Probably Monty Python's movie masterpiece...

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2007)

Story says that after the enormous success of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", a reporter asked the comedy troupe about their next film project. Not having an answer for that, Eric Idle answered "Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory" as a joke, and it became their typical answer to questions about the Python's future projects. Fortunately, what started as a joke soon began to be taken seriously by the comedians as an interesting project to make, and they began working in a movie, not about the life and times of Jesus Christ (as they were unable to find anything to mock about it), but about the credulity and hysteria of those who follow messianic saviors. "Life of Brian" was the name of the movie, and as soon as it was released quickly became known as one of the funniest and most controversial works done by the Pythons, and not without a reason!
The movie's plot is obviously, about the life of Brain Cohen (Graham Chapman), who is a poor Jewish boy who was born in Nazareth on the same day as Jesus. Years later, Brian is now a young man who has grown hating the Roman occupation of his country while working at the local Arena. One day Brian attends one of Jesus' sermons and among the crowd he notices Judith (Sue Jones-Davies), a woman who leads him to the rebel group "People's Front of Judea". Brian joyfully joins the rebels, but the missions given to him do not exactly end in the best way for the group. Things get complicated for Brian when after a bizarre series of circumstances, he ends up being confused with a messiah, and with this he gains an considerable amount of "devoted followers".
The first thing one notices about "Life of Brian" when compared to the Pythons' previous movie is how structured is the plot. While of course "Holy Grail" had the running theme of King Arthur, it was still a series of sketches tied together by their style and themes. "Life of Brian" shows the Python style of comedy completely adapted to a cleverly written and well structured narrative that, with their usual mix of witty satire and surreal nonsense, showcases their ideas about organized religions as well as the other social themes (government and other political satire for example) they tend to use. Very fresh and original, the comedy in "Life of Brian" is top notch, and takes what started in the now legendary "Flying Circus" to a whole new level. Contrary to what could be thought, the structured narrative enhances the comedy instead of limit it, and makes for a more focused piece of work.
Python member Terry Jones takes again the director's seat (without Terry Gilliam this time), and makes the Python's masterpiece come to life, remaining true to its roots without sacrificing the film's structure. While it's obvious that Jones knows that the film's power is in the script and the cast, he allows himself to showcase his love for ancient history and, taking advantage of the budget (and the locations of "Jesus of Nazareth"), he sets the wacky story of Brian in a lavish and very realist Jerusalem. The sharp contrast between Jones' care for some historical accuracy and the script's bizarre and surreal humor truly adds a lot to the "Pythonesque" atmosphere of the film, as it feels oddly appropriate within the satiric tone of the movie. With a style more focused on the characters than in the visuals, Jones was the natural choice to direct "Life of Brian", as its truly the characters what makes the movie the jewel of British humor.
And as always, the Pythons are simply superb in their portrayal of the many characters of the movie. Graham Chapman only plays three this time, but he is Brian, and as our main character he perfectly portrays the naivetÃ© of the young idealist man. John Cleese is also excellent in the many characters he plays, specially as the leader of the People's Front of Judea. Director Terry Jones himself appears as, among others, Brian's mother, making a remarkable character with his peculiar falsetto voice. While I can't single out an actor as the best in the film, I must say that Michael Palin's performance as Pontius Pilate is easily one of the funniest of the movie. Finally, Eric Idle gives the icing in the cake as he sings the Python's most famous song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".
If "Life of Brian" has a fault, it would be that it may feel too long to those unfamiliar with Monty Python's style of humor. That said, this movie is probably the easiest to "get" as it lacks the surreal randomness of "Holy Grail" or the darkness of the sketches in "Meaning of Life", making it the ideal introduction to Python's humor. I can't write about "Life of Brian" without talking about the "controversies" it met after released, as it was accused of being blasphemous and disrespectful to God. While the film is indeed irreverent, it is in no way an attack to God, it is more a satire on the way some religious people follow their leaders blindly without really thinking about it. There is nothing blasphemous in the movie, and it is more humanist than irreligious.
Monty Python's style has proved to be one of the most influential in the history of British comedy, and personally I think that "Life of Brian" is the crowning achievement of their career. The brilliant satire they cleverly put in the movie's script is easily one of the best in history of film, as it's as merciless as it is funny. Zany, irreverent and wild, "Life of Brian" can stand proudly as the Python's movie masterpiece, and while sadly they only made one film after this, it's always better to look on the bright side of life and see it as the testament of their genius. 10/10