Meet Brian of Nazareth — the poor schnook who happened to be born in the manger next to Jesus. He’s mistaken for the messiah… hounded by fanatic disciples… misunderstood by the public… and ultimately crucified by the Romans. Funny, funny stuff!

CRITIQUE

Consider the state of screen humor today: Flat genre satires, (Epic/Date/Teen/Scary Movie; Meet the Spartans) teens coming-of-age (American Pies) and more turgid romantic comedies than can possibly be listed. Christopher Guest hasn’t even released a funny mockumentary since 2000’s Best in Show. Essentially that leaves the playing field open to Sascha Cohen. (There’s a case to be made that much of Borat’s huge success was due to a dearth of competition rather than its inherent wit.) How, in this comedy-challenged climate, is it even possible to explain the nature of Monty Python and its attendant phenomenon in the 70s & 80s?

Python threw in a bit of everything — Cambridge snootiness, surrealism, historical satire, animation, musical numbers, general absurdity, spam — yet they were hardly a plebian kitchen sink full of laughter. More than anything Python was witty. Luckily a vociferous fan base kept them from breaking apart before their time (much as they tried!).

Though The Holy Grail (1975) made a small profit, the Pythons’ huge international success would’ve been nil… had it not been for the Life of Brian and a certain Reverend Donald Wildmon. Yes, it took the real clergy to catapult an ostensibly a blasphemous work into public notoriety. Had they left it alone, Brian, like The Holy Grail, would’ve played for the fans and become a cult film footnote in cinema history. Condemning the film without having seen it, Wildmon led an army of protestors before TV cameras to lend Brian more publicity than its distributor could ever afford. Thank you, Reverend, thank you!

The Life of Brian is far from profane, but in the strictest sense it is a heretical work [adj : “characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards.”] It challenges the orthodoxy of blindly following autocratic institutions and doctrine; it mocks power and stupidity; it champions the exercise of free thinking. Never does Brian show Jesus or his teachings in a disparate light. “A parody of Jesus' life just wouldn’t work,” once commented Eric Idle. "What he's saying isn't mockable. It's very decent stuff.”

And so is Brian! Being that its humor still holds up just as fresh as when it premiered in 1979, it wouldn’t do first-time viewers a service to recount too many of the actual jokes… but here are a few highlights:

The rebel leader for The People's Front of Judea (John Cleese) declares: "All right… apart from sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

Brian paints some graffiti on the wall of the governor's palace — only to be confronted by a guard, who makes him conjugate his Latin grammar correctly like a misbehaving schoolboy!

Brian’s lost sandal is seen as a miraculous sign from God. (His disciples immediately throw away their sandals.) When he tells the crowd to think for themselves because they’re all individuals, they reply in unison, “Yes! We’re all individuals!”

Now these examples don’t even skim the surface of what is and will remain a timeless classic, let alone begin to describe a convoluted plot. Nor are they intended to. The Life of Brian is must-see comedy by a team at the height of their talents. Graham Chapman, traditionally the weakest performer in their Flying Circus TV series (admittedly drunk most of the time) turns in a nuanced, very human lead performance.

Having written the razor-sharp script by committee — a funny turn in itself considering the theme of individualism — John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones each skillfully essay multiple roles (sometimes within the same scene!!!). Jones took on the extra burden of directing the actors, while Gilliam “kinda co-directed” (his words) “the visual stuff.” Spoken like the one true American in a highly British troupe.

Not only is Brian a consistent laugh-getter on many levels, it looks great. Jones and Gilliam benefited from leftover sets from Zeferelli’s Tunisian production of Jesus of Nazareth. Dusty architecture and costumes all have an authentic lived-in look that virtually every “authentic” religious Hollywood epic somehow managed to avoid.

Remember the opening comment about Python’s penchant for surreal absurdity? As if there isn’t enough wackiness occurring every minute, Gilliam tosses an alien invasion smack in the middle of a religious parable. Now that’s entertainment! So always look on the bright side of life…

THE VIDEO

Brian’s visual palate is rich with muted earth tones, and they’ve never looked better. Yet the downside to an unrestored/remastered version means that every detail, good or bad, is highlighted. Far from immaculate, Brian still reveals bits of dirt and scratches that have plagued prints from day one. The desert sun is unforgiving, so much of the film contains the annoying presence of analog artifacts which a true digital restoration would fix. Come on, Brian… Just one more miracle!

THE AUDIO

Again, immaculate is far from the way this soundtrack is conceived.  Noise reduction seems almost rudimentary at times; track separation is mediocre and the sound alternately tinny or muffled – in comparison to a contemporary mix. In of itself the mix is quite listenable, if unextraordinary. Life of Brian is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital, and optional subtitles in English and Portuguese.

THE EXTRAS

Thank you Jesus! A whole passel of Python material accompanies the classic film, and it’s all more interesting than the usual EPK baloney.

Commentary - Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam

From an overview from the director’s perspective to particulars of Python writing sessions, here’s an invaluable behind the scenes look at creative minds at work.

Commentary - Michael Palin and John Cleese

An interesting and more personal take on the wide variety of personalities that made up the Python team; and the context of humor construction. Yes, it’s true — they actually think about the stuff before the cameras roll.

Audio Recording of the Early Screenplay with Storyboards – Brian went through many incarnations before its final form. Here’s a take with show and tell assistance: storyboards as an older script is read aloud.

The Story of Brian – Interviews, news footage and contemporary observations by the guys are culled into a new hour-long documentary. Covers some of the same material found in previous commentary, but the Pythons are such a rare delight to see active these days, fans will take any scraps at all.

Deleted Scenes – Brian works on so many levels, and one of them is impeccable editing. All the prime jokes are in the final cut, yet what was left out will be of great interest to hardcore Pythonites. The scenes are entitled "Shepherds," "Pilate's Wife," "Otto," "The Sign That Is The Sign," and "The Souvenir Salesman."

Rounding out the extras are Radio Spots and a Photo Gallery.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Recalling the golden age of Britain’s Ealing Studios comedies with Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers, The Life of Brian is Monty Python’s most plot-oriented film. Class, wit and a thoughtful theme are expertly intertwined. It’s their finest work.  Though the Criterion version sports a few more bonus supplements, The Immaculate Edition is the best looking transfer to date, even with its slight deficiencies.