LOTS of jokes had to be cut for this edit-- what's your fav joke that didn't make the cut? HOLY GRAIL reaction: th-cam.com/video/hH7Vqz84ka4/w-d-xo.html NAKED GUN reaction: th-cam.com/video/OEu7VnCfIPc/w-d-xo.html COMED Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5dom33r48W9VdQjINncfXrLh.html
Fun facts One of the people in the crowded house scene is George Harrison of the Beatles (spot the Liverpool accent) The guy left alone in the street in the chasing the Messiah scene is Spike Milligan of the Goons😉
About the budget, they actually had to find private funding, and it was George Harrisson (of The Beatles) who did it. He heard about the movie lacking funds and he wanted to watch it. He later commented it was the most expensive movie ticket ever.
If you had to pick a single peak moment for Monty Python across their four seasons of sketch comedy and all their movies, this is it. An amazing movie that gets better every time you watch it.
It may be an unpopular opinion but this film is my least favorite of the 3 Monty Python theatrical releases mainly due to the fact that due to the cohesive narrative structure of Life of Brian I feel some of the jokes go on too long. Their form of absurdist comedy works best if you don't push the joke too long.
@maxducoudray OK, maybe I phrased that wrong. I prefer when they do this form of signature comedy that it gets switched up more like in Holy Grail or the skit format of Meaning of Life.
True story: During the Falklands War, as the crew of the HMS Sheffield bobbed around in their life rafts, they all suddenly burst into a spontaneous rendition of "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life".
One of the few reactors that left in Spike Milligan's near-film-stealing scene, the man left behind by the crowd during the chase scene; he was the godfather of British comedy, without him there wouldn't have been Monty Python. He happened to be on holiday in Tunisia during filming, just turned up on set and they immediately offered him a scene. The way he suddenly realizes he's all alone and embarrassingly sidles off is genius.😅
The best thing about the opening song (apart from the comically out of place Goldfinger copy) is that the lyrics tell Brian's story from birth to the point where the rest of the film starts and so the life of Brian is completely covered during the running time.
That's actually a mighty big aspect that you are setting "apart" here. I am not a native speaker of English and when I first watched the movie at age 10 or 11 (not the original audio), I didn't understand the lyrics of the song. But I did get the James Bond reference immediately.
Must react to 2 python-esque movies that are rarely reacted to so you'd stand out if you did. "Time Bandits" and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen". Both were done by writer/director Terry Gilliam of Monty Python. And both classics.
There's a Scottish reactor called Dawn Marie who has reacted to them films as well as all the Monty Python films and t.v shows, she absolutely loves the Python boys and their style of comedy, and loves seeing any of the cast making cameos in other films and t.v shows.
@@MarkLloyd72 I watch her and saw those reactions. She's good. One of very few who reacted to Baron Munchausen. Shame there aren't more with such a great movie.
@@benbamboo5558 Yeah I agree with you but sadly some reactors only do films they know will be a big hit, that's why I like Dawn's channel and Jens channel as they are both prepared to give any style of movie a go.
I have to recommend the Marx Brothers, Jen. They are where movie “hard comedy” really started. Their best film is *Duck Soup* but the best introduction is *A Night At The Opera* . Seeing the kings of comedy from the 1930s will really contextualize all the other comedies you see, too. Cheers! As I’ve said before, I love your reactions!
A latin expert on youtube made an analysis of this and it was spot on. Most of it I still remembered from my Latin class back in the day. But I would have gotten the distinction between accusative and locative wrong. That is an edge case, but a common one.
Re: the aliens. I think the guiding star that lead the three wise men at the start was the passing space ship. I think they were going for something like, however grand the events appear to be on earth, its still just a small anonymous little rock with much grander things happening on the cosmic scale.
It’s amazing that all these years later, after one single viewing, Jen was able to get what the joke of the movie was so completely: it’s a stab at organised religion, not the life of Jesus. The attacks on this film when it came out were so completely off the mark. It’s like the protests against Kevin Smith’s film Dogma. As he said “if a guy in a rubber shit monster suit can make you question your religious beliefs, those beliefs weren’t too strong to begin with”.
Every attack by religious people on this movie was "You're making fun of us to such a degree and accuracy that it makes us think, which makes us uncomfortable, so we're going to pretend this movie makes fun of Jesus"
The Tagline reads "So Funny It Was Banned In Norway" because it was offensive to Christians Jews and Catholics, as they knew it was mocking their religion. It was banned in several different countries. There is a scene where a man named Stan reveals to be trans and wants to have children, but his friends are shocked by this revelation. Most people find this very offensive to the LGBTQ community. John Cleese refused to have the scene removed or deleted from any platforms.
Yeah it's getting annoying now I mean like if your watch crocodile Dundee 2 on the TV when he throws a python at a guy and yells "oh shit" they cut him saying that out
The "crazy alien" section always makes me laugh. It actually deals with the story of Jakobs Ladder in the bible. So SO suibtle for those in on the joke. (NO disrespect intended toward anyone)
Such a good observant reaction/commentary. I'm with you on the preacher guy... Michael Palin has such an engaging acting presence, could listen for hours. Loved his Leper character too! Forever my favourite Python
My favorite line is the guy who sees Brian walk away from the wreckage of the spaceship and says, "Oh, you lucky bastard." Like having a spaceship crash into the streets of Roman Jerusalem was no big deal, just walking away from it.
When star Graham Chapman died the entire cast got together and sang "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" at his funeral. It's the number one requested funeral song in Britain.
The spaceship scene was a parodistic take on the "deus ex machina" or "god from outside the events" narrative tool when a convenient event saves the hero from an otherwise inescapable situation.
Actually, many theories about who Jesus was include the notion that he might have been an alien being, from a species with higher intelligence than ours, who came to Earth to help advance mankind. I think the spaceship rescue could have been inspired by that since the movie overall satirizes the bases for religious faith.
😄👍 Of course you have to watch "Monty Python's Meaning Of Life" (1983) but before you do, you should first watch "Time Bandits" (1981) which not only features half of the Python gang (John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who also directed it), but also (wait for it)..........................................Sean Connery! 🎆‼
More Monty! Welcome to the people's front of Judea! Oh I'm sorry I meant the Judean people's front...you know what I mean. Jen did you enjoy the scene with Brian at his balcony window? 😊 Thanks again Jen, and remember...Always look on the bright side of life! 😊....Eric
Great reaction to my favourite Python movie :). "The Meaning of Life" is worth reacting to IMO but it definitely _is_ very much a series of vignettes on a theme (even moreso than 'Holy Grail' i'd say).
Love your appreciation for a good score. _Holy Grail_ was scored with library cues, but _Brian_ was composed by Geoffrey Burgon, best known for British TV shows like _Brideshead Revisited_ and _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy._ I've been hoping for an official soundtrack release for years but so far it's just the _Life of Brian_ comedy album (audio clips from the film with some hilarious recording-studio narration) and a very rare bootleg that's probably just the exact same clips.
"I'm a hooknose, a heebee...I'm Kosher mum, and proud of it". Why the Christians got their (big) noses so out of joint over this film, when the Jews made no fuss over this stereotype has baffled me since I saw this on its initial release.
If I remember correctly, while Christmas is the celebration of his birth, Jesus wasn't actually born in December... I think he was actually supposed to be born in like April or June or something... I think the 25 of December was originally a celebration for some sort of sun god that the Roman Emperor used to worship... Also around that time of year was the Roman festival of Saturnalia, I believe... After the Romans switched the state religion to Christianity, they tried to repurpose some of the existing celebrations... Something like that...
That is correct, its called "syncretism" which the church started doing once it got its official status in Rome, since they needed to "convert" hundreds of year old roman religion into the new Christianity emperor Constantine adopted, but the practice continued beyond Rome's demise...
"I'm Brian... and so is my wife!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Apparently there are UFOs mentioned in the Bible, that's why the Spaceship sequence was included. "The Life of Brian" was banned in the UK by the Church which only served to raise the movie's profile in the few theatres that showed it. Good Reaction Jen. 👍🏻
@@SamuelBlack84 Back in the 1970's the Church had a stronger influence and spoke out to condemn things it thought inappropriate. You can find a debate hosted by the BBC between Pailn & Cleese and a couple of high-up clergymen about "The Life of Brian" and the issues the Church had with it here on TH-cam.
@Steve Ross I've seen it, and it's pathetic. The church is just one of countless organisations distributing lies and peddling it as 'truth' Everyone should think for themselves and enjoy all the pleasures of the flesh
The church didn't ban it in the UK. A few local councils refused to allow it to be shown in their area (possibly under pressure from the church), but otherwise it was shown all over the place.
If havent heard, there's another good comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis alongside a couple of these Monty Python wankers😅 called "A Fish Called Wanda" you might wanna add to your list, friend? See ya! ✌🌎❤
From what I remember, the Latin scene is accurate. Monty Python has a few Latin bits in the movies/tv show. Our Latin teacher would show us that scene at the end of the year, lol
Do you wonder why modern day Christians called this movie blasphemous? For the reason you mentioned. By the way, the movie was banned in a number of towns in Wales. The last ban was lifted about 15 years ago, when the actress who played Judith (the Welsh tart) became the mayor. The most poignant rendition of the "Brighter Side of Life" I've heard was sung at Graham Chapman's memorial service. Another movie you'll like is Jabberwocky, made by a couple members of Monty Python. It's not well known, but it is great. I want to live in a Monty Python universe!
And Now For Something Completely Different is a Monty Python must watch. It's a feature-length film remake of all of their best sketches from the TV show, made with a higher-budget.
The alien scene is there for some reasons: 1. the Pythons loved to confuse their audience. 2. it's the most absurd deus ex machina in movie history. 3. Animator Terry Gilliam (who co directed Holy Grail) had somethng to do. 4. every movie at that time needed a Star Wars scene. 5. all that expense only for the short punchline "You lucky bastard!".
You should check out the contemporary "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" Interview with Cleese and Palin, and Malcom Muggeridge... or the BBC documentary/film about the interview - also a Sketch by 'Not the Nine O'Clock News, parodying the interview and situation.. I loved that Judith's actress later became the Mayor of her own hometown and overturned the ban prohibiting the showing of Brian in the local movie theatre there... I loved less that my mother was one of the people, who not having seen it declared it blasphemous and wrote letters to the BBC and the local council trying to have it not broadcast, or screened in my home town... though I wasn't old enough to have seen it when released I do recall her getting upset over a movie she hadn't seen, wasn't going to see (and to this day hasn't seen) and thinking her a bit ... cray-cray. Fine, don't watch it (though I still think she should, she's laughed at most of the jokes from it, it being a source of many fine satirical quotations...), but let others make their own choices and quit ignorantly interfering with what others can choose to watch.
The Meaning of Life is sketch comedy more akin to their TV show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, just with a higher budged and more relaxed content standards. Honestly I feel like the constraints they had to work under for Flying Circus were part of what made it what it was and the loss of those constraints hurt more than it helped. Meaning of Life has some good moments, but for me, it doesn't hold up to Flying Circus, Holy Grail, or Life of Brian.
Hi Jen No, sadly, Holy Grail was not successful enough to fund this movie. When they wanted to make this movie not a single studio wanted to put up the money for it, because of the religious content. Eric Idle met with his good friend George Harrison and told him about the problem, and George said he'd fund it. 2 mil. Because as he Harrison said "I want to see the movie". It's probably still the most anyone has payed for a movie ticket.
As a fellow Canadian, there is one skit that you HAVE too watch... it is from their old show (Flying Circus), and is a realy popular one... even being performed by the original actor at Just For Laughs. I am certain you will enjoy the Lumberjacks Song!
The space ship bit was a reference to weird writers like Erich von Däniken who said that jesus and the ancient gods could have been spacemen. And its not a piss take on Bureaucracy but on all the little left wing Trotskyite groups.
Since you mentioned the budget for the film, George Harrison (of the Beatles), a life long fan of Monty Python, got the money for them to make this movie.
Hi Jen, the song was written by Eric Idle the guy who was singing it for the movie. He has also written the theme tune for a Tv sitcom called (One Foot In The Grave).
I always have respect for the Life of Brian reactors who include the Boring Prophet talking about the rapier work base that has an attachment in their TH-cam edit.
The alien spacecraft scene, as I interpret it, is a microcosm of Brian's absurd life. Brian Cohen just wanted to live a good life, but Life decided to throw every strange and absurd and maddening thing imaginable at him. Everything that could go wrong in his life went wrong!
This movie was actually close to not being made at all. The original funding was pulled just a few days before the Pythons were to go on location to shoot it, but at the last minute, former Beatle George Harrison came through with the needed funds because, as he put it, "I want to see the movie". I think he has a small part somewhere in this as well.
Interesting. There was no prohibition against saying the divine name in the first century. That did not occur until the second century C.E., when Hanina ben Teradion was burned at the stake for saying the divine name after Cesar had prohibited such. Until that occurred, the divine name was part of the daily greeting of Jews. Mishnah Berakhot 9:5 from the Talmud explains why the divine name is used in the Jewish daily greeting. It was based on Ruth 2:4 of the Tanakh. Ruth 2:4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. (ASV)
@@SergioArellano-yd7ik A.D. stands for Anno Domini. It is a Catholic expression. C.E. stands for current era. It is a historical expression. Please do not take me seriously. Take the scriptures I quote seriously.
The epic theme song at the start was sung by a Welsh girl named Sonia Jones who - amazingly - was only 16 at the time. She went on to have a successful career as a session singer. BTW, the spaceship sequence was sending up books like "Chariots of the Gods" and "Spaceships of Ezekiel", which claimed that events in the Bible, mythology and/or ancient folklore were evidence of aliens intervening in human history. These books, and the films and TV shows they spawned, were hugely popular at the time.
@@ericbonham8159 The biblical connection with the likes of von Däniken's and Blumrich's best-selling books is irresistible. Those "ancient alien" theories were huge at the time, a time which largely pre-dated any retro references to Star Wars.
@@ericbonham8159 Indeed, which is why it's inherently unlikely that "Star Wars" tropes had begun to be commonplace at the time. It's self-evident that the alien abduction sequence was a reference to the fad of "ancient aliens" that had been rampant since von Däniken's _Chariots of the Gods_ book, film and sequels captured the popular imagination from the late 1960s onwards. In contrast, Star Wars only hit UK cinemas in December 1977, whereas the script for The Life Of Brian was finished in January 1978. Hardly enough time for "Star Wars" clichés to have bedded in to the extent that they could be ripe for satire in a Monty Python movie.
My theory about the alien scene: Just before this film came out a book was published about the possibility of ancient aliens visiting Earth & bringing new technology to Earth's humans. The book became a huge bestseller. Written by Erich von Daniken it was titled "Chariots of the Gods". We also recently have the History channel's series "Ancient Aliens" that probably relies a bit on von Danikens book. Me?....I don't know what to believe....just know that this film is hilarious!
Fun fact: Life of Brian had a much bigger budget than Holy Grail because it was funded by a certain Mr. George Harrison (former Beatle and huge Monty Python fan).
the man left on his own when Brian loses his shoe, 16:46 is Spike Milligan writer and star (with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe) of the 1950's BBC radio programme 'The Goon Show' which literally changed British comedy, all of the Pythons have said numerous times over the years that without Spike Milligan there would be no Monty Python! Spike wasn't meant to be in the movie he was visiting battlefields he had fought on (and very nearly died on) during WW2, including Tunisia where LOB was being filmed, when the Pythons found out they begged him to make an appearance, and when he had he continued on his holiday.
Lamb is my favorite book by Christopher Moore. It was the first book by him that I read, and it set such a high bar that the others can't quite reach. But I have come to love his other books, too. I enjoyed Sacre Bleu a lot.
Yes, it had a bigger budget, mainly because one of The Beatles (George Harrison) helped fund it. Yes, the song was written for the movie by Eric Idle, the Python member who sang it at the end.
Fab reaction. That opening credits song was definitely a homage to Goldfinger. Yep pretty sure Always look on the bright side of life is an Eric Idle song written for this film. If you want a fun quiz time why not see if you can name every single character played by each actor for both holy Grail and life of Brian. Good luck ☺
11:10 funny you should mention The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner’s first choice to play the impressive clergyman with the speech impediment was Michael Palin, who plays Pontious in this movie (among various other roles). However, he was already scheduled to work on another movie, A Fish Called Wanda, also with John Cleese.
The Pythons were ahead of their time with the social political nuances and trends being skewered in this film! Culture war and religious fanaticism were pretty well caricatured as well as modern wokeness in Stan’s desire to be a woman having babies. In my opinion this is truly Monty Python’s finest and funniest work!
At the time this movie was ready to film, the TV mini-series "Jesus of Nazareth" was wrapping up. So Monty Python "inherited" all the sets and most of the costumes. That helped their budget a lot.
Hi Jen, thanks for reacting to one of my favourite comedies! Saw it in the cinema on opening weekend and everybody was laughing so much we couldn't hear all the jokes!! Life of Brian appeared in movies about 2 years after the wildly popular Star Wars (later subtitled Episode 4). That's why Terry Gilliam added the space battle. :D
Have you ever read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books by Douglas Adams? They're hilarious and super British and Python-esque. The movie adaption is pretty good too.
Ah yes, that guy has a cameo in the last season of Flying Circus. He also wrote some Doctor Who episode. If 42 is the answer, what is the question? Don't Panic! And thanks for all the fish... Got so obsessed with the Lemmings game he put it in one of his novels. RIP.
LOTS of jokes had to be cut for this edit-- what's your fav joke that didn't make the cut?
HOLY GRAIL reaction: th-cam.com/video/hH7Vqz84ka4/w-d-xo.html
NAKED GUN reaction: th-cam.com/video/OEu7VnCfIPc/w-d-xo.html
COMED Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5dom33r48W9VdQjINncfXrLh.html
If you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy them all!
🤘🌎❤
OK Jen, we had some good laughs with this one. Now we need to get back to some good Sci Fi. My suggestion, Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey 😊
3rd Monty Python movie, please. 👍
Fun facts
One of the people in the crowded house scene is George Harrison of the Beatles (spot the Liverpool accent)
The guy left alone in the street in the chasing the Messiah scene is Spike Milligan of the Goons😉
The third one does have one of the greatest musical numbers in cinema
About the budget, they actually had to find private funding, and it was George Harrisson (of The Beatles) who did it. He heard about the movie lacking funds and he wanted to watch it. He later commented it was the most expensive movie ticket ever.
Well, George did make his money back. And then some. Still it was a big risk going in.
Harrison also made an appearance as a beard seller.
And it led to him producing many films, which made him millions.
@@DavidB-2268no
Big risk?
He put out Friar Park up as security. If the movie had flopped he would have to find another place to sleep.
I like how they had the whole spaceship bit just to explain how Brian fell off a tower and didn't die.
I could watch an endless loop of reactors reacting to that scene for days. It may be the most out of left field scene ever shot in a movie.
Talk about your MIRACLES... 😳😲🤯
pretty sure they were pandering to the star wars crowd
it was a pretty big deal at the time
It was just after Star Wars so they ticked that box and moved on.
It's also a reference to various small, fringe cults who believe that Jesus was an alien. See, for example, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raelism.
Thanks, jen .. he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy !
If you had to pick a single peak moment for Monty Python across their four seasons of sketch comedy and all their movies, this is it. An amazing movie that gets better every time you watch it.
@@LeviBulger Somehow, British comedy does lowbrow better than anyone.
It may be an unpopular opinion but this film is my least favorite of the 3 Monty Python theatrical releases mainly due to the fact that due to the cohesive narrative structure of Life of Brian I feel some of the jokes go on too long. Their form of absurdist comedy works best if you don't push the joke too long.
@@bjgandalf69 Weird. I can't think of a single sequence in this movie that overstays its welcome.
@maxducoudray OK, maybe I phrased that wrong. I prefer when they do this form of signature comedy that it gets switched up more like in Holy Grail or the skit format of Meaning of Life.
I'm partial to the Spanish Inquisition.
"You are all individuals." "I'm Not!" "Shush!" My favourite exchange in the entire film. They just don't make them like they used to anymore.
Perfection scripting....
That gag was ad libbed during filming.
"I'M BRIAN OF NAZARETH AND SO'S MY WIFE!"
You only need "You are all individuals." "I'm not!"
True story: During the Falklands War, as the crew of the HMS Sheffield bobbed around in their life rafts, they all suddenly burst into a spontaneous rendition of "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life".
😂❤
👍
One of the few reactors that left in Spike Milligan's near-film-stealing scene, the man left behind by the crowd during the chase scene; he was the godfather of British comedy, without him there wouldn't have been Monty Python. He happened to be on holiday in Tunisia during filming, just turned up on set and they immediately offered him a scene. The way he suddenly realizes he's all alone and embarrassingly sidles off is genius.😅
The song was indeed written for this movie. It's iconic.
It's pretty much the unofficial national anthem for the UK, and gets played at God-knows-how-many funerals
@@christianwise637 I kinda want it to be played at my funeral as well. I'm German though, haha.
@@christianwise637 Starting with the guy who played Brian's.
I believe that this song was written for the movie by the late great Harry Nilsson. He was friends with Eric Idle.
@@edwardthorne9875 No, it was written by Eric Idle
The best thing about the opening song (apart from the comically out of place Goldfinger copy) is that the lyrics tell Brian's story from birth to the point where the rest of the film starts and so the life of Brian is completely covered during the running time.
That's actually a mighty big aspect that you are setting "apart" here.
I am not a native speaker of English and when I first watched the movie at age 10 or 11 (not the original audio), I didn't understand the lyrics of the song. But I did get the James Bond reference immediately.
"Ireland has only banned 3 movies ever... 2 of them are mine." - Terry Jones
How many people spotted Spike Milligan (who was on holiday in Tunisia while the film was being made) and roped him in? 🙂
"Reg, our glorious leader and founder of the PFJ will not be joining us, as he has a bad back."
That line cracked my late father up every time.
Must react to 2 python-esque movies that are rarely reacted to so you'd stand out if you did. "Time Bandits" and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen". Both were done by writer/director Terry Gilliam of Monty Python. And both classics.
There's a Scottish reactor called Dawn Marie who has reacted to them films as well as all the Monty Python films and t.v shows, she absolutely loves the Python boys and their style of comedy, and loves seeing any of the cast making cameos in other films and t.v shows.
@@MarkLloyd72 I watch her and saw those reactions. She's good. One of very few who reacted to Baron Munchausen. Shame there aren't more with such a great movie.
@@benbamboo5558 Yeah I agree with you but sadly some reactors only do films they know will be a big hit, that's why I like Dawn's channel and Jens channel as they are both prepared to give any style of movie a go.
Time Bandits is mandatory at this point. ;)
My mom loved the song they sing at the end of the movie and after she passed a few years ago we all got up and sung it at her funeral reception.
This movie sums up religion and political protest movements perfectly. The cast of Monty Python were geniuses.
George Harrison put up the money for the film because he read the script and wanted to see it 😆
John Cleese.s character tries to introduce him to Brian right after the you have to think for yourself speech.
I have to recommend the Marx Brothers, Jen. They are where movie “hard comedy” really started. Their best film is *Duck Soup* but the best introduction is *A Night At The Opera* . Seeing the kings of comedy from the 1930s will really contextualize all the other comedies you see, too. Cheers! As I’ve said before, I love your reactions!
By BEST you meant to say Animal Crackers. HOORAY For Captain Spaulding!
She would be great with Marx Brothers. A Night At The Opera definitely. A Day At The Races too.
I echo your suggestion for the Marx Brothers.
@@chetstevensq Hello! I must be going.
A day at the races!
"Always look on the bright side of Life." I love how cheery that final number is, despite the rather grim conclusion!
Great reaction Jen!
"Is that Grammar correct?"
Heh it should be because John Cleese was a former Latin teacher, so I think he knows his stuff.
A latin expert on youtube made an analysis of this and it was spot on.
Most of it I still remembered from my Latin class back in the day. But I would have gotten the distinction between accusative and locative wrong. That is an edge case, but a common one.
@@windsaw151 Wow, I never figured that, that is interesting. I'm learning Latin myself
It's "grammar" BTW (with an 'a'). Normally I wouldn't bother but in this instance a pedantic correction seems entirely appropriate :).
@@anonymes2884 Now write that 100 times or I’ll cut your balls off.
@@anonymes2884 thank you for that, just don't let the Roman Centurion know that, he'd cut me up LOL
Re: the aliens. I think the guiding star that lead the three wise men at the start was the passing space ship. I think they were going for something like, however grand the events appear to be on earth, its still just a small anonymous little rock with much grander things happening on the cosmic scale.
It’s amazing that all these years later, after one single viewing, Jen was able to get what the joke of the movie was so completely: it’s a stab at organised religion, not the life of Jesus. The attacks on this film when it came out were so completely off the mark. It’s like the protests against Kevin Smith’s film Dogma. As he said “if a guy in a rubber shit monster suit can make you question your religious beliefs, those beliefs weren’t too strong to begin with”.
Every attack by religious people on this movie was "You're making fun of us to such a degree and accuracy that it makes us think, which makes us uncomfortable, so we're going to pretend this movie makes fun of Jesus"
The Tagline reads "So Funny It Was Banned In Norway" because it was offensive to Christians Jews and Catholics, as they knew it was mocking their religion. It was banned in several different countries.
There is a scene where a man named Stan reveals to be trans and wants to have children, but his friends are shocked by this revelation. Most people find this very offensive to the LGBTQ community. John Cleese refused to have the scene removed or deleted from any platforms.
Ireland as well . Banned
Yeah it's getting annoying now I mean like if your watch crocodile Dundee 2 on the TV when he throws a python at a guy and yells "oh shit" they cut him saying that out
Jen's giggle makes it all worth the watch.
The grammar is correct. John Cleese used to teach Latin! 😀
Bigger budget! And Beatle George Harrison was a major investor!!
This movie is a masterpiece. I love it
No It Isn't!
The "crazy alien" section always makes me laugh. It actually deals with the story of Jakobs Ladder in the bible. So SO suibtle for those in on the joke. (NO disrespect intended toward anyone)
Such a good observant reaction/commentary. I'm with you on the preacher guy... Michael Palin has such an engaging acting presence, could listen for hours. Loved his Leper character too! Forever my favourite Python
My favorite line is the guy who sees Brian walk away from the wreckage of the spaceship and says, "Oh, you lucky bastard." Like having a spaceship crash into the streets of Roman Jerusalem was no big deal, just walking away from it.
The old man in a lion cloth dancing around, kicking dirt, going “Jeho-VAH Jeho-VAH Jeho-VAH!” is my favorite thing.
When star Graham Chapman died the entire cast got together and sang "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" at his funeral. It's the number one requested funeral song in Britain.
I akso ike that John Cleese said, during the eulogy, "Personally, I'm glad the freeloading b*stard's dead" to roars of laughter.
Fabulous and love your English accent
The spaceship scene was a parodistic take on the "deus ex machina" or "god from outside the events" narrative tool when a convenient event saves the hero from an otherwise inescapable situation.
Actually, many theories about who Jesus was include the notion that he might have been an alien being, from a species with higher intelligence than ours, who came to Earth to help advance mankind. I think the spaceship rescue could have been inspired by that since the movie overall satirizes the bases for religious faith.
Funny thing is, the Romans did graffiti on the walls, all the time. It's how they left messages for each other.
😄👍 Of course you have to watch "Monty Python's Meaning Of Life" (1983) but before you do, you should first watch "Time Bandits" (1981) which not only features half of the Python gang (John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who also directed it), but also (wait for it)..........................................Sean Connery! 🎆‼
More Monty! Welcome to the people's front of Judea! Oh I'm sorry I meant the Judean people's front...you know what I mean. Jen did you enjoy the scene with Brian at his balcony window? 😊 Thanks again Jen, and remember...Always look on the bright side of life! 😊....Eric
Great reaction to my favourite Python movie :). "The Meaning of Life" is worth reacting to IMO but it definitely _is_ very much a series of vignettes on a theme (even moreso than 'Holy Grail' i'd say).
Love your appreciation for a good score. _Holy Grail_ was scored with library cues, but _Brian_ was composed by Geoffrey Burgon, best known for British TV shows like _Brideshead Revisited_ and _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy._ I've been hoping for an official soundtrack release for years but so far it's just the _Life of Brian_ comedy album (audio clips from the film with some hilarious recording-studio narration) and a very rare bootleg that's probably just the exact same clips.
"A Red Sea pedestrian". The best line ever!
"I'm a hooknose, a heebee...I'm Kosher mum, and proud of it". Why the Christians got their (big) noses so out of joint over this film, when the Jews made no fuss over this stereotype has baffled me since I saw this on its initial release.
If I remember correctly, while Christmas is the celebration of his birth, Jesus wasn't actually born in December... I think he was actually supposed to be born in like April or June or something... I think the 25 of December was originally a celebration for some sort of sun god that the Roman Emperor used to worship... Also around that time of year was the Roman festival of Saturnalia, I believe... After the Romans switched the state religion to Christianity, they tried to repurpose some of the existing celebrations... Something like that...
That is correct, its called "syncretism" which the church started doing once it got its official status in Rome, since they needed to "convert" hundreds of year old roman religion into the new Christianity emperor Constantine adopted, but the practice continued beyond Rome's demise...
"I'm Brian... and so is my wife!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Apparently there are UFOs mentioned in the Bible, that's why the Spaceship sequence was included.
"The Life of Brian" was banned in the UK by the Church which only served to raise the movie's profile in the few theatres that showed it.
Good Reaction Jen. 👍🏻
Since when did the church have total and complete authority over the country?
@@SamuelBlack84 Back in the 1970's the Church had a stronger influence and spoke out to condemn things it thought inappropriate. You can find a debate hosted by the BBC between Pailn & Cleese and a couple of high-up clergymen about "The Life of Brian" and the issues the Church had with it here on TH-cam.
@Steve Ross I've seen it, and it's pathetic. The church is just one of countless organisations distributing lies and peddling it as 'truth'
Everyone should think for themselves and enjoy all the pleasures of the flesh
@@SamuelBlack84 Well, yes. They've been doing that for 2000+ years. Thankfully their influence has dropped sharply in recent times.
The church didn't ban it in the UK. A few local councils refused to allow it to be shown in their area (possibly under pressure from the church), but otherwise it was shown all over the place.
Love your take on the English accent
Jen, your English accent is hilarious! 😂 xxx
If havent heard, there's another good comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis alongside a couple of these Monty Python wankers😅 called "A Fish Called Wanda" you might wanna add to your list, friend?
See ya!
✌🌎❤
suggestion:- a earlier Terence Gilliam film, Jabberwocky (1977)
Or _Brazil_ (1985).
From what I remember, the Latin scene is accurate. Monty Python has a few Latin bits in the movies/tv show. Our Latin teacher would show us that scene at the end of the year, lol
It is indeed correct! John Cleese used to teach Latin before he went into comedy.
Please do Meaning of Life, I want to see you react to Mr. Creosote!
(NO ONE SPOIL IT FOR HER!)
Only if she brings a wafer-thin mint.
Do you wonder why modern day Christians called this movie blasphemous? For the reason you mentioned. By the way, the movie was banned in a number of towns in Wales. The last ban was lifted about 15 years ago, when the actress who played Judith (the Welsh tart) became the mayor. The most poignant rendition of the "Brighter Side of Life" I've heard was sung at Graham Chapman's memorial service.
Another movie you'll like is Jabberwocky, made by a couple members of Monty Python. It's not well known, but it is great.
I want to live in a Monty Python universe!
And Now For Something Completely Different is a Monty Python must watch. It's a feature-length film remake of all of their best sketches from the TV show, made with a higher-budget.
The alien scene is there for some reasons: 1. the Pythons loved to confuse their audience. 2. it's the most absurd deus ex machina in movie history. 3. Animator Terry Gilliam (who co directed Holy Grail) had somethng to do. 4. every movie at that time needed a Star Wars scene. 5. all that expense only for the short punchline "You lucky bastard!".
You should check out the contemporary "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" Interview with Cleese and Palin, and Malcom Muggeridge... or the BBC documentary/film about the interview - also a Sketch by 'Not the Nine O'Clock News, parodying the interview and situation..
I loved that Judith's actress later became the Mayor of her own hometown and overturned the ban prohibiting the showing of Brian in the local movie theatre there...
I loved less that my mother was one of the people, who not having seen it declared it blasphemous and wrote letters to the BBC and the local council trying to have it not broadcast, or screened in my home town... though I wasn't old enough to have seen it when released I do recall her getting upset over a movie she hadn't seen, wasn't going to see (and to this day hasn't seen) and thinking her a bit ... cray-cray. Fine, don't watch it (though I still think she should, she's laughed at most of the jokes from it, it being a source of many fine satirical quotations...), but let others make their own choices and quit ignorantly interfering with what others can choose to watch.
The Meaning of Life is sketch comedy more akin to their TV show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, just with a higher budged and more relaxed content standards. Honestly I feel like the constraints they had to work under for Flying Circus were part of what made it what it was and the loss of those constraints hurt more than it helped. Meaning of Life has some good moments, but for me, it doesn't hold up to Flying Circus, Holy Grail, or Life of Brian.
Hi Jen
No, sadly, Holy Grail was not successful enough to fund this movie. When they wanted to make this movie not a single studio wanted to put up the money for it, because of the religious content.
Eric Idle met with his good friend George Harrison and told him about the problem, and George said he'd fund it.
2 mil. Because as he Harrison said "I want to see the movie".
It's probably still the most anyone has payed for a movie ticket.
Oh, Lamb is terrific! I've read a handful of Christopher Moore's, and they are always highly entertaining.
PJ! Wheezing! Old British comedy! Let's get it!!😎😂😝👍🍷💕
Does the opening song remind you at all of the Goldfinger opening?!🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️👍🏻
I LOVE your terrible British accent! It’s probably aboot on par with my Canadian tbh! 😂
Thank you for an awesome reaction to one of my favourite Python films. From this moment on, you shall be called Jen that is called Jen.
☺️👍
As a fellow Canadian, there is one skit that you HAVE too watch... it is from their old show (Flying Circus), and is a realy popular one... even being performed by the original actor at Just For Laughs.
I am certain you will enjoy the Lumberjacks Song!
The space ship bit was a reference to weird writers like Erich von Däniken who said that jesus and the ancient gods could have been spacemen. And its not a piss take on Bureaucracy but on all the little left wing Trotskyite groups.
The "Worse things happen at sea" line took on a new level of meaning when the crew of HMS Sheffield sang it in 1982 - as the ship was sinking.
What a movie Jen , my favorite part is falling off the tower and landing in a space ship 🚀 with aliens, so random, lol 😂 enjoy lol 😂
Gotta love Christopher Moore! The Gospel according to Biff!
Since you mentioned the budget for the film, George Harrison (of the Beatles), a life long fan of Monty Python, got the money for them to make this movie.
Great movie you should watch great comedies like Top Secret and The Jerk.
Good work 👏 hello from Pa. Don't forget the champagne. Lol.
You should watch The Meaning of Life (1983.)
Hi Jen, the song was written by Eric Idle the guy who was singing it for the movie. He has also written the theme tune for a Tv sitcom called (One Foot In The Grave).
Check out The Rutles too.
Lamb is a great book! It would be awesome if you recommended or compared more books in the vids.
"Cast off the sandal, follow the gourd!"
Lamb! That's a great book - then again, it IS Christopher Moore.
I always have respect for the Life of Brian reactors who include the Boring Prophet talking about the rapier work base that has an attachment in their TH-cam edit.
Love that guy 😂😂
The alien spacecraft scene, as I interpret it, is a microcosm of Brian's absurd life.
Brian Cohen just wanted to live a good life, but Life decided to throw every strange and absurd and maddening thing imaginable at him.
Everything that could go wrong in his life went wrong!
Is it just me or do that spacecraft have a cunning resemblence with The Beatles yellow submarine?
A lot of people have Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life played at their funerals here in the UK,
This movie was actually close to not being made at all. The original funding was pulled just a few days before the Pythons were to go on location to shoot it, but at the last minute, former Beatle George Harrison came through with the needed funds because, as he put it, "I want to see the movie". I think he has a small part somewhere in this as well.
I would love to see what you think of Flying Circus.
The third movie - The Meaning of Life - is good. It's vignettes, even more loosely related than in The Holy Grail.
Interesting. There was no prohibition against saying the divine name in the first century. That did not occur until the second century C.E., when Hanina ben Teradion was burned at the stake for saying the divine name after Cesar had prohibited such.
Until that occurred, the divine name was part of the daily greeting of Jews. Mishnah Berakhot 9:5 from the Talmud explains why the divine name is used in the Jewish daily greeting. It was based on Ruth 2:4 of the Tanakh.
Ruth 2:4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. (ASV)
@@SergioArellano-yd7ik A.D. stands for Anno Domini. It is a Catholic expression. C.E. stands for current era. It is a historical expression.
Please do not take me seriously. Take the scriptures I quote seriously.
The epic theme song at the start was sung by a Welsh girl named Sonia Jones who - amazingly - was only 16 at the time. She went on to have a successful career as a session singer.
BTW, the spaceship sequence was sending up books like "Chariots of the Gods" and "Spaceships of Ezekiel", which claimed that events in the Bible, mythology and/or ancient folklore were evidence of aliens intervening in human history. These books, and the films and TV shows they spawned, were hugely popular at the time.
I always attribute the spaceship sequence to mocking movies throwing in sci-fi elements following the release of Star Wars.
I hadn't heard that song in a long time, and was wondering if it was Shirley Bassey!
@@ericbonham8159 The biblical connection with the likes of von Däniken's and Blumrich's best-selling books is irresistible. Those "ancient alien" theories were huge at the time, a time which largely pre-dated any retro references to Star Wars.
@@ftumschk Retro reference? This film was produced while Star Wars was still in release.
@@ericbonham8159 Indeed, which is why it's inherently unlikely that "Star Wars" tropes had begun to be commonplace at the time. It's self-evident that the alien abduction sequence was a reference to the fad of "ancient aliens" that had been rampant since von Däniken's _Chariots of the Gods_ book, film and sequels captured the popular imagination from the late 1960s onwards.
In contrast, Star Wars only hit UK cinemas in December 1977, whereas the script for The Life Of Brian was finished in January 1978. Hardly enough time for "Star Wars" clichés to have bedded in to the extent that they could be ripe for satire in a Monty Python movie.
My theory about the alien scene: Just before this film came out a book was published about the possibility of ancient aliens visiting Earth & bringing new technology to Earth's humans. The book became a huge bestseller. Written by Erich von Daniken it was titled "Chariots of the Gods". We also recently have the History channel's series "Ancient Aliens" that probably relies a bit on von Danikens book. Me?....I don't know what to believe....just know that this film is hilarious!
I can't wait to see you watch The Meaning of Life. It seems that a lot of reactors won't do that one.
Does anyone notice that the opening sounds like a James Bond Theme?
Fun fact: Life of Brian had a much bigger budget than Holy Grail because it was funded by a certain Mr. George Harrison (former Beatle
and huge Monty Python fan).
He’s in it, a tiny cameo. He says “Allo!”
the man left on his own when Brian loses his shoe, 16:46 is Spike Milligan writer and star (with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe) of the 1950's BBC radio programme 'The Goon Show' which literally changed British comedy, all of the Pythons have said numerous times over the years that without Spike Milligan there would be no Monty Python! Spike wasn't meant to be in the movie he was visiting battlefields he had fought on (and very nearly died on) during WW2, including Tunisia where LOB was being filmed, when the Pythons found out they begged him to make an appearance, and when he had he continued on his holiday.
Lamb is my favorite book by Christopher Moore. It was the first book by him that I read, and it set such a high bar that the others can't quite reach. But I have come to love his other books, too. I enjoyed Sacre Bleu a lot.
Yes, it had a bigger budget, mainly because one of The Beatles (George Harrison) helped fund it.
Yes, the song was written for the movie by Eric Idle, the Python member who sang it at the end.
The third one isn't really a movie. They just redid a few skits from the show, Monty Python's Flying Circus.
The song Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life was written and sung by Eric Idle.
It’s also the title of his autobiography (or “A Sortabiography”, as it says on the jacket cover).
Fab reaction. That opening credits song was definitely a homage to Goldfinger. Yep pretty sure Always look on the bright side of life is an Eric Idle song written for this film. If you want a fun quiz time why not see if you can name every single character played by each actor for both holy Grail and life of Brian. Good luck ☺
oh boy oh boy oh boy
Fact fact: George Lazenby was John Cleese's original choice to play Jesus Christ in this movie.
11:10 funny you should mention The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner’s first choice to play the impressive clergyman with the speech impediment was Michael Palin, who plays Pontious in this movie (among various other roles). However, he was already scheduled to work on another movie, A Fish Called Wanda, also with John Cleese.
The Pythons were ahead of their time with the social political nuances and trends being skewered in this film! Culture war and religious fanaticism were pretty well caricatured as well as modern wokeness in Stan’s desire to be a woman having babies.
In my opinion this is truly Monty Python’s finest and funniest work!
i love an animated opening....she said.
At the time this movie was ready to film, the TV mini-series "Jesus of Nazareth" was wrapping up. So Monty Python "inherited" all the sets and most of the costumes. That helped their budget a lot.
You should watch the third film, The Meaning of Life. If you enjoyed these first 2 you will enjoy the last.
Meaning of life was their 4th film.
Cast off the shoes! Follow the gourd!
Hi Jen, thanks for reacting to one of my favourite comedies! Saw it in the cinema on opening weekend and everybody was laughing so much we couldn't hear all the jokes!!
Life of Brian appeared in movies about 2 years after the wildly popular Star Wars (later subtitled Episode 4). That's why Terry Gilliam added the space battle. :D
Have you ever read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books by Douglas Adams? They're hilarious and super British and Python-esque. The movie adaption is pretty good too.
Ah yes, that guy has a cameo in the last season of Flying Circus. He also wrote some Doctor Who episode. If 42 is the answer, what is the question? Don't Panic! And thanks for all the fish... Got so obsessed with the Lemmings game he put it in one of his novels. RIP.