20181022:
I decided to watch this movie mainly because it's by Monty Python, the British comedy group that did Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), but also because I had the gut feeling that I've seen something related to it. I later learned that I had watched Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) (2010) which is an oratorio based on Life of Brian.*
Life of Brian is a religious satire which follows a young man named Brian Cohen. Avoiding spoilers, Brian lived during biblical times and is eventually mistaken as the Messiah. Despite his repeated refutation of such claims, Brian ends up having to accept his untimely fate. On a positive note, he's reminded to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."
I enjoyed the film because it pokes and targets many problem points of religion in a clever manner. For example, at one point in the movie (as alluded above), the protagonist suddenly builds a group of followers and the followers begin to attribute miracles and signs to him without his say (and in some cases against his direct plea). In a related scene, one of the followers asks his mother if his mother is a virgin. She simply states that's a personal question and the crowd assumes, that because she didn't tell them, that she is, in fact, a virgin.
Unfortunately, like most British movies I watch, I had trouble understanding the British accents and so I had to turn on the caption. But turning on the caption for a comedy can often ruin a comedy. As such, I would probably get the most out of this movie by watching it a couple times, with and without the closed captions.
Overall, I would highly recommend the movie if you enjoy satire and consider yourself open-minded. With that being said, I would also recommend the movie to every movie fan, as the movie is considered one of the best.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
*Spamalot, the musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, preceded Not the Messiah - just as the Holy Grail movie preceded Life of Brian.
Instant Comments:
Lol. The stoning.
Ha. This clean-up.
This conversation about a right to have babies.
Ha. The Romans did a lot of stuff for them but they still want to rebel.
"The Judean People's Front?"
"Biggus Dickus"
"He has a wife you know. Incontinentia... Incontinentia Buttocks."
WTF. Alien spaceship. Things just got weird.
That "You're supposed to haggle" scene was well done.
Smile. This whole situation where the people believe Brian is the Messiah and he can't do anything and they just make up a bunch of stuff. It would seem like the time would be ripe for that sort of behavior. I'm sure this even happens nowadays.
Frontal nudity.
Ha. "You're all individuals." "Yes, we're all individuals." etc...
Hahahaha. They're just pretending.
Parody of Spartacus. "I'm Brian" in place of "I'm Spartacus."
I've certainly heard this song before: "Bright Side of Life."
Watched 20181022 (Netflix, Instant) (English captions)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Terry Jones. 94 min
Relevant Links:
Monty Python's Life of Brian (IMDb.com)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (RottenTomatoes.com)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikipedia.org)
I decided to watch this movie mainly because it's by Monty Python, the British comedy group that did Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), but also because I had the gut feeling that I've seen something related to it. I later learned that I had watched Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) (2010) which is an oratorio based on Life of Brian.*
 |
| Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) |
Life of Brian is a religious satire which follows a young man named Brian Cohen. Avoiding spoilers, Brian lived during biblical times and is eventually mistaken as the Messiah. Despite his repeated refutation of such claims, Brian ends up having to accept his untimely fate. On a positive note, he's reminded to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."
I enjoyed the film because it pokes and targets many problem points of religion in a clever manner. For example, at one point in the movie (as alluded above), the protagonist suddenly builds a group of followers and the followers begin to attribute miracles and signs to him without his say (and in some cases against his direct plea). In a related scene, one of the followers asks his mother if his mother is a virgin. She simply states that's a personal question and the crowd assumes, that because she didn't tell them, that she is, in fact, a virgin.
 |
| Centurion (John Cleese) and Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin) |
Unfortunately, like most British movies I watch, I had trouble understanding the British accents and so I had to turn on the caption. But turning on the caption for a comedy can often ruin a comedy. As such, I would probably get the most out of this movie by watching it a couple times, with and without the closed captions.
Overall, I would highly recommend the movie if you enjoy satire and consider yourself open-minded. With that being said, I would also recommend the movie to every movie fan, as the movie is considered one of the best.
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
 |
| Lead Singer Crucifee (left, Eric Idle) and Brian (right). |
*Spamalot, the musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, preceded Not the Messiah - just as the Holy Grail movie preceded Life of Brian.
Instant Comments:
Lol. The stoning.
Ha. This clean-up.
This conversation about a right to have babies.
Ha. The Romans did a lot of stuff for them but they still want to rebel.
"The Judean People's Front?"
"Biggus Dickus"
"He has a wife you know. Incontinentia... Incontinentia Buttocks."
 |
| Wise Man #1 (John Cleese), Wise Man #2 (Graham Chapman), Mandy Cohen (Terry Jones), Wise Man #3 (Michael Palin) |
WTF. Alien spaceship. Things just got weird.
That "You're supposed to haggle" scene was well done.
Smile. This whole situation where the people believe Brian is the Messiah and he can't do anything and they just make up a bunch of stuff. It would seem like the time would be ripe for that sort of behavior. I'm sure this even happens nowadays.
Frontal nudity.
Ha. "You're all individuals." "Yes, we're all individuals." etc...
Hahahaha. They're just pretending.
Parody of Spartacus. "I'm Brian" in place of "I'm Spartacus."
I've certainly heard this song before: "Bright Side of Life."
 |
| Brian and Judith (Sue Jones-Davies) |
Watched 20181022 (Netflix, Instant) (English captions)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Terry Jones. 94 min
Relevant Links:
Monty Python's Life of Brian (IMDb.com)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (RottenTomatoes.com)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikipedia.org)
Date/Time
Monday, October 22, 2018
@
22:00
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