Film of the Week #51 - Monty Python's Life of Brian

Karl Hungus

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/

What with it being the Christmas period and all, it's not a big surprise this'd get it. Classic Python, and an all round great film. Nice to see some more Comedy getting FotW as well.

Discuss!

mike65

Quote-tastic!

I heard this film before I ever saw it thanks to the fascists with shears. The soundtrack was passed about at school like it was pornography. When I did see it on a well used videotape I was underwhelmed, such was its sky-high reputation I guess that was inevitable.

Then when Channel 4 screened it for the first time I decided to give it another go, glad I did. How many classic scenes and quoteable quotes can one film have? This must set the record. I won't bother picking out best bits, exept to say the stoning scene does it for me everytime.

Mike.

Cokehead Mother

I never really got why people liked it so much.

Sleepy

This film contains what I think is perhaps the cleverest punchline ever written:

Brian: "You are all individuals"
Crowd: "We are all individuals"
Lone Heckler: "I'm not!".

Love the movie and would watch it at least once a year. Interesting fact I was told by a tour guide in Rome who teaches at Cambridge during term: the 'What did the Romans ever do for us?' scene accurately lists the very things the Roman's offered the countries they annexed. Basically, they'd roll their army up to the other country's border, offer the treaty in exchange for rule and if refused, they'd invade.

Cokehead Mother

Sleepy wrote: »

This film contains what I think is perhaps the cleverest punchline ever written:

Brian: "You are all individuals"
Crowd: "We are all individuals"
Lone Heckler: "I'm not!".

Love the movie and would watch it at least once a year. Interesting fact I was told by a tour guide in Rome who teaches at Cambridge during term: the 'What did the Romans ever do for us?' scene accurately lists the very things the Roman's offered the countries they annexed. Basically, they'd roll their army up to the other country's border, offer the treaty in exchange for rule and if refused, they'd invade.

I guess I just prefer semen jokes?

mike65

So there it is then, Monty Python - too intellectual for Cokehead Mother.

Mike.

Roar

Palin bouncing around as the ex-leper gets me everytime..

favourite line for me is a toss up between

"you mean you were raped?"
"well, at first, yes"

and

"you are the messiah! and i should know i've followed a few"

great, great film

im off to watch it again now..

menoscemo

and it kept Titanic out.

Tusky

Im a massive Python fan but shock horror, was never a big fan of this. I cant exactly say why...I just never found it as funny as 'The Holy Grail'. Maybe it is because I had heard the punchlines quoted to me so far in advance...it all seemed a little stale. Still, a great movie and is part of my dvd collection. It is nowhere near as good as The Holy Grail though.

johnny_ultimate

It is a very funny film, but I also would prefer Holy Grail over this one, and possibly Now For Something Completely Different too. Grail features more terrific moments overall, and Id always find myself quoting the Knights of Ni over anything in the Life of Brian.

That, however, is hardly criticising it, as even slightly weaker Python is still far better than most comedy (although Meaning of Life is very disapointing). It was my introduction to the troupe, and when I watched it at a young age it was probably the most enjoyably risque film Id seen.

senordingdong

Tusky wrote: »

Im a massive Python fan but shock horror, was never a big fan of this. I cant exactly say why...I just never found it as funny as 'The Holy Grail'. Maybe it is because I had heard the punchlines quoted to me so far in advance...it all seemed a little stale. Still, a great movie and is part of my dvd collection. It is nowhere near as good as The Holy Grail though.

I have to agree with Tusky.
This has so many quoteable scenes that that the movie gets watered down. Don;t get me wrong I laugh every time I see it, but the Holy Grail is just as/if not funnier but because it's not constantly quoted, all the material seems fresher and somewhat funnier.

Even untill last year I was re-wacthing Holy Grail and was still discovering some small jokes, lines or expressions that made me piss myself and were previously un-noticed.

mike65

Tis on Channel 4 at 9 pm tonight preceeded by The Secret Life of Brian doc at 8 pm

Mike.

Basq

My favourite of the Monty Python's films without doubt!

"Welease Woger!"

Haven't seen it in years though.

mike65

Thank goodness there's still some cheap laughs to be had from speech imprediciments

Mike.

genericgoon

In terms of funniness would probably give Holy Grail the slight edge but I always thought Life of Brian felt like an actual movie rather than a series of loosely connected sketches a la Holy Grail.

mike65

True, and Meaning of Life was also a series of sketches though I have to admit to liking that one quite a lot more than most people (it seems).

I'd forgotten Spike Milligan was in Brian for about 20 seconds.

Mike.

galactus

I first saw this at school during a double-free. This is when it was banned, making it the first pirated VHS movie I ever saw.

I went to a religious school, and what made it extra-hilarious is that we were being supervising by a priest while watching it.

"Blasphemy!" he'd yell while cracking up at some line in the movie. Happy days.

Mossy Monk

galactus wrote: »

I went to a religious school, and what made it extra-hilarious is that we were being supervising by a priest while watching it.

Same here but that priest had pornos so he couldn't really complain about The Life Of Brian.