The idea they came up with was a dangerous one which could very well have ruined their careers and led to charges of blasphemy. Richard Webster comments in A Brief History of Blasphemy(1990) that "internalised censorship played a significant role in the handling" of Monty Python's Life of Brian. Its tongue-in-cheek billing was ‘a movie destined to offend two thirds of the civilised world…and severely irritate the rest’. “It was quite obvious that there was very little to ridicule in Jesus’s life, and therefore we were onto a loser,” said Michael Palin in 1979. The Catholic archdiocese has called Life of Brian a "blasphemy", adding that it was a "crime against religion which holds the person of Christ up to comic ridicule." Monty Python’s story of Brian, a hapless citizen of Roman Judea who is mistakenly identified as the Messiah, caused a massive firestorm upon its release in the UK. Some local councils banned the film, a measure which did it no harm at all: people would simply flock to the nearest city where it was showing. Answer Save. Again, the long-winded condescension of a pair of ageing grandees didn’t deter audiences. The three Jewish organisations speak for more than 1,000 rabbis. Because the Pythons knew some people would consider the film sacrilegious, and America, unlike the U.K., had no blasphemy laws. - The films that defined Generation X, The idea for Life of Brian came about when the team was promoting its previous film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. ‘The Life of Brian’, Monty Python’s classic cinematic mocking of Christianity, was so scandalous for its blasphemy when it was released back in 1979 that it was actually banned by some British movie theaters, while others gave it the scarlet letter of an X rating. The team followed Life of Brian with a comedy that was far more heretical, 1983’s The Meaning of Life. Relevance. When Macdonald died in office 1891, Thompson was first choice to take over as P… The project’s unlikely saviour was George Harrison, the ex-Beatle. And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. But back in 1966, Harrison was unruffled. It may be the foulest-spoken Biblical epic made, but it also looks like becoming the best-selling. Maybe Cleese should have sent some crates of champagne to religious groups and asked them to protest. Your support powers our independent journalism, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Life of Brian was certainly considered blasphemous in 1979 – and the film itself makes references to the absurdity of blasphemy as a crime. One cannot practice blasphemy without actually blaspheming. “If Christianity’s as good as they say it is, it should stand up to a bit of discussion.” Evidently, he still held that opinion when Idle asked for a little help from his friend. In the first four days at Cinema 1, in New York, one of the city's biggest auditoriums, the film recorded the biggest receipts taken by any film, which will no doubt have Brian, alias Graham Chapman, rubbing his hands with glee. In 2006, Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code, adapted from Dan Brown’s bestseller, was denounced as anti-Catholic. But when outsiders tell the same jokes they are not half as funny. “I thought we’d been quite good,” said Idle in Robert Sellers’ behind-the-scenes book, Very Naughty Boys. – they go instead to watch a man being stoned for blasphemy. “Jesus was a very straight, direct man making good sense, so we decided it would be a very shallow film if it was just about [him].”. All rights reserved. It’s making fun of the way that people misunderstand the teaching” (Credit: Alamy), In New York, there were picketers outside cinemas, with placards proclaiming that the troupe’s name gave away its diabolical nature: ‘Python = Serpent = Satan’. I'm pretty sure there is zero blasphemy in the Life of Brian. 1 0. “We’d avoided being specifically rude to specific groups.”. The Pythons were adamant about that, and even included Jesus in the movie in a very respectful way. Michael Palin and John Cleese even had to debate the film on BBC Two with Malcolm Muggeridge, a Catholic journalist, and Mervyn Stockwood, Anglican Bishop of Southwark. Or rather, Cleese and Palin did the debating, while Muggeridge and Stockwood sneered at them and their “10th-rate film”. “Do you believe Monty Python's Life of Brian is blasphemous?” [blasphemy/ˈblasfəmi/noun: blasphemy; plural noun: blasphemies. The words of New York's film critics and distributors clearly weigh more with the public than those of the Catholic archdiocese and the rabbinical community. In a discussion years after Life of Brian’s release, Terry Jones said: “I think the film is heretical, but it’s not blasphemous” (Credit: Alamy). “They actually made me rich,” said John Cleese of the protesters on one American talk show. The Life of Brian is in the same realm as The Holy Grail, but it still feels a little like a kid tagging along by holding onto his parent's leg with a death grip. It was never our intention to offend anyone's belief. Some countries, such as Ireland and Norway, banned it outright. level 2. John Thompson would become, reluctantly, Prime Minister in 1892 (and become the last Prime Minister to die in office two years later in 1894). Life of Brian does not make fun of God - the Pythons were very careful to avoid doing this. Love film? The Meaning of Life won the Grand Prix at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival (Credit: Alamy), The protests didn’t faze Monty Python, either. When The Exorcist was released, churchgoers handed out leaflets urging cinema-goers to stay away – despite the insistence by its screenwriter and producer, William Peter Blatty, that it was a pro-church film – but it raked in $110 million (£45million) during its initial run, making it the US’s second highest grossing film of 1974. Today, however, blasphemy is … Eric Idle joked that their next project would be called “Jesus Christ: Lust For Glory”, and his team-mates realised that no one had ever made a comedy about the Messiah. Lennon’s killer even cited the comment as one excuse for the murder. Nothing in Life of Brian was as audacious as that, and yet The Meaning of Life didn’t result in bans or boycotts – and it didn’t do anywhere near as well at the box office. Twice. The comedy team’s irreverent Biblical romp had been due to open on 200 screens across the US, but after various religious groups protested against it, the number of screens was tripled. on 11/14/2009. With Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam. True, some of it might be considered a bit … 1 year ago. Life of Brian’s actual blasphemy - such that it is - is slight at best. 'Blasphemy' is an ancient, fundie Christian concept. Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and the Transgender Debate. Fri 30 Aug 2013 07.30 BST Again directed by Jones, it features a glitzy song-and-dance number parodying Catholic attitudes towards contraception, Every Sperm is Sacred, and a service in a school chapel, where Cleese’s schoolmaster sends up the obscurity and dullness of certain Old Testament passages: “And so the Midianites went forth to Ram Gilead in Kadesh Bilgemath by Shor Ethra Regalion, to the house of Gash-Bil-Betheul-Bazda, he who brought the butter dish to Balshazar and the tent peg to the house of Rashomon...” Palin’s chaplain then leads the congregation in a grovelling psalm: “Oh Lord, ooh, you are so big. Showing the demonic possession of a young girl, The Exorcist became the first horror film to be nominated for a best picture Oscar (Credit: Alamy). In 1966, as Beatlemania raged, John Lennon was interviewed by Maureen Cleave in London’s Evening Standard newspaper, and made the remark that would haunt him ever afterwards: “We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.” The blowback included threats, the picketing of concerts, and the burning of Beatles records on bonfires. The Pythons sued EMI and settled out of court. But in Very Naughty Boys, Terry Gilliam noted one positive aspect of these protests: “I thought at least getting the Catholics, Protestants and Jews all protesting against our movie was fairly ecumenical on our part... We had achieved something useful.”. It seemed, though, that they hadn’t been quite good enough. Bad taste of this order is rare but not yet dead.". In his view, "As a satire on religion, this film might well be considered a rather slight production. Life of Brian: The most blasphemous film ever? Gosh, we’re really impressed down here, I can tell you.” And then comes a fearful hymn: “O Lord, please don’t burn us. As a result it gained a certificate for general release on… On Free Speech Then and Now David Tollerton, University of Exeter, UK 5.The Meaning of Monty … If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. / Don’t grill or toast your flock. Some religious groups protested and accused the group of blasphemy. You're right, there is no blasphemy in Life of Brian. © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Report Save. Nothing in Life of Brian was as audacious as that, and yet The Meaning of Life didn’t result in bans or boycotts – and it didn’t do anywhere near as well at the box office. It means nothing whatsoever to atheists and sensible Christians. As blasphemy it was, even in its original version, extremely mild. George Harrison, a huge Monty Python fan, thought it was the last chance to have another Python movie.He created Handmade Films, and "pawned" (his words) his home in London and his office building to raise the £4 million needed. The Jewish groups are equally damning. Share the best GIFs now >>> Originally financed by EMI, who backed out because they considered the script blasphemous. The 1979 satire Monty Python’s Life of Brian tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Jewish man who is born on the same day as, and next door to, Jesus and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah. The lesson, it seems, is that however vehement and sincere they may be, protests against religious-themed films rarely have the effect that the protesters are praying for. 8 Answers. The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz, Robert Sellers’ behind-the-scenes book, Very Naughty Boys, Cleese and Palin appeared on Friday Night, Saturday Morning, sends up the obscurity and dullness of certain Old Testament passages. Terry Jones was about to start directing the film in Tunisia when the Chief Executive of EMI, Bernard Delfont, finally got around to reading the script, and declared that there was no way his company could fund such an atrocity. 1 decade ago. Join BBC Culture Film Club on Facebook, a community for film fanatics all over the world. “I feel we should send them a crate of champagne or something.”, More like this: - The subversive messages hidden in The Wizard of Oz - The greatest film never made? The scene where one person is to be stoned for saying "Jehovah" and his guard gets squashed for saying the same thing. vincemale. Some religious groups protested and accused the group of blasphemy. As the film correctly hints, stoning was extremely p… But they eventually settled on the premise that the hapless Brian (Graham Chapman) wouldn’t have any connection with Jesus at all; he would be someone who happened to live in Roman-occupied Judea at the same time, and who was mistaken for a Messiah by the fanatical masses. It may not be true that all publicity is good publicity, but in the case of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which was released 40 years ago, some of the bad publicity was heaven-sent. Short answer: history and legislative laziness. Life of Brian was certainly considered blasphemous in 1979 — and the film itself makes references to the absurdity of blasphemy as a crime. Members of the British comedy team, Monty Python, during the filming of their controversial film The Life of Brian. Initially, they planned to lampoon Jesus himself, but the more they read up on him, the less keen they were. Get ready for a Monty Python's Life of Brian re-release to make blasphemy funny again this April in honor of the 40th anniversary. They moved onto the character of Brian, a 13th disciple who never made it into the Bible because he always arrived five minutes late and missed the miracles. (In Sweden it was advertised as being ‘so funny it was banned in Norway’.) The Holy Grail is a classic, and The Life of Brian a brilliantly blasphemous film. Ever sensitive to what such distinguished opposition might do to receipts Orion Pictures and Warner Brothers, which put the film together and are distributing it, have answered: "The public has been enthusiastic, having flocked to every theatre now showing the picture. 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