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Monty Python: Brianin elämä

Original title: Life of Brian
  • 19791979
  • K-12K-12
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
391K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,194
6
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:51
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Comedy

Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.

IMDb RATING
8.0/10
391K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,194
6
  • Director
    • Terry Jones
  • Writers
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Terry Gilliam
  • Stars
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Michael Palin
Top credits
  • Director
    • Terry Jones
  • Writers
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Terry Gilliam
  • Stars
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Michael Palin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 442User reviews
    • 121Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #239
      • See the Top 250 movies as rated by IMDb users

    Videos3

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:51
    Trailer
    Monty Python's Life of Brian
    Trailer 1:37
    Monty Python's Life of Brian
    Sneak Previews Season 2 Episode 8
    Video 28:19
    Sneak Previews Season 2 Episode 8

    Photos132

    Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Graham Chapman, Terence Bayler, and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Terry Jones and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Graham Chapman and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Graham Chapman and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Monty Python in Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Monty Python: Brianin elämä (1979)
    Style B, 1 sheet movie poster app. 27" x 40"

    Top cast

    Edit
    Graham Chapman
    Graham Chapman
    • Wise Man #2as Wise Man #2…
    John Cleese
    John Cleese
    • Wise Man #1as Wise Man #1…
    Michael Palin
    Michael Palin
    • Wise Man #3as Wise Man #3…
    Terry Gilliam
    Terry Gilliam
    • Man Even Further Forwardas Man Even Further Forward…
    Eric Idle
    Eric Idle
    • Mr. Cheekyas Mr. Cheeky…
    Terry Jones
    Terry Jones
    • Mandy Cohenas Mandy Cohen…
    Terence Bayler
    Terence Bayler
    • Gregoryas Gregory
    Carol Cleveland
    Carol Cleveland
    • Mrs. Gregoryas Mrs. Gregory
    Kenneth Colley
    Kenneth Colley
    • Jesusas Jesus
    Neil Innes
    Neil Innes
    • A Weedy Samaritanas A Weedy Samaritan
    Charles McKeown
    Charles McKeown
    • False Prophetas False Prophet…
    John Young
    John Young
    • Matthias, Son of Deuteronomy of Gathas Matthias, Son of Deuteronomy of Gath
    Gwen Taylor
    Gwen Taylor
    • Mrs. Big Noseas Mrs. Big Nose
    Sue Jones-Davies
    • Judithas Judith
    Peter Brett
    John Case
    • Pilate's Wifeas Pilate's Wife
    Chris Langham
    Chris Langham
    • Alfonsoas Alfonso…
    Andrew MacLachlan
    • Another Official Stoners Helperas Another Official Stoners Helper…
    • Director
      • Terry Jones
    • Writers
      • Graham Chapman
      • John Cleese
      • Terry Gilliam
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    The story of Brian of Nazareth (Graham Chapman), born on the same day as Jesus of Nazareth, who takes a different path in life that leads to the same conclusion. Brian joins a political resistance movement aiming to get the Romans out of Judea. Brian scores a victory of sorts when he manages to paint political slogans on an entire wall in the city of Jerusalem. The movement is not very effective but somehow Brian becomes a prophet and gathers his own following. His fate is sealed however and he lives a very short life. —garykmcd
    satirebritish comedymonty pythonreference to jesus christactor playing multiple roles122 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world. And severely annoy the other third.
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • K-12
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Six cast members played forty characters.
    • Goofs
      When the Centurion corrects Brian's slogan, "Romanes Eunt Domus", he says Domum is the locative case, which would be Domi. It's actually the accusative of place, which drops the preposition Ad from Ad Domum. However, the resulting sentence, "Romani Ite Domum", is correct.
    • Quotes

      Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers".

      Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers?

      Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.

    • Crazy credits
      At the end of Idle's song "Bright Side Of Life" we can hear him saying "It's the end of the film. Incidently this record's available in the foyer. Some of us have got to live as well you know. Who do you think pays for all this rubbish? They'll never make their money back, you know. I told him, I said to him, Bernie, I said, they'll never make their money back... That should give you enough."
    • Alternate versions
      The Criterion LD/DVD features the following deleted scenes:
      • A scene with three shepherds in the beginning of the film.
      • A scene featuring the Peoples Front of Judea breaking into Pilate's wife's bedroom, only to be defeated by her strength.
      • A scene introducing us and Brian to the suicide squad, led by King Otto (Idle).
      • A scene showing Judith releasing doves that fly out over Nazareth, and that are spotted by Otto and interpreted as "the sign that is the sign". He sends his troops into town.
      • A very brief scene showing Judith watching Brian carrying his cross through the streets; she is attacked by a salesman who wants her to haggle, resulting in her leaving.
    • Connections
      Edited into From Spam to Sperm (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Brian
      Music by André Jacquemin and Dave Howman (as David Howman)

      Lyrics by Michael Palin

      Arranged by Trevor Jones

      Sung by Sonia Jones

    User reviews442

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Still one of the funniest films of all time.
    It's impossible for me to be objective about this film. I know every scene and line by heart. Not because I'm one of those ghastly Python nerds, whose anal obsessiveness sucks the whole spirit out of everything they did, and actually misses the joke, which is on them; they are the perfect subjects for a Python lampoon. No. I only know LIFE OF BRIAN so intimately because I've seen it so often, it's still one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen, and persists in being hilarious despite familiarity, which, as in so much Python did, is the reverse of what comedy is 'supposed' to be made of (i.e. surprise).

    Also, nostalgia value. MONTY PYTHON were my first heroes, before I even reached double figures. I gobbled up every programme, film and record in a space of a couple of short years, so they are bound up with a period of my life when I was very happy and hopeful, so I go all misty-eyed when I see it. Bizarrely, we were first encouraged to watch BRIAN by our Latin teacher, who felt it was very insightful about Roman society.

    But no-one watches PYTHON anymore, except that dorkish clique. My brother, only a couple of years my junior, is as mystified now by my reaction to it as my parents were then. But surely BRIAN is a comic masterpiece in itself, accessible to anyone who found the very male, elitist, academic bias of the programme somewhat alienating?

    How can I implore you to watch this? It's got a straight narrative, with some of the greatest set-pieces and dialogue of any film ever. It's not a great FILM comedy - Terry Jones is no Gilliam - but the style suits the humour perfectly, allowing it to breathe, and sometimes pulling off an extraordinarily evocative shot, such as when Brian and his mother are walking from Jesus' sermon, and squabbling about petty things like big noses, and the camera pulls back to a vast Judean wasteland, with a massive Roman statue being wheeled, and a set of crucifixes being planted: a marvellous encapsulation of a period in history.

    This is the film's true triumph - it's a magnificent deconstruction of historical distortion. By paralleling the life of Christ with that of an ordinary little man, Python reclaim history from symbol and myth. It brings the body back into history. Its resolute rejection of divinity leads to a bleak, ironic conclusion (listen to 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' carefully, and in context: it's NOT comforting) - the story of Jesus without redemption is ghastly.

    The intelligence behind the juvenile gags is astonishing - the film is a learned commentary on power, totalitarianism, repression, language, gender, the writing of history, the politics of subversion, the complicity of the repressed. Myth is thrown to the wind - the film succeeds where Reg and his revolutionaries fail, by revealing a whole series of repressive apparatum (sic?). No-one is spared - the film is unashamedly destructive, but the film's satire is not arid or narrow; there are many rich parallels with our own time, as the extraordinary reaction from the religious on the film's release showed.

    But BRIAN is not just an attack on religion, but on all who would seek to write selective histories for their own interests, suppressing others' voices. The silliest jokes are also the most profound - in one scene, the kidnappers enter Pilate's palace through a tiled floor. They emerge through a modesty-concealing leaf painted on this floor. This is snickering schoolboy humour, and very very funny, but is also a comment on the phallocentricity of imperialism. Jokes like these are why BRIAN will always remain vital - it turns you into a ludicrous, ill-informed amateur historian.

    The acting is an astonishing feat of multiple performances, but Graham Chapman, always my favorite Python, holds the chaos together, ironically as the Kafkaesque hero who races towards the abyss, an anti-Jesus to love and identify with. If I've made the film sound like hard work, than I'm an idiot. The seriousness is only there if you want it. Like Alice in Wonderland, or Buster Keaton, PYTHON seem to be full of metaphors that encapsulate the pains of life, but are also damnably entertaining. It's strange that men as supposedly 'surreal' and 'out there' as the Pythons should speak such good sense. Only BRINGING UP BABY, THE PALM BEACH STORY, and MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, are funnier than this. Treasure it.
    helpful•190
    81
    • alice liddell
    • Oct 13, 1999

    FAQ4

    • Why was the centurion so insistent on correcting Brian's graffiti?
    • What's the story with all the different Jewish political factions like the People's Front of Judea and the Judean People's Front and so forth?
    • Is "Life of Brian" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 6, 1981 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Ett Herrans liv
    • Filming locations
      • Amphitheater, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia
    • Production companies
      • HandMade Films
      • Python (Monty) Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,206,622
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $140,034
      • Aug 19, 1979
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,745,728
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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    How The Beatles' George Harrison Saved Monty Python's Life Of Brian
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    The Life Of Brian Controversy Explained: Blasphemy, Bans, And Looking On The Bright Side
    The Life Of Brian Controversy Explained: Blasphemy, Bans, And Looking On The Bright Side
    Dec 14Slash Film

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