Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 British black comedy film written, directed in part, and performed by members of the Monty Python troupe, with Terry Jones as director.[1] The narrative centers on Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), a reluctant Jewish revolutionary born on the same night as Jesus in first-century Judaea, whose accidental resemblance to a messianic figure sparks absurd crowds mistaking him for the awaited savior amid Roman occupation and factional infighting.[2] Filmed primarily in Tunisia on a budget of about $4 million, it satirizes religious zealotry, political splinter groups, and crowd psychology through surreal humor and historical anachronisms.[3] Released on 17 August 1979 in the United States and 8 November in the United Kingdom, the film grossed approximately $20.8 million worldwide, becoming a box-office hit and the highest-grossing British production in the U.S. market to that point.[4] It earned critical acclaim for its wit, with a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while facing bans in locales like Norway and parts of the UK due to blasphemy charges from Christian groups who viewed its mockery of messianic fervor as irreverent toward scripture; the creators maintained it targeted blind faith and authoritarianism, not Jesus himself, a distinction often overlooked in the uproar.[2][5] The film's cultural impact endures through quotable lines, the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," and its role in elevating Monty Python's irreverent style to global icon status.[3]Synopsis
Plot Summary
The film opens in Bethlehem in AD 0, with the Three Wise Men entering the stable of Mandy Cohen (Terry Jones), who has given birth to Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman); they present gold, frankincense, and myrrh before an angel directs them to the neighboring stable of Jesus Christ.[6][7] Thirty-three years later, in Jerusalem under Roman occupation, Brian and his mother attend Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, but due to crowd noise, they mishear phrases such as "Blessed are the cheesemakers" and "Blessed are the Greek"; bored, Mandy drags Brian away to witness a public stoning for blasphemy, where the victim is Matthias for claiming to see a bird on the crossbar—defended ineptly by an advocate (Rowan Atkinson in a cameo).[8][7][6] Radicalized against Roman rule, Brian joins the People's Front of Judea (PFJ), a minuscule separatist group led by Reg (John Cleese), rivals to the Judean People's Front and other splinter factions; tasked with scrawling "Romans go home" on Pontius Pilate's palace wall, Brian is caught by a centurion (Michael Palin), who forces him to rewrite it correctly in Latin as "Romani ite domum" across the entire wall.[9][7] He escapes, joins a botched PFJ kidnapping attempt, and begins a romance with Judith (Sue Jones-Davies), Reg's wife.[2][7] Fleeing pursuers, Brian discards a gourd from his window, which the growing crowd below interprets as a prophetic sign, leading them to hail him as the Messiah; he addresses them from a minaret, denouncing Roman oppression, but his words are twisted into divine oracles.[6][8] At a PFJ meeting, Reg delivers a rant questioning Roman contributions, prompting members to list aqueducts, sanitation, medicine, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water, public health, and peace—undermining their cause.[9][7] Brian's mother reveals he was conceived with a Roman soldier named Naughtius Maximus, shattering his identity; later, Brian is hurled from a high tower during a PFJ suicide squad action but survives entangled in a prophet's mask, seen as another miracle by followers.[8][7] Rejecting messiahship, he urges the throng to "think for yourselves" and "be individuals," which they parrot mindlessly; he loses a sandal, which becomes a holy relic, sparking violence when Big Nose (Chapman in dual role) challenges the cult.[2][6] Romans raid Mandy's home amid the besieging crowd; Brian consummates his affair with Judith before capture.[7] In custody, PFJ member Stan (Eric Idle) declares himself Loretta, demanding the right to have a baby despite lacking anatomy, supported by party policy on transgender issues.[9] Before Pilate (Palin), who stutters on "r" sounds, Brian faces execution alongside others claiming his name; Pilate's release decree spares one "Brian" but dooms the rest, including the real Brian, to crucifixion.[8][7] Nailed to crosses beside thieves and zealots, Brian receives no suicide pill from a cheeky victim (Idle) and rejects an alien spaceship rescue offered by another crucified man, opting instead to join in singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" as the film ends.[2][6]Production
Development and Pre-production
The concept for Monty Python's Life of Brian originated during promotional activities for the troupe's 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In April 1975, at the New York premiere, Eric Idle ad-libbed a response to a journalist inquiring about their next project, quipping "Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory," which planted the seed for a satirical take on religious themes.[10] This evolved during discussions in Amsterdam, where Idle and Terry Gilliam brainstormed ideas including a sketch about a malfunctioning crucifix, shifting from direct parody of Jesus—which the group found challenging to ridicule meaningfully—to the story of Brian Cohen, an ordinary man in Roman-occupied Judea mistaken for the Messiah by credulous crowds and militants.[3][5] The screenplay was developed collaboratively by the six Monty Python members—Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin—with writing occurring in separate subgroups before consolidation.[3] To refine the narrative structure, the group convened for a two-week session in Barbados, producing a more cohesive script than their prior efforts like Holy Grail.[3] Research into biblical history, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Apocryphal texts informed the satire, emphasizing misinterpretations by followers rather than sacred figures themselves, with Idle contributing the ending song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."[10] Initial financing came from EMI Films, but the company withdrew support during pre-production, mere days before the crew's scheduled departure for filming—specifically on a Thursday when departure was set for Saturday—after costs for development and preparation had mounted.[11][3] The Pythons responded by suing EMI, securing an out-of-court settlement to recoup some losses.[3] George Harrison, a fan since the troupe's television days, intervened by co-founding HandMade Films with manager Denis O'Brien in 1978 and providing approximately £3 million in funding, achieved partly by remortgaging his home; he later described the investment as "the most expensive cinema ticket" motivated solely by his desire to see the film, without reading the script.[5][3] This enabled pre-production to resume, culminating in principal photography starting in September 1978 in Tunisia under director Terry Jones.[3]Filming Locations and Challenges
Principal filming for Monty Python's Life of Brian occurred in Tunisia during September 1978, selected for its desert landscapes evoking first-century Judea and the availability of pre-existing sets, props, and costumes from Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977).[12] [13] Key locations encompassed the Ribat fortress in Monastir, utilized for courtyard sequences including the stoning scene and the "Romans go home" graffiti moment; the Kasbah in Sousse for depictions of city fortifications; the Roman amphitheater in Carthage for crowd assemblies; and landscapes near El Hadj for the crucifixion finale.[14] [15] The production operated on a constrained budget of approximately $4 million, prompting reliance on these reused biblical production elements to minimize construction costs and expedite setup.[11] Challenges during the Tunisian shoot included prevalent gastrointestinal illnesses among cast and crew, attributed to local conditions, which Graham Chapman, a trained physician, addressed through on-set medical clinics.[3] [12] Chapman's nude scene as Brian provoked discomfort among Muslim extras familiar with reverent biblical filming, resulting in roughly half departing the set mid-take.[12] Comedic sequences, such as the Pontius Pilate interrogation, demanded rigorous discipline to suppress laughter, with Michael Palin noting the "really hard work" involved in maintaining composure across repeated takes.[3] Logistical mishaps, like inadvertent damage to stone surfaces during the UFO crash effect application, required discreet nighttime repairs to preserve site integrity without alerting authorities.[12] Despite the satirical religious themes, no significant governmental disruptions materialized, as local crews' prior experience on Jesus of Nazareth facilitated smoother operations than anticipated.[16]Post-production and Editing
Julian Doyle edited Monty Python's Life of Brian, refining the footage into a cohesive satire through precise cuts that emphasized the troupe's rapid-fire humor and absurd timing.[17] Working from a rough assembly shot primarily in Tunisia between September and December 1978, Doyle collaborated with director Terry Jones to eliminate extraneous material, resulting in a taut 94-minute runtime that discarded roughly 13 minutes of footage across multiple deleted sequences.[18] [19] Key excisions included an opening scene with three shepherds witnessing the nativity, a lengthy suicide attempt by the character Otto (a radical Jewish nationalist whose inclusion risked amplifying controversy over the film's religious satire), and other improvisational bits that disrupted narrative flow.[19] These decisions prioritized comedic momentum over completeness, with Doyle later detailing the process in his book The Life of Brian/Jesus, which outlines how editorial choices amplified the Pythons' critique of messianic fervor without diluting historical parody.[17] The traditional analog editing—splicing 35mm film stock in a physical suite—reflected 1970s practices, predating nonlinear digital workflows.[20] Post-production also encompassed sound mixing and scoring, with Geoffrey Burgon composing the orchestral elements to underscore ironic grandeur in scenes like the crucifixion finale.[21] Audio effects, often sourced from the Pythons' signature library of exaggerated noises, were layered to heighten absurdity, though the final mix drew criticism for its raw, unpolished quality even in restored versions.[22] This phase concluded in early 1979, enabling the film's August premiere in the UK.[23]Cast and Crew
Principal Cast
The principal cast of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) primarily featured the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe, who collectively wrote, produced, and performed multiple roles in the film, emphasizing the group's signature style of ensemble absurdity and character multiplicity.[24] This approach allowed for satirical layering, with actors portraying contrasting figures from Judean revolutionaries to Roman authorities. Supporting roles were filled by a small number of non-troupe actors, including Welsh performer Sue Jones-Davies as Judith Iscariot, the film's primary female character and a radical activist romantically linked to the protagonist.[25] Comedian Spike Milligan contributed a brief but memorable cameo as a defiant attendee at a public stoning, shouting the forbidden word "Jehovah" in violation of Jewish law against uttering God's name. The troupe members' key roles are summarized below:| Actor | Principal Roles |
|---|---|
| Graham Chapman | Brian Cohen (protagonist), Biggus Dickus (Roman prefect), Wise Man #2 |
| John Cleese | Reg (People's Front of Judea leader), Centurion (Brian's Latin tutor), Wise Man #1 |
| Terry Gilliam | Stan/Loretta (transgender revolutionary), Jailer, various crowd members |
| Eric Idle | Mr. Cheeky (Wiseguy), Harry the Haggler (straw seller), various singers and prophets |
| Terry Jones | Mandy Cohen (Brian's mother), various assistants and passers-by |
| Michael Palin | Pontius Pilate (Roman governor), Mr. Big Nose (PFJ member), Francis (revolutionary) |