WillSushyMedia
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
CIDMoosa
Coming from the Monty Python group, Life of Brian is classic British comedy at its best - perhaps one of the most intellectual comedies made. Downright sardonic and profane in its making, Life of Brian is all about Brian who is born on Christmas day in a stable next to Jesus and spends his life being mistaken for a messiah. Brian's life is sketched parallel to that of Jesus, cleverly letting the filmmakers lampoon everything from religious zealotry, mob hysteria, sword/sandal epic movies and some hard hitting political travesty. All the gags and sequences could appear a bit juvenile to those not familiar with the Monty python style of comedy , but the movie is indeed a laugh riot and the makers live up to their earlier hit Monty Python and the Holy Grail with downright clever satirical wit and commentary on totalitarianism, history, politics and most importantly religion. Some scenes to watch out for would be of Brian dropping a gourd and a shoe, his followers absurdly split into two groups, each worshipping a different relic - a hilarious take on the multi sectarian worshipping practices existing today or Brian uttering some gibberish to a crowd out of fear wrapped in some enigma that makes a blind mob follow him as the next prophet. That said and done my favorite part of the movie would be the blatantly original caricature of left-wing resistance groups with their endless subgroups, internal politics, conflicting agendas and vain ideology / speech without any results (ala Sankaradi in Sandesam!). Quite understandably, this flick was banned in many a European country until recent times for the supposedly sacrilegious take on religion (unsurprising with so with many parts parodying nativity, crucifixion et al). However on close watch, it never makes fun of Jesus - but it does thwart the blind, fanatic followers of any political movement or religion in a quite comical fashion. A controversial piece of comedy - a remainder to the critics that banning movies or cutting movie scenes based on religious pretexts exists in Hollywood / British movies as well as early as 1979, and is not limited to the Asian market of Viswaroopam, Padmavat etc.
Robert McElwaine
It's funny and dare I say serendipitous that the impetus behind Life of Brian stemmed from a throwaway remark made by Eric Idle. After the success of the Python's last movie which at the time was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he had been asked what their next feature would be with which he flippantly responded with Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory. Who would have thought that such an offhand quip would eventually lead to their most celebrated and critically praised works being brought to the cinema theaters. At least those which were brave enough to screen it given the immediate controversy that was to follow. Shrewdly however they chose not to actually focus on lampooning Jesus himself, as they felt there was nothing funny about his life and subsequent death. Any attempts at humour at his expense would have seemed shallow and taking mere potshots. However they set their sights on organized religion which the team had a combined mistrust of. There may not have been anything satirical about the Messiah but his followers, that was another matter. It's no exaggeration that the film is nothing short of a work of genius with it's astute observations of the possible fanaticism, herd mentality and it's abuse for political advantage is adeptly shrouded with their trademark off the wall humour. Satire has arguably never been so much fun. Forgoing having Jesus himself as the film's lead protagonist and replacing himself with an everyday young Jewish man, who due to a series of absurd events finds himself mistaken for being the true "Messiah". In a superb post-opening credits sequence we even see Brian's shrill battleaxe of a mother having already given birth to her son, being mistakenly visited by the Three Wise Men as the stable they're inhabiting is right next to the one Jesus was born in. It's a sublime comedic twist on the Christian tale that implies that Brian is always fated to be mistaken for the genuine article. What follows is a what could be referred to as a series of set pieces that could even be described as individual sketches wrapped around it's simple but engaging narrative. It's arguably why; The Meaning of Life which came four years later was less of a success critically and commercially as it opted for the similar sketch format of the Monty Python TV series, making it less accessible to the general public. Only dedicated fans would have likely appreciated the more traditional format. But narrative and it's surreal comedy aside, what marks it out in it's brilliance is how universal it's themes still are to this very day. Taking sharp digs at revolutionary groups and British left wing politics the movies PFJ (People's Front of Judea) closely resembling trade unions and the ironic and ridiculous rivalry that has existed between rebel factions. It could possibly also be seen as a veiled lampooning of sectarian bigotry and narcissism which not only exists in Christianity but Islam as well. None more so is this typified in a inspired moment where a select number of the PFJ set out to kidnap Pontious Pilates wife, only to cross paths with rivals from the Campaign for a Free Galilee which results in them foolishly fighting among themselves. On a more personal level in terms of our antipathetic hero there is an air of poignancy to his predicament that adds a layer of melancholy, as despite some genuine idealism on his part (compacted by the shock revelation on discovering his father was Roman) is that what primarily leads him to join in on the rebellion is his love for Judith, a young member of the PFJ who's enthusiasm and passion outweighs even Brian's. The sympathy we feel for him and his desire for him are equally palpable as we know that when all is said and done, is that what he'd want is just a quiet life with her. To top off what makes the film such a unforgettable classic is the reliably brilliant and versatile multiple performances of it's main actors. Replicating what made part of the format of Holy Grail uniquely inspired, they each play to their own individual strengths as they portray a host of eccentric characters, many of whom lead to Brian being habitually exasperated. The supporting cast which includes obscure Welsh actress Sue-Jones Davies as Judith, and features brief appearances by Python regular Carol Cleaveland and veteran TV actress Gwen Taylor are also uniformly excellent. And look out for a blink and you'll miss it cameo from British comedy legend Spike Milligan as an elderly prophet. To summarize Life of Brian, it's not only admirable for it's creative cleverness and insightful wisdom but given it's modest budget of $4 million (the backing of which came from former Beetle, George Harrison who went on to establish his own production company; Handmade Films) it's a testament to what can be achieved on minimal funding. The fact that it has been awarded the status of being the "greatest comedy of all time" by The BFI, (British Film Institute) and declared it to be the 28th best British film of all time which really is quite something. It's influence is unmistakable and it's overall message timeless and will never be forgotten.
sol-
Mistaken for the messiah, a hapless a young man from Nazareth tries to avoid crucifixion in this controversial comedy that was banned in several countries upon initial release due to its religious irreverence. Written by the six members of the Monty Python troupe (who collectively play forty roles), the humour is hit-and-miss as per the troupe's norm. There is nothing especially funny about Terry Jones in drag, the lisping of Michael Palin as Pontius Pilate goes on for far too long and other parts are simply silly (mentally handicapped jailer). The jokes that do work are admittedly excellent though. A lesson on how to haggle is a particular highlight, same goes for a stoning scene in which all participants are actually women in disguise, plus the politics of the various rebel factions in Judea are great. The second half of the movie also works better than the buildup to it as the title character finds himself unable to rid himself of followers mistaking him for their saviour and no matter what he says, he cannot get them to change their view. The film is also topped off with the most memorable ending of all four Monty Python movies with its celebration of optimism in the face of adversity.
classicsoncall
For the sake of this review I watched the entire movie, but I've got to say, it was a chore keeping my attention on the story. Criterion really dropped the ball on this one, they should have provided captioning for those of us who only speak English. I hardly understood a word spoken in the film, but I held out hope that the basic premise would reveal itself the way it has in other movies that I've had trouble following. No such luck. This thing started out way over the top and wound up just utterly stupid. I generally enjoy good parody but this seemed more like goofy slapstick. Could be I'm missing something because this gets a lot of credit by IMDb fans who's voting keep it in the Top #250. Maybe I'll try it again if I can find a copy with captioning, I'm open minded enough to give it another go. For now, my only positive takeaway was the Roman Centurion garb, those guys looked pretty sharp.
