Holy Flying Circus (2011) (TV)

Director:

Owen Harris

Writer:

Tony Roche (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Tells the story of the outraged, and sometimes violent, response to 'The Life of Brian' the Monty Python movie that satirized the life of Jesus.

Plot Keywords:

Blasphemy | Film Censorship | Censorship | Reference To Jesus Christ | Ignorance

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Ben Crispin	...	Jesus
Steve Punt	...	Eric Idle / Disciple / Rabbi / Singing Protester / Bishop
Charles Edwards	...	Michael Palin / Michael Palin's Mother / Devil
Rufus Jones	...	Terry Jones / Jones the Wife / Bishop
Tom Fisher	...	Graham Chapman / Tramp
Darren Boyd	...	John Cleese / Devil
Phil Nichol	...	Terry Gilliam
Simon Greenall	...	Barry Atkins / Pub Landlord
Robin Sebastian	...	US News Reporter / BBFC Representative
Belinda Stewart-Wilson	...	Nun
Micah Balfour	...	Black Panther
Paul Chahidi	...	Harry Balls / News Vendor
Ian Bonar	...	Sam Lowry
Selina Griffiths	...	Production Person 2 / Personal Assistant to BBC Head of Rude Words
Jason Thorpe	...	Alan Dick / Desmond Lovely
Geoffrey McGivern	...	Dog Walker / Petitioner / Man Whose Wife Malcolm Muggeridge Said Made a Lovely Breakfast (as Geoff McGivern)
Mark Heap	...	Andrew Thorogood
Alex Macqueen	...	BBC Head of Rude Words (as Alex MacQueen)
David Birrell	...	Gareth Nice / Angry Viewer
Rupert Vansittart	...	Bernard Barnard QC
Martin Marquez	...	Richard Klein
Michael Cochrane	...	Malcolm Muggeridge
Kim Wall	...	BBC Head of Firing Malcolm Muggeridge / Cabbie
Roy Marsden	...	Mervyn Stockwood
James Laurenson	...	Archbishop of York
Tom Price	...	Tim Rice
Stephen Fry	...	God
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antti Hakala	...	Distribution Officer
Anick Wiget	...	BBC Production Team
Alfred Camp	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Owen Harris

Writing credits
Tony Roche		(written by)

Produced by
Julie Clark	....	line producer
Jamie Laurenson	....	executive producer: BBC
Polly Leys	....	producer
Kate Norrish	....	producer
Matthew Read	....	executive producer: BBC

Original Music by
Jack C. Arnold

Cinematography by
Richard Mott

Film Editing by
Billy Sneddon

Casting by
Rachel Freck

Production Design by
Lisa Hall		(as Lisa Marie Hall)

Art Direction by
Russell Daly		(as Russ Daly)

Set Decoration by
Jo Berglund		(as Joanna Berglund)

Costume Design by
Edward K. Gibbon

Makeup Department
Sarah Jane Marks	....	makeup artist
Claire Whiteley	....	hair designer
Claire Whiteley	....	makeup designer
JoJo Williams	....	makeup artist (as Jo Williams)

Production Management
Eve Swannell	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jim Imber	....	first assistant director
Gemma Morton	....	third assistant director
David Scott	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Fiona Albrow	....	set designer
Jamie Bishop	....	properties
Holly Cameron	....	set designer
Thomas Chester	....	properties (as Tom Chester)
Katrina Lynch	....	assistant art director
Toby Riches	....	set designer
Caitlin Thompson	....	production buyer
Roger Henry White	....	properties
Jaime Riancho	....	art department intern (uncredited)

Sound Department
Howard Bevan	....	boom operator
Kevin Brazier	....	dialogue editor
Robert Brazier	....	sound effects
Bob Jackson	....	dubbing mixer
John Taylor	....	sound recordist
Henry Dyer	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
Rowena Wilkinson	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Lara Berners	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Marcus Dryden	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
David Filipe	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Filippo Forno	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Olivia O'Neil	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Olly Sullivan	....	visual effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ray De-Haan	....	stunts
Frazer Meek	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Catharine Brown	....	focus puller
Raffaele Giordano	....	best boy
Bruno Martins	....	electrician
Bernhard Rostoski	....	gaffer (as Bernie Rostoski)
Andy Sauer	....	grip
Jenny John Chuan	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Karl Clarke	....	camera trainee (uncredited)
Mark Dempsey	....	digital imaging technician (uncredited)
Steven Hall	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Colin Hutton	....	still photographer (uncredited)
James Matai	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera (uncredited)
Andy Pinkney	....	grip trainee (uncredited)
Andy D. Stewart	....	lighting technician (uncredited)

Animation Department
Jim le Fevre	....	animation

Casting Department
Rachel Sheridan	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daisy Babbington	....	wardrobe
Rebecca Duncan	....	costumes
Yasemin Kascioglu	....	dresser

Editorial Department
David Fisher	....	assistant editor
Adam Grant	....	on-line editor
Vicki Matich	....	colorist
Simon J. Brooks	....	additional assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Jake Jackson	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Guy Adams	....	location manager
Mary Burrows	....	legal and business affairs
Ming Chung	....	production accountant
Gwen Gorst	....	production coordinator
Jane Jackson	....	script supervisor
Dean Jones	....	director of production
Alix Middleton	....	script supervisor
Emlyn Pool	....	floor runner (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hillbilly Television
• Talkback Thames

Distributors

• BBC Four (2011) (UK) (TV) (as BBC 4)

Special Effects

• Agog Special Effects

Other Companies

• HireWorks  Avid Nitris DX rental

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15

Company:

Hillbilly Television

Trivia:

Stephen Fry also appeared in A Fish Called Wanda (1988), which featured former Python members John Cleese and Michael Palin.

Movie Connections:

References "Friday Night, Saturday Morning: Episode #1.7" (1979)

A great comedy? Yes it is! No it's not! YES IT IS!!!!

I'm not going to get into the whole debate here over the "Life of Brian" which I'll leave to others. This docudrama is as it says at the start a re-imagining of the events & conversations that surrounded the Monty Python team before two of them stepped onto a late night talk show to discuss their controversial movie "Life of Brian".

Film takes the basics surrounding the "debate" and slaps a thick coating of Monty Python comedy references into the mix. The two adversaries in the debate are painted in a bad light, so the program is biased but it's mostly all for laughs.

Should take the show as an excuse to just relive the Pythoneseque humour. The program humourises the darker aspects the Pythons may have gone through (e.g. death threats) but at the end of the day they won the contest (the film is shown often on free-to-air TV in the UK and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever).

Well acted, well scripted, you will enjoy it. A nice retelling!