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With all the uproar in the media lately
concerning Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the
Christ, it almost seems ridiculous to ask the question: “Can crucifixion ever
be…funny?”
The answer is yes—if it’s in a film where Pontius Pilate
has a speech impediment, ex-lepers beg for money, and you can’t get anywhere if you’re
not willing to haggle. Oh, and if the film is Monty Python’s Life of
Brian–which has just been re-released to theaters in response to the controversy
over The Passion.
Life of Brian tells the story of Brian
Cohen, a man living at the same time as Jesus Christ who is mistaken for the Messiah.
Although the story parallels the one told in Mel Gibson’s film, don’t expect even a
second of somberness or pain in this movie. Instead, you can look forward to almost
nonstop silliness from beginning to end.
Life of Brian is the
second of the three major Monty Python movies—sandwiched nicely in between The Holy Grail and
The Meaning of Life–and is arguably the funniest of the three. It was written by
and stars the usual group—Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry
Jones, and Michael Palin—the same folks who brought you the other films and the
ground-breaking British comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Graham
Chapman plays the lead role of Brian, and he is backed by the others who each portray a
number of very silly secondary characters.
The film did spawn a lot of
controversy when it was first released in 1979. It was banned in many areas because
people thought it was blasphemous. The truth is, the group was very careful not to make
the film about Jesus himself but about a man living at the same time. And for all its
silliness, the film does take a critical look at organized religion and advises people to
think for themselves instead of blindly following someone else.
In any
case, if you enjoy laughing and are a sucker for bad taste and general silliness, then
see Life of Brian in a theater near you. You can find out if it’s coming to your
area by visiting this web site, which has the official list of theaters taking the film:
ma.com/encyc/films/lifeofbrian_rerelease.html
If not, you can still
catch it on DVD—and it’ll still be funny.
