Monty Python's Life of Brian
It's not easy being a messiah--people have ridiculously high expectations, nobody really listens to you, and you get crucified in the end! Monty Python's Life of Brian is a satirical comedy set in those heady days of the Roman occupation of Judea circa 33 A.D. (somewhere around tea time), when prophets and revolutionaries seemed to be dropping out of the sky. In the midst of the hullabaloo, a young man named Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) gets mixed up with an insurgent group called the "People's Front of Judea" (not to be confused with its similar-sounding counterparts), and is made into a symbol for a free Judea--whether he likes it or not.
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In a post-"South Park" world, the idea of Life of Brian being "offensive" seems almost quaint--it's irreverent, but it never crosses over into the cynical or (dare I say) preachy. Made in the late Seventies, the film followed a slew of popular religious productions like Jesus Christ Superstar and Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth--the latter provided sets for Life of Brian--which (it could be argued) gave audiences a "Hollywood" version of the Gospels about Jesus Christ. Life of Brian drew fire with claims that it's portrayal of Christianity was "blasphemous"; the film seems to anticipate this by way of an ironic scene where a group of women wearing fake beards prepare to stone a man for uttering the name of Jehovah. (Duck!) It's not Christianity being roasted here but an audience that misuses religion for selfish ends, including wielding it as a weapon to decry others as "blasphemous", themselves ignorant to the word of God. But the Life of Brian isn't really about convincing audiences to reevaluate their interpretation of faith--like Kevin Smith's Dogma--but is at its core a light-hearted comedy. Brian's life is concurrent with Jesus Christ's from the start; the Three Wise Men even mistake the newborn Brian's home for the birthplace of the baby Jesus. And at the risk of spoiling the ending, Brian's fate as an inadvertent martyr is no grisly affair--like The Passion of the Christ--but is surprisingly played for yuks and highlights the absurd events that led to it. Were it not for the crosses, the musical number at the end would likely be performed in a chorus line. Judea is filled with factions of revolutionaries--who hate their contemporaries with slightly different mission statements as much as the Romans--and the hapless Brian falls in with a bureaucratic leader of one named Reg (John Cleese). Brian claims that he "hates the Romans" not because of their military occupation--and not because of their contributions to "modern" living, like the aqueduct or roads--but because he learns that his mom (Terry Jones) was a loose woman, and his father was actually a Roman, ostensibly named "Naughtius Maximus". The hapless Brian bumbles his way into trouble, getting arrested by Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin) on two occasions and narrowly escaping death through the unlikely intervention of aliens--there's one for you conspiracy theorists out there.
Brian's role as a substitute savior is meant to provide contrast and perhaps context to speculation as to what life for Jesus of Nazareth was really like in Judea. It is unlikely that his life mirrored Brian's, but the film coyly suggests that even the Gospels might have been colored by the disciples' own interpretation of events. (Here I am trying to glean religious history from Hollywood, and a satire no less.) Brian becomes involved with a fellow revolutionary named "Judith Iscariot" (Sue Jones-Davies), who not only doesn't betray him, but seems to be the only person trying to prevent his crucifixion. When Brian ends up on the cross (spoilers), a reoccurring and annoying character--credited as "Mr. Cheeky" (Eric Idle)--fills the roll of one of the thieves alongside Jesus (Dismas or Gestas, take your pick); Mr. Cheeky misrepresents himself as Brian after the pseudo-messiah was to be pardoned, "stealing" Brian's chance at freedom for himself. When Jesus is delivering his Sermon on the Mount, those in the nosebleed seats literally fail to understand his gospel, debating why "cheesemakers" are blessed, and whether that is to be applied to all professionals in the dairy industry. Brian is mistaken for a messiah not because he has performed any miracles--although he did contribute to an ascetic breaking his vow of silence--but because he happened prognosticate on the street (it's not as dirty as it sounds) while evading capture by the centurions. In his flight from arrest, Brian abandons a couple of meaningless trinkets--a gourd and a sandal--which are immediately revered as holy relics by his flash mob of worshipers. Brian is arguably the only rational character in the film, and calls out the mania his followers inflict on him as indicative of other problems that they are circumventing through zealotry--be it ignorance, irresponsibility, or just boredom. Brian shares his thoughts about making the world a better place by suggesting that people think for themselves rather than blindly follow a message because others do; his audience's uniform response speaks volumes in the wisdom behind the film's humor.
Recommended for: Fans of a satire of blind devotion to a higher principle combined with silly and irreverent jokes, puns, and sight gags. Life of Brian showcases the best qualities of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe, with key members playing a multitude of parts--making Jerusalem look like it was really only populated by a half dozen people.
Brian's role as a substitute savior is meant to provide contrast and perhaps context to speculation as to what life for Jesus of Nazareth was really like in Judea. It is unlikely that his life mirrored Brian's, but the film coyly suggests that even the Gospels might have been colored by the disciples' own interpretation of events. (Here I am trying to glean religious history from Hollywood, and a satire no less.) Brian becomes involved with a fellow revolutionary named "Judith Iscariot" (Sue Jones-Davies), who not only doesn't betray him, but seems to be the only person trying to prevent his crucifixion. When Brian ends up on the cross (spoilers), a reoccurring and annoying character--credited as "Mr. Cheeky" (Eric Idle)--fills the roll of one of the thieves alongside Jesus (Dismas or Gestas, take your pick); Mr. Cheeky misrepresents himself as Brian after the pseudo-messiah was to be pardoned, "stealing" Brian's chance at freedom for himself. When Jesus is delivering his Sermon on the Mount, those in the nosebleed seats literally fail to understand his gospel, debating why "cheesemakers" are blessed, and whether that is to be applied to all professionals in the dairy industry. Brian is mistaken for a messiah not because he has performed any miracles--although he did contribute to an ascetic breaking his vow of silence--but because he happened prognosticate on the street (it's not as dirty as it sounds) while evading capture by the centurions. In his flight from arrest, Brian abandons a couple of meaningless trinkets--a gourd and a sandal--which are immediately revered as holy relics by his flash mob of worshipers. Brian is arguably the only rational character in the film, and calls out the mania his followers inflict on him as indicative of other problems that they are circumventing through zealotry--be it ignorance, irresponsibility, or just boredom. Brian shares his thoughts about making the world a better place by suggesting that people think for themselves rather than blindly follow a message because others do; his audience's uniform response speaks volumes in the wisdom behind the film's humor.
Recommended for: Fans of a satire of blind devotion to a higher principle combined with silly and irreverent jokes, puns, and sight gags. Life of Brian showcases the best qualities of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe, with key members playing a multitude of parts--making Jerusalem look like it was really only populated by a half dozen people.