Review of Life of Brian (1979) by Derek T — 09 Apr 2012

I have now filled in one of my major pop culture gaps, as I had never seen the classic comedy until I decided that it seemed oddly appropriate to watch Monty Python's take on the story of Jesus over the Easter weekend.

Each scene is in its own way memorable: Brian mishearing the Sermon on the Mount; the Pharisee dealing with a public stoning; the Roman centurion at night; Brian encountering Pilate for the first time; the Judean Peoples' Front meetings; the meeting with the mountain ascetic; meeting the crowd outside his house; and, of course, the crucifixion.

Each scene contains that Pythonesque sense of sublime non-sequitor humour, and their wit and satire remain razor-sharp throughout the film (though I think I still prefer Holy Grail). I find it interesting that there was such an outrage toward the "blasphemy and sacrilege" of this movie when it was released.

It seemed that the movie did more to satirize the general political climate of Rome and the modern interpretation of that climate than it did Jesus; in fact, I'd say that it affirmed who Jesus was more than it detracted from it.

Life of Brian has earned a deserved place in my "silly movies" catalog, and I will definitely watch it again - maybe at Christmas next time. And maybe by then, I'll have "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" out of my head.