Monty Python's Life Of Brian DVD > Reviews > Romanes eunt domus! and other such phrases

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	A hilariously funny film
Disadvantages:	Some might still find it offensive

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The first time I ever saw Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) was when Channel 4 showed it as part of their banned season when I was at school (it would have been late 80s/early 90s). I sneaked a video tape in to the machine to record it as coming from a very Christian family I didn't want to upset anyone but I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about and if this film really did contain all the blasphemous content that had earned it a ban.

Imagine my surprise when a couple of nights later I came in to the living room having finished my homework to find my parents laughing away at the film I had recorded and my Dad saying to me "oh I'm glad you remembered to record this!". I thought "oh it's funny now but something will happen soon and my parents will be offended and turn it off". But as the end credits rolled we were all sat there still laughing and I had to wonder what all the fuss had been about. I'd missed the very first part of the film but on watching it, it was clear to me that this film was not about Jesus at all. It was about a man called Brian Cohen, a disaffected Jew, who happened to be born in the stable next to Jesus on the same day, who was mistakenly visited by the Magi, only to have his gifts taken away from him as they realised they were in the wrong stable and the only time he ever said he was the messiah was to try and shut a few fanatics up with one very direct command (watch the film and you'll know what I mean)! As my Dad said if people watch this and are offended then fine but if they sit and judge a film without seeing it then the only people they are making fools out of are themselves. And I have to say I agree with him.

So when planning my DVD watching schedule for the next few weeks in my Christmas wind down, I decided that I would start off with this film as I wasn't quite in the mood for a full blown Christmas movie and well it does start with a manger scene!

So what was all the fuss about? Well I suppose I can see why some people would be offended by this kind of humour and I suppose it could be considered quite close to the mark but this isn't a film which takes side swipes at Christianity or a person's direct beliefs. It is simply an exploration of the human condition in relation to separatism, fanaticism, gender equality, oppression, the need to belong and some of the more objectionable elements of religious fervour (i.e. what is done in the name of religion rather than faith). It looks at imperialism, how people are never happy with their lot and how they always complain but hardly ever do anything constructive to rectify the situation. And yes elements of the story of Jesus are touched upon but it never focuses on them. Yes it is irreverent but this is about the people who didn't take any notice of Jesus' teachings at the time but who were looking for other truths and causes. But it explores all of these issues with a mixture of intelligent and puerile humour which has not dated despite this film now being 28 years old.

Unlike their previous film Monty Python and The Holy Grail where each of the main characters has a section of the film to themselves, this film follows events and scenes which either include or directly involve Brian and it is this focus on the central character that stops this film from becoming a series of silly/funny episodes. The scenes and scenarios are beautifully crafted with the majority of the humour coming from exaggerations of everyday life in Roman occupied Judea - down to earth but with that slight touch (and one very big touch) of surreal comedy that you would expect from Monty Python.

The opening credits with Shirley Bassey style song/singing with humorous lyrics and Terry Gilliam animation shows straight away that this is not a serious film and yet as it opens into the first scene you certainly feel that the film is also a parody of some of the Biblical epics of the 1950s. The soundtrack often has that epic movie feel with lots of choral music and triumphant brass themes. But at the same time being filmed in Tunisia really gives it a sense of being in Judea at the time (30 to 33AD). So although it is a parody it has a real sense of authenticity which seems to underline the humour more than if it was filmed in Pinewood studios. But then they twist it round by giving the characters names such as Brian, Mandy, Reg and Stan as well as more traditional names such as Judith and Simon. It just shows that in the world of Monty Python nothing will ever be quite as it should be.

Both verbal and visual comedy is interwoven very cleverly so that every scene is full of the subtle and not so subtle jokes that are synonymous with this group. Simple things like beard sellers to women so they could attend a stoning (and all the people there had a suspicious level of false beards), standing at the back and mishearing The Sermon on the Mount, an ungrateful ex leper, a man wanting to have babies, having your Latin graffiti corrected by a centurion, through to speech impediments and wishing you hadn't opened your mouth because people are now listening to you are just a few examples of some of the situations which will have you giggling. Much of the puerile humour is wrapped up in visual gags or in very clever dialogue so in no way does it feel immature - it's silly but clever at the same time.

Fans of Monty Python will recognise the key players in this film, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam. This ensemble piece is extremely well written by the team and directed by Terry Jones. It sees each actor playing several notable characters, except for Graham Chapman who only takes on two as he is mainly seen on screen in the title role of Brian Cohen.

To be honest I find Brian to be quite annoying character - he's whining and you really do want to give him a big slap sometimes but then at the same time this is perfect. You are not watching a film about Brian the "hero" it is a film about Brian the "rather be sat at home left to his own devices". Chapman gives him that pathetic edge that although is quite annoying still makes him a character that you can warm to. John Cleese takes on the authoritative roles such as the Jewish official, Reg, the centurion (as well as a few more!) which he excelled at in the Python series' but with quite a large helping of Basil Fawlty in there as well. He brings a real presence to the screen even when he isn't the main character in the scene and not just because he is so much taller. Terry Jones is predominantly Mandy Cohen, Brian's mum and is basically an east end fishwife. The voice grates after a while but as annoying as it is, you can't help but giggle as he/she bumbles along coming out with her nagging and overbearing lines whilst being "nice" to the romans. Eric Idle takes on the cheeky chappy roles that he does so well and I think the real acting plaudits should go to Michael Palin. Probably his best known character in the film is Pontius Pilate but he plays a wide range of characters all of whom make you laugh but for completely different reasons. Terry Gilliam rather takes a back seat and to be honest there were times when you forget he was part of the group but he was in charge of production design and so his influence can be seen throughout the film - just not in his acting. Look out for Spike Milligan and George Harrison as well!

All in all this film is 94 minutes packed with laughs and quotable lines - it strikes the balance between intelligent and silly humour and yet still gets the message across. They do leave us with one quite useful piece of advice in the song "Always look on the bright side of life" which really sums up everything that the film was trying to say.

I would hope by now that the myths surrounding the film's alleged blasphemy have been quashed. It's just a funny film on what is slightly dodgy territory but blasphemous it certainly isn't. I can't say people won't be offended by it but I would hope not. I would thoroughly recommend this film - it has to be one of the funniest films I've ever seen.