2 weeks Ago By Danni Scott
On November 8, 1979, Monty Python released a comedy film which proved to be so controversial it was banned in certain countries; The Life of Brian. ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy,’ declares Terry Jones in a much-quoted line as he plays the mother of Brian, a young man who has been mistaken for Jesus. The cult comedy was described at the time as blasphemous and even got banned in multiple countries, including Ireland and Italy.
However, filmmaker Julian Doyle, 81, has argued it was actually a ‘more authentic and accurate portrayal of Jesus Christ than the teachings of the Church and the Bible combined.’ He also believes the iconic end song — Always Look on the Bright Side of Life — should be sun on BBC ’s Songs of Praise. Julian, who edited the film, argued it is no more offensive than the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar.
The film follows Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), an unlucky man who is born in the stable next to Jesus, resulting in him being mistaken for the religious figure his entire life. It was banned in Norway for a year, Ireland for eight years, and for over a decade in Italy upon release. Screenings across the US and UK were cancelled after protests, with Aberystwyth, Wales, barring the film for over 30 years.
It was only in 2009 when Sue Jones-Davies became the town mayor that the ban was lifted due to the fact she starred as Brian’s love interest. Julian, a regular Monty Python collaborator, said it was not intended to be a mockery of Chrisiatny but instead was a parody of the ‘comedic tendency’ of people to blindly follow leaders. After four decades of research, Julian has released a book — The After-Life of Brian — to ‘separate fact from fiction’ about Jesus Christ.
‘The politicians, the censors, and, of course, the placard-waving mobs of protesters completely misunderstood Life of Brian,’ he said. ‘Many were as clearly as dim-witted as a Gumby because they simply didn’t grasp the fact that we weren’t mocking Jesus or Christians at all but simply making a film that satirised society’s comedic tendency to follow religious, political and business leaders like sheep.’ A Gumby was a recurring character featured throughout Monty Python’s works, usually played by Michael Palin, who was simple-minded.
Julian continued: ‘If you look at the film from a historical point of view, you’ll realise that it is a far more authentic and accurate portrayal of Jesus Christ than the teachings of the Church and the Bible combined. ‘So describing Life of Brian as blasphemous is as nonsensical and ignorant as calling Jesus Chris Superstar blasphemous, too. And quite clearly, Webber’s musical is about as far from as blasphemous as you can get.
‘If you really want to get upset about the film then it should be over its historical accuracy, which brings the biblical narrative into serious question. ‘In the past, this would have been considered “heresy” so perhaps the Pythons should have been burned at the stake!’ Julian, who is also credited on Time Bandits, recalled how ‘amazed’ he was when the film ended up being banned, having been rated X at the time. ‘I’m still amazed that Always Look on the Bright Side of Life never got a regular slot on Songs of Praise,’ he joked.
‘I mean, it’s the most popular choice of song for funerals in the UK, so it’s being blasted out of churches all the time!’ The filmmaker has even declared that the bible is ‘full of contradictions’ so the Life of Brian is more historically accurate. ‘In the film, Mr Cheeky’s comment that they have plenty of time on the cross is historically accurate because what is there to kill someone, apart from exposure to the elements and dehydration?’ he said. ‘But let’s say someone would die in a few hours.
It doesn’t make sense why you’d make a cross for someone and nail them up – it’s an absurd amount of effort and time to kill a man. ‘If you pop him up and then take him down after a couple of hours why not just stab him and save all that time and money?’ Monty Python also gave the actors small crosses to carry, instead of the often-depicted huge cross dragged by Jesus as he would ‘need to be a powerlifter’ to do that. ‘The funny thing is that while the Pythons only ever intended to make a comedy film, they intuitively hit on a more realistic portrayal of Jesus and his times because they followed reason rather than faith,’ Julian said.
‘This has obviously made a lot of Christians unhappy, but it stands up to scrutiny and if you are seeking to learn about the life of the real Jesus then Python’s Life of Brian is, in my view, just as valid as any other portrayal of Jesus including the Church’s teachings.’ He added: ‘While it is, and will always remain, a comedy first and foremost, to those who are open-minded it does offer a wider insight into the life and times of Jesus, and one that has just as much legitimacy, if not more so from a historical perspective, as the Church’s account.’ Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.
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