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IMDbPro

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Original title: Life of Brian
  • 1979
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
429K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,228
153
John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Monty Python in Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
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Dark ComedyParodySatireComedy

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.

  • Director
    • Terry Jones
  • Writers
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Terry Gilliam
  • Stars
    • Graham Chapman
    • John Cleese
    • Michael Palin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    429K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,228
    153
    • Director
      • Terry Jones
    • Writers
      • Graham Chapman
      • John Cleese
      • Terry Gilliam
    • Stars
      • Graham Chapman
      • John Cleese
      • Michael Palin
    • 482User reviews
    • 109Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:51
    Trailer
    Monty Python's Life of Brian
    Trailer 1:37
    Monty Python's Life of Brian
    Monty Python's Life of Brian
    Trailer 1:37
    Monty Python's Life of Brian

    Photos157

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    Top cast24

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

    User reviews482

    8.0428.9K
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    Featured reviews

    8gbill-74877

    Razor sharp, and still holds up

    Marvelous satire of religion and its followers - how the message is distorted, how factions invariably form and fight one another, and how blind worship quickly replaces reason (and even kindness). After the Sermon on the Mount is delivered to a crowd who mostly can't hear Jesus and squabble among themselves, one guy walks off commenting "What Jesus fails to appreciate is that it's the meek who are the problem," in shades of the conservative view in 1979 and today. Mostly it's just good, sacrilegious fun, sometimes venturing into territory that's now frowned upon (like making fun of a speech impediment), but overall very creative and intelligent. Here's another funny bit:

    Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't need to follow me! You don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves! You're all individuals! Crowd, as one: Yes! We're all individuals! Brian: You're all different! Crowd, as one: Yes, we're all different!
    10alice liddell

    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.
    10gogoschka-1

    One of the most intelligent comedies ever made

    Personally, I believe this to be one of the most intelligent comedies ever made. It might not appear that way at first because the film does have its share of simple slapstick and "naughty" moments, but generally, the topics the Pythons tackle here are very serious - albeit dealt with in a way that makes this a true contender for the funniest film of all time.

    A firework of hilarious sketches, timeless quotes and clever comments on the human condition, this film was deemed too dangerous for the masses and therefore, until recently, banned in several countries (normally, this only used to happen to the so called "Video Nasties").

    This film never once makes fun of Jesus (Christ) - but it DOES take the mickey out of blind, fanatic followers of any political movement or religion.

    An outstanding achievement and endlessly re-watchable.

    My vote: 10 out of 10

    Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

    Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

    Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

    Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/
    9j30bell

    A Masterwork of British Comedy

    In Life of Brian, Python created what John Cleese called simply "our masterpiece". As a piece of writing, it is the most impressive of the three feature length Python movies. The scenes remain episodic, but there is a much more coherent narrative than in the earlier Holy Grail – I loved HG too, but for different reasons. The characters (well about one or two of the characters) have acquired some subtle shading, which is rare in comedy and, alas, rare in British comedy in particular. The plight of Chapman's Brian is one that I really cared about (although his death is also extremely funny, upbeat and one of the truly iconic moments in British cinema).

    The story must be fairly well known. Brian is born at the same time as Jesus with whom he leads a kind of parallel life, thus allowing the team to lampoon and satirise everything from religious zealotry and mob hysteria to 1950s biblical/sword & sandals epic cinema. It does this by marrying historic situations with more modern attitudes; thus we have revolutionary Stan who wants to be Loretta and have the right to have babies, the old man who can't understand why he's being stoned for saying simply "that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah!" the gruff centurion correcting Brian's Latin grammar while he's trying to daub anti-Roman slogans on a wall and the gentle centurion asking each of a line of the condemned "crucifixion? Good" while ticking them off on his clipboard. Interspersed with this is slapstick, pantomime women (I'm not sure there are any real women in Python, which is probably its greatest failing) and a small amount of the trademark Python surrealism (the spaceship, the "prophet" talking about the sons misplacing the things owned by their fathers who had placed them down only just a moment ago… etc). In short, something for everyone – except, perhaps, committed Christians.

    A lot of attention has been paid to whether LoB is blasphemous. The Pythons claim not and I'm not sufficiently religious to care very much. On the surface, I disagree. There are also occasional sideswipes at ancient Jewish custom – although, to be fair, only stoning which, if you'll pardon the pun, might be considered a fair target. Jesus is not criticised, but the film's central message seems to be; be in the right place at the right time and even a man called Brian can become God. Almost the last line is from Eric Idle saying; "you come from nothing and go back to nothing" which doesn't suggest that the man on the mount at the beginning is a divinity, no matter whether he's talking sense or not.

    Most importantly though, LoB is refreshingly satirical. There always was an element of this in Python (mediaeval Christian philosophy lampooned in the Holy Grail for example "this new learning amazes me Sir Bedevere, explain again how sheeps' bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes… so, if she weighs the same as a duck, she must be made of wood, and therefore - a witch". I guess LoB attracted attention because the satire had never been so bold or obvious before. This is also what makes LoB such an incredibly funny film to watch; but put it this way – despite what Rowan Atkinson may have once said – I'd be very surprised if the Python's weren't expecting the Spanish Inquisition.

    That shouldn't put you off, though. Unless your faith is too weak to survive Python's gentle humanism, watch this movie – you'll probably love it.
    10TheLittleSongbird

    Utterly hilarious from start to finish!

    Life of Brian may have caused controversy on release, but this has always been my personal favourite of the Monty Python movies. Why? Because it is hilarious! True, the story isn't the best component of the film, but everything else works wonders. It is essentially an irreverent and inspired send up of religious epics, and is helped brilliantly by gags and a script that is so joyfully juvenile, if extremely rude, and quotable. Quotes such as "He's not the Messiah. He is a very naughty boy" and "Welease Wodewick" had me literally peeing my pants. The sets are realistic and all of the Pythons who here take several pot shots at their favourite targets, especially Terry Jones, Graham Chapman and Michael Palin are on top form. Overall, irreverent and hilarious, a must see! 10/10 Bethany Cox

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Six cast members played 40 characters.
    • Goofs
      The letter U first appeared around the 14th century. At the time of Jesus, ROMANES EUNT DOMUS would be written ROMANES EVNT DOMVS.
    • 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 (as Andre Jacquemin) and Dave Howman (as David Howman)

      Lyrics by Michael Palin (uncredited)

      Arranged by John Du Prez (as Trevor Jones)

      Sung by Sonia Jones

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    FAQ22

    • How long is Monty Python's Life of Brian?Powered by Alexa
    • 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
      • August 17, 1979 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • La vida de Brian
    • Filming locations
      • Amphitheater, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia(amphitheater)
    • 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
      • $20,833,252
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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

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