Monty Python's Life of Brian - Criterion Collection

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"Blessed are the cheesemakers," a wise man once said. Or maybe not. But the point is Monty Python's Life of Brian is a religious satire that does not target specific religions or religious leaders (like, say, Jesus of Nazareth). Instead, it pokes fun at the mindless and fanatical among their followers--it's an attack on religious zealotry and hypocrisy--things that that fellow from Nazareth didn't particularly care for either. Nevertheless, at the time of its release in 1979, those who hadn't seen it considered it to be quite "controversial." Life of Brian, you see, is about a chap named Brian (Graham Chapman) born December 25 in a hovel not far from a soon-to-be-famous Bethlehem manger. Brian is mistaken for the messiah and therefore manipulated, abused, and exploited by various religious and political factions. And it's really, really funny. Particularly memorable bits include the brassy Shirley Bassey/James Bond-like title song; the bitter rivalry between the anti-Roman resistance groups, the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea; Michael Palin's turn as a lisping, risible Pontius Pilate; Brian urging a throng of false-idol worshippers to think for themselves--to which they reply en masse "Yes, we must think for ourselves!"; the fact that everything Brian does, including losing his sandal in an attempt to flee these wackos, is interpreted as "a sign." Life of Brian is not only one of Monty Python's funniest achievements, it's also the group's sharpest and smartest sustained satire. Blessed are the Pythons. --Jim Emerson

Description

After slaying the Arthurian legend in their now classic Holy Grail, the Pythons set their sights on the Greatest Story Ever Told. Blind faith, virgin birth, crucifixion-nothing is sacred in this epic send-up of ancient times, which draws on the cornball biblical blockbusters of the 1950s to lampoon celebrity culture in any era. Criterion has gathered the guilty parties-including John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin-for two commentary tracks as provocative and hilarious as the film itself. Available for the first time in a 16:9 enhanced transfer, Monty Python's Life of Brian can finally be viewed in all its - ahem - glory.

Customer Reviews:

Monty Python at it's finest!.......2007-09-09

Absolutly my most favorite of the Python films. A completely hysterical movie! One of the best parts is Eric Idle singing "Always look on the bright side of life" at the end.

more relevant today than ever.......2007-08-27

Most people see the obvious religious parallel in this movie, but by far the majority of the satire is political: this is a lampoon of the near-insane thinking of left-wing groups of the sixties.

Unfortunately for us today, the satire didn't help (it rarely does, since lefties have no sense of humor). These former splinter-group "revolutionaries" are now in major mainstream organizations where they weald enormous influence. The kind of cracked thinking that is so hilarious in "Brian" you can find on political sites all over the web.

Would it help if these people were tied to a chair and forced to watch "The Life of Brian"? I doubt it. They just wouldn't get it. Or they would say it applied to someone else but not to them.

So, see the movie and laugh and cry. Because "Reg" and his crew are not on the outside now. They are trying desparately to elect the next President.

This is one of those movies I can watch over and over again.......2007-08-21

My favorite scene has to be the Latin lesson. Cleese and the rest of the gang put in a gem of a performance, although it's sometimes a bit distracting with each one playing several people.

Delicious satire..........2007-07-24

This film is a great satire on the human race. No other film seems to sum up the hysteria, naivety, prejudice, suspicion, gullibility and sheer aching ignorant stupidity of the human race! Set the film in contemporary times and everybody would relish its accuracy and laugh fit to burst at our folly. However, set it in biblical times, say around the time of Christ's ministry on earth to the ignorant masses - and there are charges of it being sacrilegious? Let's not forget that Jesus' life on earth was abruptly terminated by those sensitive types who were irritated by his teachings and did not see anything amusing about him in any way.
See this film for what it is - a gentle satire on the human condition and laugh until you ache!

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!.......2007-07-21

If you have seen the musical Monty Python's SPAMalot, then there is a song in this particular movie you will no doubt recognize. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is one the puts a smile on the face whenever I listen to it. Life of Brian was outrageously fun from the beginning to the end. No doubt Python fans will enjoy the humor in this. Just enjoy it!!

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