Monty Python's Life of Brian: Irreverance? Blasphemy? Biting social satire? Help!

Brian Thibodeau · 12-31-2003, 12:13 PM

Contributing to another thread got me to thinking about one of my favourite movies, and whether I’ve been missing something in it all these years.
The film is MONTY PYTHON’s LIFE OF BRIAN (1979). A film I’ve always believed to be about the dangers of worshipping false idols as well as a satire on Roman times, in particular their treatment of early Christians, filtered through a 20th Century British mentality
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Early in our relationship, about a year and a half ago, my girlfriend and I had a brief debate about this film.

I love it. She hates it.

She says it’s blasphemous. I say its irreverent at worst, culturally savvy at best. Months later, the subject came up again in a different context, but we still stood by our viewpoints. She did, however, casually mention that she’d never allow the film in her home, which worried me a bit. My girlfriend was raised in a very Christian Korean household (though not quite Bible-thumper heaven), but has questioned certain aspects of religion for years now. I know she’s sitting on the fence; I’m just curious to see which side she falls off. After she left university and moved out on her own, I think she began to realize what a cmoparatively restrictive environment she grew up in. She certainly has reaped the rewards of a moral upbringing, but she also knows how far it can sometimes set a person back once they have to confront the realities of the world at large. Her questioning nature has made more open-minded over the last few years. I sincerely hope that this will continue for her, because I’m of the mindset that there’s so much more to understand about the world than just religion, as important as it can be to many people, yet I would never deny anyone their right to practise whatever religion they saw fit. I can see the value of it in my girlfriend in many ways. And fortunately, she has not once tried to force her religion upon me, either overtly or subtly, largely due these factors. So far so good...

(note to administrators: please don’t take this as an attempt to start a religious debate; this really IS about the movie, I promise!)

I know the controversy that surrounded LIFE OF BRIAN upon its release, and how the Church of England (?) and assorted religious representatives publicly and vehemently denounced the film before they had actually seen it, and I easily attributed the furor to the usual kind of socio-political gainsaying that often accompanies the release of such films. I believe the same controvery attended the opening of LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST in 1988 and will no doubt accompany the upcoming Mel Gibson effort THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004), the debates around which have already begun to fascinate me on a pop-cultural level.
My girlfriend saw LIFE OF BRIAN when she was about 13, a very impressionable time in her life, especially considering her living environment. I first saw it when I was about 12, but my family had by then stiopped practising religion for some seven years, so while I barely understood most of the humour, I was able to find the film funny due to my fondness for the Python brnad of humour.

So I guess my question is this: Is LIFE OF BRIAN blasphemous? Am I the one who’s missing something? My girlfriend claims it makes fun of people who worship god (remember she saw it as at 13), but I simply cannot read it that way. I see it as a film that makes fun of people who worship false idols, and in effect it savagely lampoons our contemporary, celebrity-obsessed culture. I mean, Jesus Christ is never actually seen on screen is he? You hear him, and you see people listening to him (including the people in the back who can’t really hear him and, I think, end up following Brian). The Brian character, while hapless, is clearly shown to want none of the adoration he receives. I think it’s a damning commentary on how easily large groups of people can be led down the wrong path (new-age philosophies, televangelists, questionable self-help programs, Hollywood), but it never overtly implies that any of the long-standing religions, in this case Christianity, is ALSO the wrong path. Wise Christians are visible in the film, and to my knowledge, are not made fun of. However, I suppose in this context, I can understand how the real-life Christians might feel the film was making fun of them in a roundabout way. My girlfriend firmly believes its making fun of all people who have faith. I think it’s making fun of people who have misplaced faith, which is very, VERY common in the modern world.

Please remember, I’m not trying to start a debate about religion or the existence of God or anything like that. I believe what I believe and you believe what you believe. I just want to know if anyone has interesting opinions ON THIS FILM. I have the Criterion Collection edition of this on DVD and can’t bare the thought of parting with it, but if it means one day capitulating to save someone a lot of grief, perhaps it might have to be considered.

I honestly hope in time, she might be able to re-evaluate this film with the benefit of years.

Until then, if anyone can recommend a good hiding place for it, suggestions are welcome...

Well, any thoughts, or have I put everybody to sleep at this point?

andrew markworthy · 12-31-2003, 01:36 PM

First, to fill you in on the background. Some prominent members of the Church of England (the 'state church' in that the Queen is its head, and the C of E handles coronations of the Royal Family), along with many other churches, objected to TLOB. Some objected to it outright, others to selected bits of it. Needless to say, this guaranteed massive audiences when the movie opened. I think the religious reaction to the movie also ultimately undermined the protestors' positions, as it was seen by many (rightly or wrongly) as religious zealots jumping on the bandwagon to get some publicity.

It's worth listening to John Cleese's commentary on TLOB DVD. He says that the majority of the movie is intended as a commentary on what unquestioning *belief* can make you do, not on religion in general or Christianity in particular. If you analyse the movie, there's as much parody of political fringe groups (the Judean Popular Front et al) as there is of religion. The one bit John Cleese felt uncomfortable about was the crucifiction scene, and amongst the Christians I know, this is the bit that sticks in the gullet.

FWIW, I don't particularly like TLOB because of the crucifiction scene and the mockery of people with speech impediments. However, I don't think it's blasphemous, since that requires a willing and knowing attack on God and it certainly doesn't do that.

Mike Broadman · 12-31-2003, 01:55 PM

Quote:

However, I don't think it's blasphemous, since that requires a willing and knowing attack on God and it certainly doesn't do that.

I agree with this.

More of the film lampoons liberal activism than anything religious. The Jewish revolutionaries were a direct comment on the socialist and left-wing political activist groups in England that were constantly split and killing each other over details, often more caught up in their own internal politics than dealing with the issues they claim to be dealing with.

And, of course, there are just some great secular bits of comedy that have nothing to with religion or polics, like the Roman guard correcting Brian's graffiti grammer or "Biggus Dickus."

To me, it seems absurd that people are upset over the movie poking fun of Jesus when it's not about Jesus- it's about Brian.

Even if the film was poking fun at Christians or those with faith- so what? I laugh at movies that make fun of characteristics I have (male, Jewish, white, computer programmer, etc).

Brian, your post makes your wife out to be reasonable and somewhat open-minded. Maybe you can get her to watch it with you and talk about it. It may prove a good way to understand each other even better and bring you closer.

Francois Caron · 12-31-2003, 02:12 PM

Is LIFE OF BRIAN blasphemous? I would have to say "no." Here's a bit of what I wrote in my review of the movie. You can find the complete review over here.

Quote:

From time to time, there comes a movie that strengthens your faith in the Almighty. This is not one of those movies.

In fact, the Monty Python troupe went out of their way to get this one point across. This movie is not about Jesus Christ. It's not about the arrival of The Promised One. This movie is about an ordinary man who is mistaken for the Messiah. And this ordinary man has a very ordinary name. Brian. The product of a torrid love affair between his mother the slut and a Roman centurion named Naughtius Maximus.

Brian hates the Romans even though his father is one. The way he handles this conflict within himself is by joining a group of revolutionaries known as the People's Front of Judea (not associated with the Judean People's Front), a group plotting to expulse the Romans from their territory. Pretty soon, Brian is over his head in trouble and becomes a wanted man for his crimes against Roman decency. To make things worse, while trying to hide from the Roman legions by blending in with a group of weekend philosophers, people start to pay attention to his babblings. He wasn't trying to say anything special! He was just hiding out!

Now he has a group of "followers" following him around wherever he goes! And people think he can also perform miracles! The demands get worse and worse by the hour! He cries out he's not the Messiah! No one believes him! Can Brian shake these clowns off? Or will he become another victim of Roman intolerance against anything not Roman?

So despite the fact this movie has been condemned by almost every religious group in the world (including a few not affiliated with Jesus Christ), this is not a religious movie. The character of Jesus does appear for less than a minute, but that's it. Just a cameo. This movie is about Brian and no one else.

Flame suit is now on!

P.S. Crucifixions were a very popular Roman invention. Even Spartacus and all of his surviving rebel slaves were nailed up there.

Rich Malloy · 12-31-2003, 02:30 PM

Is "Life of Brian" blasphemous? Yup, and damn proud of it, it would seem to me (John Cleese's weenie-ish post-hoc comments excepted, of course.)

It's not simply an evisceration of organized religion and the True Believer, generally speaking, it's very specifically an evisceration of Christianity and Christians. And, honestly, anyone else within range (hello Romans, Jews, assorted revolutionaries, spineless bureaucrats, etc.).

But if you don't equate Brian with Jesus, B's followers with those of JC, and the whole enterprise from script to editing as very specifically a satire of Christianity--the Gospel, the organized church, the whole ball-of-wax--then you're simply rationalizing a means by which you can fundamentally miss the point.

Yes, yes, alot of stuff about false idols and celebrity-obsession, liberal activism and Marxist revolutionaries, some prep-school lampooning and generously scatalogical humor thrown into the mix... but it's a satire of Christianity. And it fairly well calls into question the whole enterprise. How are we defining blasphemy anyway?

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Jeff Kuykendall · 12-31-2003, 02:58 PM

Blasphemy is an attack on God; the Pythons did not intend to attack God with this film, only those who blindly follow without any kind of intelligent thought. Terry Jones and John Cleese have an ongoing debate about whether the film is heretical or not, though.

I actually know a lot of Christians who love Life of Brian. Anyone who reacts to humor with hostility and fear is doing themselves no good. Ease up and have a laugh.

On the other hand, I think it's important to self-analyze and take the criticisms seriously, rather than dismissing them through laughter.

Brian, your girlfriend's reaction might have been one of fear. She was 13, after all, and seeing someone question religion can be frightening to someone at that age; i.e., someone who isn't used to having their beliefs challenged, someone who hasn't even finished high school. I don't know how I might have handled the film at that age, since I was very religious then (I'm not now). But by late high school/college, it perfectly fit my question-everything frame of mind. I think you have to reach an age where you're adult enough to accept that you might not be right about everything in the world, and then you let go of some of that insecurity about being wrong. Some people never get that far.

But no, it's not blasphemous. The Pythons could have been taken to court in England if it was (Graham Chapman was taken to court for blasphemy because of a poem in a magazine he published); but no lawyer would have had a leg to stand on. It's offensive, perhaps, but not blasphemous.

Jeff Kuykendall · 12-31-2003, 02:59 PM

Rich, to address your point, every single Python has denied, at one point or another, equating Brian with Jesus. They had no quarrel with Jesus, only people so desperate for Messiahs that they grab the first one that comes along, and don't analyze who's doing the preaching, or even what the message is.

Rich Malloy · 12-31-2003, 03:58 PM

And not that there's any resemblance at all between the two. Funny that people should see Brian and suddenly think "Jesus". Not sure how that confusion started.

But, reconsidering, I see now that you're right: the Python's quarrel is with this Brian guy, the people who worship Brian, and any texts or icons associated with the false prophet, Brian (His shoe, my ass!). Nothing at all to do with Jesus/Christianity/the Gospels, and never was, and certainly isn't intended to be. How'd you get that idea anyway?

One can be legally convicted of "blasphemy" in the UK?