The Life of Brian

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Anybody here have an opinion on Monty Python's Life of Brian?  I've never seen it and just found out it existed a on Sunday night when they were singing "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" at the Olympic closing ceremony.  I'm not necesarily interested in watching it, but if any of you have seen it, what do think of it?  Blasphemous, funny, satirical, anything?

[Sibboleth]

You're posting on the internet and you've never seen it before? Find that hard to believe.

[afleitch]

It is 'blasphemous', funny and satirical. That therefore makes it excellent.

[patrick1]

It is 'blasphemous', funny and satirical. That therefore makes it excellent.

Agreed, and I say that as a Christian.  I'd like to think my deity has a robust sense of humour, despite his rather dour Old Testament appearances.

[A cowboy always follows his beard]

Of course God has a sence of humor. Why else would there be so many Jewish comedians?

[Joe Republic]

I've never seen it and just found out it existed a on Sunday night

You make me physically sick.

[Gustaf]

I never got why it would upset religious people. It doesn't even mock Jesus. The one thing it offers a truly scathing satire of is the radical left of the 70s.

(And I guess to an extent how easily religious figures can be misinterpreted, but that seems to be something most religious people must reasonably also agree to). 

[Sibboleth]

I never got why it would upset religious people. It doesn't even mock Jesus. The one thing it offers a truly scathing satire of is the radical left of the 70s.

It's mostly that at the time the film came out there was usually an orchestrated backlash against anything even vaguely controversial organised within about five minutes of it being broadcast/shown/advertised/mooted as a possibility. Mary Whitehouse and all that. I mean, a few years later there was even an outraged debate in the Commons about The Singing Detective (which can be read here).

[patrick1]

The Meaning of Life actually has my favorite send up of religion:

Oh Lord, Ohhh you are sooooo big. So absolutely huge. Gosh we are all really impressed down here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBqe5xvYnNc

[Vasall des Midas]

Very funny, if overrated.

[Vasall des Midas]

I never got why it would upset religious people. It doesn't even mock Jesus. The one thing it offers a truly scathing satire of is the radical left of the 70s.

It's mostly that at the time the film came out there was usually an orchestrated backlash against anything even vaguely controversial organised within about five minutes of it being broadcast/shown/advertised/mooted as a possibility. Mary Whitehouse and all that. I mean, a few years later there was even an outraged debate in the Commons about The Singing Detective (which can be read here).

Ooooh, so chockfull of quotable bits!

Sex is a mechanical, self-gratifying business in which a loving relationship plays no part and marriage is just passé.

are girls—who are instinctively unwilling to be drawn into this "liberated" lifestyle—to regard themselves as abnormal if they do not comply?

just as heroin addicts started with cannabis, so today's child porn consumer was yesterday's soft porn reader

not a sensitive person and not necessarily a member of the silent majority—she is a journalist

Howarth - I happened to watch "The Singing Detective" on video recently. In the episode that I saw the word "bloody" was used about 15 times.

Dunwoody - So what?

Howarth - The hon. Lady may not think that the word "bloody" is offensive, but I hope that the House is not so out of touch that it believes that such language is now part of the accepted language of everyday people. There are worse words

Hon. Members (several, apparently?) - Name them!

[afleitch]

If you think that's a goldmine, read the Hansard record of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

[J. J.]

Far from my favorite Monty Python flick.  Satirical, but the finale was the only really good part of the film.

[dead0man]

The rebellious Jews listing the things Romans brought them is pretty good.  Well, the entire rebellious Jews bit was pretty good what with all the splintering and bickering about stupid sh**t.

[So the Heroes Fall]

Anybody here have an opinion on Monty Python's Life of Brian?  I've never seen it and just found out it existed a on Sunday night

Next thing we know you'll be posting Rickrolls.

[Dr. Cynic]

I like it better than Holy Grail. Which is actually the opposite of most Americans, but lines up well with the British opinion.

Most British fans say Life of Brian was the best of the lot. Most Americans like Holy Grail better. I like Brian.

Not just for the full frontal nudity, either...

[Win32]

I haven't seen it, but I like the YouTube clips I've stumbled on.

E.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso