You Lucky, Jammy Bastards!

First, a DISCLAIMER from Pontius Pilate:

Last night, I dweamed thwee fwightening weels of Woger Wabbit. I weally wequire that weaders of this weview wealize that it welates to the "Life of Bwian" wather than my dweam of the unwuly wabbit.

Thank you, Pontius [titter, titter]. Now, weturning . . errr, returning to our review of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979).

Historical Background: The Life of Brian created a tremendous uproar when it was released in 1979. It was banned in several countries, boycotted all across the Bible Belt in America, and condemned by the Catholic Church. The charge, of course, was blasphemy. Since I know nothing about the notion of "blasphemy," I'll refrain from any lawyerly analysis of whether the film is blasphemous. It's often been said that a Monty Python film is only effective if it offends everyone in the audience at least once. I found the film outrageously offensive and, therefore, delightful. When EMI withdrew its financial backing for the film because of the brewing controversy, former Beatle George Harrison promptly stepped in to save the project, proving that there are signs of intelligent life on earth after all.

The filming of The Life of Brian was something of a reunion for the six stalwarts of the Monty Python troupe. They had disbanded in the mid-seventies, but in 1979, were still close enough to that time when they worked together daily to retain most of the improvisational camaraderie for which they were famous. The previous Python film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), had been co-directed by the two Terrys, Jones and Gilliam, but that arrangement had proved unwieldy, so it was decided that Jones alone would direct The Life of Brian, with Gilliam providing production design.

The Story: The story opens at the dawn of the first millennium, with Three Wisemen traipsing across the desert, following a comet in the direction of Jerusalem. There, the silly Wisemen mistake the infant Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) for the Savior, born a few mangers down the street at the same time. After realizing their mistake, they unceremoniously reclaim the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that they had initially left with Brian's mother, Mandy (Terry Jones).

Time passes and Brian grows up to become a pimply, sex-obsessed adolescent. To his consternation, Brian discovers that mum is no virgin. Times are tough for a single-mom, so she entertains Roman soldiers, now and then. Brian even learns that he's only half Jewish, though denying it adamantly. "I'm not a Roman, mum," he exclaims, "I'm a kike, a yid, a hook-nose, I'm kosher, mum, I'm a Red Sea pedestrian, and proud of it!"

Out for a Sunday walk, Brian and his mum stop to hear the hot new prophet, one Jesus of Nazareth, delivering the "Sermon of the Mount." Being in the back of the crowd, however, they find some of the passages difficult to catch. One neighboring man tells his wife, "I think it was 'Blessed are the Cheesemakers.'" She replies, "What's so special about the cheesemakers? Another man clarifies the point, "It's not meant to be taken literally. Obviously it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products." After a fight breaks out between Gregory and a man who picks his big nose, Brian and his mum continue on to a stoning. Along the way, they purchase some pointed stones and a flat one.

Women aren't allowed to attend stonings, so one nearby concession sells fake beards for the ladies. A Pharisee (John Cleese), who is overseeing the stoning of the blasphemer, has difficulty controlling the unruly crowd. He insists that none of them are to throw stones until he blows his whistle, even if someone should say "Jehovah." Thereupon, he is immediately stoned to death.

Back home, Brian decides to join up with a rebellious group of Jews, the Peoples' Front of Judea (PFJ), headed by Reg (John Cleese). They're mostly all talk and no action, except when they plan a surreptitious entry into the palace to kidnap Pilate's wife. They'll take her hostage and issue demands. The drafting of the demands illustrates the group's contentious nature. Reg wants to begin with an assertion that it's been all take and no give with the Romans. He asks the others, "Apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and the freshwater system and baths and public order, what have the Romans done for us?" Xerxes responds, "Brought peace!" Reg angrily retorts, "What? Oh, peace, yes. Shut up!"

During the palace raid, the PFJ encounters a rival group with precisely the same intent. They fight one another and are all killed except Brian, who is taken prisoner by the Romans and thrown into a cell, where another man is shackled to a wall. The man counts himself lucky because today he is chained right side up instead of upside down. He's been hanging there for five years and has learned great respect for the Romans. They demand an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. He's jealous that Brian will be merely crucified and thus able to die in just a couple of days. He accuses the guard of favoritism when the guard spits in Brian's face but not his own. "Wonderful race, these Romans," he declares in all sincerity. Later, the man yells to a cross-laden multitude, on their way to crucifixion, "You lucky, jammy bastards!"

Brian is taken before Pontius Pilate, who speaks with a ridiculous speech impediment. Every "r" comes out as a "w." [See the disclaimer above.] He sounds very widiculous for a Woman and his guards can hardly westrain their giggles. Brian escapes during the confusion, fleeing to the top of a tower, where he falls, but is miraculously saved by a passing spaceship. When it crashes on the ground below, the Centurion guards are once again on Brian's trail. He tries to hide out in the marketplace, where he is obliged to haggle with a vendor. Later, he does a brief stint as a prophet, impressing none of the listeners with his incoherent babble – until he mysteriously refuses to complete one sentence. The listeners become convinced that the unspoken ending of that sentence must have held the key to the mystery of life. Soon, Brian has inexplicably acquired a multitude of devoted followers, despite his protestations that he is no messiah. Miracles seemingly crop up all over.

Back home, Brian experiences the most genuine of miracles with the comely Judith, with whom he loses his virginity and partakes in mutual full frontal nudity. Still, the multitude waits outside, hanging on his every pronouncement. To his mother, however, he's just "a very naughty boy."

Brian is ultimately recaptured by the Romans and joins another 139 unfortunates scheduled for crucifixion in celebration of Passover. Pilate will address the restive crowd gathered outside. "Wome is your fwiend," he declares, solemnly. Pilate has had a pal rushed in from Rome, Biggus Dickus (Graham Chapman), who has a lisp as prominent as Pilate's problem with "r"'s. The crowd is to be permitted to name one of the scheduled crucifees for reprieve. They ask for "Roger" and then "Reginald," simply for the joy of hearing Pilate mispronounce the names as "Woger" and "Weginald." Never mind that there are no captives with those names. The crowd insists that Woger is a wobber and a wapist. Then the crowd runs Biggus Dickus through his lisp-laden paces with "Samson the Sadducee Strangler, Silus the Assyrian Assassin, and several seditious scribes from Caesarea." Judith suddenly arrives and suggests "Brian," as an alternative. Pilate is delighted to end the farce by approving the release of "Bwian."

By then, however, Brian and his 139 mostly Jewish compatriots (one is a hated Samaritan, tainting what was supposed to be an all-Jewish crucifixion area) have all been strung up. When word comes that Brian is to be taken down, each of the unfortunates declares himself Brian. Brian is also not saved by the "rescue committee" of the PFJ, who merely congratulate him on his forthcoming martyrdom. Judith adds her praise and Brian's dear mum chews him out for being a disgrace and a disappointment. Fortunately, however, one of the neighboring guys that Brian is hanging out with knows a cheery tune they can all sing. After all, there's no need to be cross on the cross.

Themes: The eruptions of satire in The Life of Brian leave behind a wide swath of devastation, encompassing much of human nature, but especially our religious and bureaucratic foibles and inability to join together. The nature of the satire pertaining to religion deserves some clarification. The film actually deals gently and respectfully with Jesus and his teachings (he appears twice, briefly, in the film) and saves its scathing lampoons for organized religions, blind faith, and religious fanaticism. The film takes dead aim at those who follow religious doctrine explicitly and who are so thoroughly incapable of independent, intelligent thought that they have to look to others for their entire philosophical foundation. Blind faith truly is the dead opposite of critical thinking and the Monty Python Troupe leaves no doubt on which side of that divide they'll hang their hats. Ironically, the Python comedians would have no use for the Python groupies that abound today precisely because those fans have acquired too much of the quality of blind adherents. There's a wonderful bit in the film illustrating the process of schism that has occurred repeatedly in the history of religions, when one group of followers of Brian decide that Brian's abandoned gourd is the key point of doctrine while another concludes that Brian's lost sandal reveals the way to grace. Insane practices such as stoning, crucifixion, blind worship, and ritual suicide are mercilessly mocked, as well they should be. Few films have had the courage to directly confront the terrible hypocrisy that is organized religion as forcefully as this one. The six Python comedians play the part of enlightened fools whose scorn falls most heavily on those who insist on treading through life in the complacency of ignorance. For that, we all should be eternally grateful. God Himself, if he existed, would certainly have the intelligence to appreciate the humor in this film and might take special pleasure in the lampooning of the awful institutions that claim the authority of His name.

The Life of Brian exhibits equal disdain for secular authority as well as its omnipresent partner, bureaucracy. There's the absurdity of the Roman General who catches a rebel red-handed, scribbling graffiti on the wall in the town square, who gives the guy a Latin lesson rather than a beating. There's the incompetent leader, Pontius Pilate, who reduces his guards to uncontrollable bouts of snickering. Yet, the repressed Jews are subject to equal derision from the Python writers. The People's Front of Judea (PFJ) is so hamstrung by red tape and endless debate that it can't act. Like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned, they dicker while Brian is crucified. And heaven forbid they should be mistaken for the rival group, the Judean People's Front. The subversives would rather fight among themselves than unite against the common enemy. Even the numerous prophets are revealed as incompetent. The one who is hamstrung by his realization of the uncertainty of truth is the most ridiculous of all, saying, "There shall at that time be rumors of things going astray . . . err . . . and there shall be a great confusion as to where things really are. And nobody will really know where lieth those little things with the sort of raffia work base that has an attachment. At this time, a friend shall lose his friend's hammer, and the young shall not know where lieth the things possessed by their fathers that their fathers put there only just the night before about 8:00." No, we like our revelations to have that certain air of authority.

There's also some deliciously clever swipes in The Life of Brian relating to cinematic conventions. There's an offbeat segment lampooning science fiction conventions. The whole film, of course, is a vicious lampooning of the oh-so-self-important Biblical epics cranked out by Hollywood. The Troupe also takes it upon itself to establish some genuine gender equality in how cinema deals with full frontal nudity, giving us Graham Chapman and Sue Jones-Davies in the same degree of dramatic relief. And how about those charming, upbeat songs from films like Mary Poppins? Here, we're given a marvelous ditty sung by Eric Idle, as he and 138 fellow crucifees idle away tedium:

When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don’t be silly chumps,
Just purse your lips and whistle – that's the thing!
And . . . always look on the bright side of life.

For life is quite absurd,
And death's the final word.
You must always face the curtain with a bow!
Forget about your sin – give the audience a grin,
Enjoy it – it's the last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death!
Just before you draw your terminal breath.

Production Values: The script was co-written by the six regular members of the Monty Python troupe. Terry Gilliam typically collaborated with Michael Palin, John Cleese with old Oxford classmate Graham Chapman, while Eric Idle and Terry Jones typically worked more independently. All of the ideas were gone over and reconstructed by the entire group working in concert, so the end product was really very much a team effort. The Life of Brian may not have as many laugh-aloud moments as the troupe's predecessor film, but this film's satire bites deeper. There is real substance underlying the inanity in the multilayered humor of this film. Among the three Python films, this one has the most cohesive narrative, though it exists mainly as a device for linking together the individual skits and as a framework on which to hang the bits of humor. The kinds of humor encompass the full gamut, including gags, wit, incongruous profanity, physical humor, irony, and, of course, pointed satire. The profanity in the film is purposeful rather than gratuitous. When Brian tells his followers, "Fuck off!" and they reply, "How shall we fuck off, O Lord?" the absurdity of fanatical devotion is penetratingly revealed. As far as quality of writing is concerned, this film is the group's indisputable masterpiece, as John Cleese once acknowledged. The depth of intelligence behind the humor, however juvenile the antics might seem on the surface, is astounding, encompassing such issues as totalitarianism, complicity in repression, the politics of resistance, gender politics, and, even, language itself.

As was usual in the Python films, the production design features some of Gilliam's animated sequences, here most evident in the opening credits and during the spaceship sequence. This film also has better sets than the Python Troupe could have afforded with just their own limited budget. They lucked into using the abandoned sets that Franco Zeffirelli had constructed in Tunisia for the filming of Jesus of Nazareth, two years earlier. Camerawork and cinematography, not especially strong points in the Monty Python films, work better here than in most of their other work. It helps that both Criterion and Anchor Bay provide widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) transfers instead of the horrible pan-and-scan format used for the VHS versions and the inferior Region 2 DVD from Paramount. This film features two songs: the title track and The Bright Side of Life, quoted above.

As with all of the Monty Python work, this film features the six regulars of the Troupe, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, each in multiple roles. Graham Chapman, born January 8th, 1941, in Leicester, England, died in 1989 from spinal cancer. He and Cleese dreamed up the idea for the comedy show that became Monty Python's Flying Circus, running from 1969 to 1974. Chapman plays the lead, Brian Cohen, in the present film. He also has two lesser roles as a Wise Man and as Pontius Pilate's pal, Biggus Dickus. After the breakup of the Pythons, Chapman appeared as an actor in The Odd Job (1978), The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982), and Yellowbeard (1983).

The 6'4" tall John Cleese, born October 27th, 1939, in Weston-Super-Mare, England, plays six roles in the present film, most importantly Reg (head of the PFJ) and Centurion. Cleese has had the strongest identity as an actor separate from the troupe's work. He gained popularity as the character Basil Fawlty in the television series Fawlty Towers. His movie appearances have included Time Bandits (1981), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Silverado (1985), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), Pinocchio (2002), and Die Another Day (2002). Cleese won a BAFTA for Best Actor for his work in A Fish Called Wanda, as well as earning an Oscar nomination for that film's screenplay.

Eric Idle, born March 29th, 1943, in South Shields, Durham, England, plays eleven roles in the present film, notably Harry the Haggler, Intensely Dull Youth, Jailer's Assistant, and the Lead Singer among the Crucifees. Idle established a performance identity independent of the other Pythons in the television series Rutland Weekend Television and in such films as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) and Pinocchio (2002).

Terry Gilliam, born on November 22nd, 1940, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, plays six roles, including the Jailer, one of the Prophets, Geoffrey, and one of the Crucifees. After the breakup of the Python troupe, Gilliam made a name for himself as a director, with such films as Jabberwocky (1977), Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989), The Fisher King (1991), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Terry Jones, born in 1942 in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, played six roles in the present film, including Brian's mother (Mandy Cohen) and Simon the Holy Man. Jones co-directed the first of the Python films and solo-directed the last two. He later directed such films as Personal Services (1987) and Erik the Viking (1989).

Michael Palin, born May 5th, 1943, in Sheffield, England, plays an astonishing thirteen roles in the present film including Mr. Big Nose, the Ex-Leper, Ben, Pontius Pilate, the Boring Prophet, Eddie, one of the Shoe Followers, and Nisus Wettus. His performances as Pontius Pilate and the Boring Prophet are two of the film's highlights. Palin went on to work in such films as Time Bandits (1981), The Missionary (1982), Brazil (1985), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), and American Friends (1991).

Bottom-Line: The Criterion DVD for this film is tremendous. It's a great video transfer, augmented with a fine selection of extras. There are two commentary tracks, one with Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and Terry Jones and a second with John Cleese and Michael Palin. Then there are five deleted scenes (with optional commentary), the theatrical trailer, four radio ads, and English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

The Life of Brian is as funny today as when it was first released, demonstrating the timelessness of the issues, though we might wish it were otherwise. There seems to be no expiration date on human stupidity. In any case, the combination of political commentary and inane humor in this film proves a potent mix. While Christianity itself is preoccupied with death (as was made all too evident this year by the film The Passion of the Christ), The Life of Brian gives us all the pulsating vitality of life, in the form of joyous laughter – even if it is ourselves at whom we must laugh heartily.