing! A blessing! A blessing!...

BRIAN: No. No, please! Please! Please listen. I've got one or two things to say.

FOLLOWERS: Tell us. Tell us both of them.

BRIAN: Look. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals!

FOLLOWERS: Yes, we're all individuals!

BRIAN: You're all different!

FOLLOWERS: Yes, we are all different!

DENNIS: I'm not.

ARTHUR: Shhhh.

FOLLOWERS: Shh. Shhhh. Shhh.

BRIAN: You've all got to work it out for yourselves!

FOLLOWERS: Yes! We've got to work it out for ourselves!

BRIAN: Exactly!

FOLLOWERS: Tell us more!

BRIAN: No! That's the point! Don't let anyone tell you what to do! Otherwise-- Ow! No!

MANDY: Come on, Brian. That's enough. That's enough.

FOLLOWERS: Oooooh. That wasn't a minute!

MANDY: Oh, yes, it was.

FOLLOWERS: Oh, no, it wasn't!

MANDY: Now, stop that, and go away!

YOUTH: Excuse me.

MANDY: Yes?

YOUTH: Are you a virgin?

MANDY: I beg your pardon!

YOUTH: Well, if it's not a personal question, are you a virgin?

MANDY: 'If it's not a personal question'? How much more personal can you get? Now, piss off!

YOUTH: She is.

FOLLOWERS: Yeah. Must be. She is. Definitely...


The legacy of Life of Brian? Apart from several spin-offs, the usage of certain punchlines by politicians and being one of the highest grossing movies in both its original release and re-release in 1979 and 2004 respectively... Here's what it left behind...

From Wikipedia...

"The Life of Brian has regularly been cited as a serious contender for this title (Greatest Comedy Film of All Time), and has been named as such in polls conducted by Total Film magazine in 2000, the British TV network Channel 4 in 2006, and The Guardian newspaper in 2007. Rotten Tomatoes lists it as one of the best reviewed comedies, with a 98% approval rating from 44 published reviews.

As well as this, the BFI declared it to be the 28th best British film of all time, in their equivalent of the AFI's original 100 Years...100 Movies list. It was the seventh highest ranking comedy on this list (four of the better placed efforts were classic Ealing films).^[22] Another Channel 4 poll in 2001 named it the 23rd greatest film of all time (the only comedy which came higher on this occasion was Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, which was ranked 5th).^[23]

In addition to this, the line, "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!", spoken by Brian's mother Mandy to the crowd assembled outside her house, has been voted by readers of BOL.com the funniest line in film history.^[24] This poll also featured two of the film's other famous lines ("What have the Romans ever done for us?" and "I'm Brian and so's my wife") in the top 10."