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Arts & Entertainment

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Decades later, the film hasn't lost its edge.

Perspective. It’s what turns terrorists into freedom fighters, rebels into insurgents, and heretics into prophets… or vice versa. It’s also what makes Monty Python’s Life of Brian either a funny satire on religion-not-spirituality, or a heretical piece of blasphemy.

The germ of the idea for Life of Brian was ‘what if someone was born the same day but a few doors down from Christ?’ This someone is Brian and he’s essentially mistaken for Jesus throughout his life.

The Monty Python comedy troupe felt that the teachings of Jesus Christ were rather spot-on. The satire was of dogma and interpretation rather than belief, at least as the pro-Life of Brian contingent tell it. The in-fighting of radical political organizations and factions also take some skewering throughout the film. The resulting movie was controversial, resulting in bannings and protests at the time of its release. Some of these bannings even lasted decades.  

The popularity of the film has endured despite or perhaps because of its controversy. That the surreal closing crucifixion scene finishes with the ridiculously catchy “Always Looks on the Bright Side of Life,” doesn’t hurt either.

Showtimes

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  • Monday at 8 p.m.
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