Monty Python’s Life of Brian is more than just a mere comedy; it is a Biblical, religious, and political satire. Like all Python films, Life of Brian seems to educate the viewer while at the same time providing entertainment. Unfortunately not all of the elements in Life of Brian occurred in real life, which takes away from the validity of the plot. While not everything is accurate, it seems that a majority of the film could be considered genuine. In order to understand an analysis of the film, one must first have a basic sense of the plot.
Summarizing a movie that is almost an hour and a half into one paragraph is a daunting task, but it can be done! The first scene opens with Brian receiving gifts from the Three Wise Men; however, it is soon found out that he is not Jesus. Brian soon finds out that he is a Roman; but despite his ancestry he wishes to join the People’s Front of Judea (PFJ), not only to prove he is a Jew, but to get close to Judith. After being accepted into the PFJ, Brian is commanded to vandalize the Roman palace and soon after kidnap Pilate’s wife. Brian fails to kidnap Pilate’s wife, is seized by Romans, and then escapes. After escaping, Brian is mistaken as the messiah and soon after is once again captured by the Romans. Brian is to be crucified and unfortunately the PFJ believes he is doing so to stand up for “the cause”. The film closes with a light musical number given by crucified citizens. This summary will better allow you to understand the analysis that follows.
One can come to various conclusions about the story that is being told. On the surface the story is simply the life of Brian; however, behind it are the stories of the Bible, the Romans, and even Jesus. Terry Jones, the di...
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Works Cited
Ebert, Roger. "Life of Brian." Rogerebert.com. Rogerebert.com, 1 Jan. 1979. Web. 20 June 2011. .
Flixster, Inc. "Monty Python's Life of Brian." Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, Inc, 2011. Web. 20 June 2011. .
Hornaday, Ann. "'Brian': A Blast From the Past." The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company, 28 May 2004. Web. 20 June 2011. .
IMDb.com, Inc. "Life of Brian." The Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc., 2011. Web. 20 June 2011. .
Roffé, Sarina. "Jews Built Roman Coliseum." JewishGen. JewishGen. Web. 20 June 2011. .
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives and to understand the significance Rachel's life had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapter titled “Shul” and “School” next to each other with each giving a view of the problems they faced in school. Here both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassm...
Rimer, S (2000). A lost moment recaptured. New York Times. January 9, 2000, 22 – 23 and 40.
Kuhns, William. “The Movie Columnists.” Movies in America. London: The Tantivy Press, 1975. 142-73. Print.
...ude the controversial issues about Jesus. Andreas seemed to have been on the border line with following Jesus and believing he was some guy that was telling lies around the cities. It’s not until Jesus is up for execution when he becomes a follower of Christ. Once Andreas returns, he learns that Barabbas and two zealots were arrested. Barabbas is Andreas’ friend, so he decides to propose ways of rebellion to the Romans. Pilate decides to have a meeting with Andreas about his proposal leads. Pilate manipulates Andreas’s proposal by giving the people of Jerusalem the decision which criminal to keep from execution: Barabbas or Jesus. In the end the people chose Barabbas which meant Jesus, including two other criminals, was sent to be crucified. The story concludes with Andreas recognizing Jesus’ power after so many of the people in his life have been changed by Jesus.
Reichardt, Kelly (Director), Raymond, John and Reichardt, Kelly (Writers), Williams, Michelle and Robinson, John (Performances). 2008. Oscilloscope Pictures, 2009. DVD
Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is an unhappy honors student who wishes he could be accepted as a person and not valued just as a brain. Upset over a poor grade in shop, Brian has contemplated suicide rather than live with the ire of his disappointed parents.
Zipes, Jack. Fairy Tale as Myth/myth as Fairy Tale. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 1994. Print.
The life of Jesus is one that is often discussed and debated among scholars and authors since the time Jesus walked this earth. Gerd Theissen’ s work, Shadow of the Galilean, takes the unique perspective of a grain merchant who has been enlisted by Pilate to find out information on various religious sects and report back to him. After Andreas, the grain merchant’s, first report he is given the task of finding out more about this Jesus who is gaining quite a following. Pilate and the Romans want to know if he is a threat to them. This book follows Andreas as he goes on a journey to find out more about Jesus from various sources for his report to the Romans.
Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Prod. Stanley Kubrick, Victor Lyndon, and Ken Adam. By Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George, Gilbert Taylor, Anthony Harvey, and Laurie Johnson. Perf. Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, and James Earl Jones. BLC, 1963. DVD.
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) 2006, DVD, Buena Vista Pictures, Burbank, California, United States of America. Written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Religion is and always has been a sensitive topic. Some choose to acknowledge that there is a God and some choose to deny this fact to the death. For those who deny the presence of a higher being, “Life of Pi” will most likely change your thought process concerning this issue. Yann Martel’s, “Life of Pi”, is a compelling story that shows the importance of obtaining religion and faith. Piscine (Pi) Patel is both the protagonist and the narrator of Martell’s religious eye-opener who undergoes a chain effect of unbelievable catastrophes. Each of these catastrophic events leaving him religiously stronger because he knows that in order to endure what he has endured, there has got to be a God somewhere.
White, Brian. "In The Humble Fashion Of A Scripture Woman": The Bible As Besieging Tool In
IRAPOPORT, 2005. Excellent real-life comedy/drama from a different point of view. The Internet Movie Data Base website. Access from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407265/ [Accessed 19 November 2009]
God reveals himself to the tribe of Judah through Jesus, although they reject him. The movie ultimately shows God’s plan for restoring his relationship with mankind, through the sacrifice of his son Jesus. The greatest personal insight gained from the movie was the political and spiritual battle with the religious establishment and the blindness of the Jewish culture that lead to the rejection of their symbolic spiritual Passover.