Original subtitles

in 1979 a comedy feature film quickly

became one of the most controversial

pieces of cinema in history no film had

ever before satirized christianity so

blatantly see October brought you up and

it caused outrage you so disgusted I

guess a admit we all you've done is to

make a lot of people across seeing a

music a musical song a group of rabbis

and priests held demonstrations over

this past weekend and they were

demonstrating against a movie called the

life of grind protesters around the

world marched against the life of Brian

it was dropped by finances fanned by

councils states even entire countries

but it still managed to get shown and

still managed to offend seemingly every

world religion these people are

operating at a very very low level of

mental health they are incapable of

understanding your teaching what

happened to sticks and stones can break

my bones but words can never hurt me

this is the story of one of the greatest

films and one of the greatest cultural

battles of modern times

during the 1970s Monty Python's Flying

Circus became one of the most

influential comedy programs Britain has

ever produced one of the crossbeams has

gone out of skill on the treadle I don't

know mr. wen was just told me to come in

here and save the trouble of the mill

that's all I didn't expect a kind of

Spanish Inquisition nobody expects the

Spanish Inquisition our chief weapon

this surprise surprise and fear fears

one or two weapons our fear and surprise

and ruthless efficiency are three

weapons armed and surprised and ruthless

efficiency have an almost fanatical

devotion to the Pope art for the Python

team were Comedy superstars they'd made

three series of the TV show and become

cult stars in the UK and us the release

of their first feature film Monty Python

and the Holy Grail propelled them to

even greater international success we've

been doing up our publicity for Grail it

sort of brought us back together again

and I think we must have felt well the

Grails going down well maybe she'd do

another movie the moment was really in

Amsterdam one of a drunken pub crawl one

evening and that was Eric when he said

you know wouldn't be great

let's do Jesus Christ lust for glory and

yeah I fell off the chair because that

was so outrageous and wonderful and

spot-on my reaction to the idea of doing

a Bible story was slightly disappointing

because I always thought the costumes

was a boring remember going to church of

england school every time we had to do a

paint a biblical scene you know those

everybody just some long robes it's not

interesting born in the 1940s all of the

Pythons had received some form of

religious education but Christianity was

either rejected or distrusted by each

there was a lot of religion thrown at us

but very little that was explained

certainly satisfactorily

I'd been confirmed and I'd sat around

for some weeks expecting some golden

globe descend on me when it didn't I

became fairly atheistic or humanistic I

was in many ways a little zealot I had

read the Bible least twice by the time I

was about sixteen so I knew my stuff I

can do it tends to sexist Leviticus

numbers Deuteronomy Joshua judges Ruth

verses examples I can do all those

things and then I decided I'd had enough

so all right I sort of walked away from

religion around that time and thought

education is better we were lucky

because we shared the same attitudes to

what religion wasn't I don't think you

could have added up the Pythons degree

on what it was but certainly we agreed

on what it wasn't and that was lucky the

Pythons began work on Jesus Christ lust

for glory the first task was to research

their subject thoroughly

I remember going with Terry and the

others to see screenings of other

biblical epics like Quo Vadis and

Solomon sheep and all that they were

pretty dreadful after about watching 3

or 4 that we said you realize they would

had one thing in common and that was

that everybody in the film spoke in this

very special way because they were aware

that they were told living at a time

when something very wonderful happening

blessed are those of gentle spirit they

shall have the earth for their

possession I've been I remember saying

to the others that you know what people

will find our film shocking because

it'll be the first biblical film in

which people speak in normal voice how

do you think now you telling me that's

not worth 20 shekels no look at it feel

equality that's not in your goat all

right I'll give you 19 then no no no

come on do it properly well haggle

properly this isn't worth 19 you just

said it was worth 20 Wow dear oh dear

come on haggle all right I'll give you

ten that's more like it

ten are you trying to insult me me with

a poor dying grandmother Jay

biblical epics viewed and the Gospels

reread led all to realize that

artistically speaking Jesus was not the

answer what began as Jesus Christ

lustful glory actually gradually moved

away from from that idea simply because

they found Jesus Christ wasn't funny you

know you've got Christ saying very good

things and saying the right things and

as a wonderful figure though that's not

where the fun lies really once you start

thinking about it it can and start just

thinking of it in everyday terms you see

you accept that this happened but when

Mary said to Joseph you am pregnant but

it's okay I wasn't with anyone because

the Holy Spirit comes down you know and

then Joseph goes off to the pub and says

to his friend you know I was a bit

worried that my wife was it's all right

because she see she was impregnated by

the Holy Ghost and all his friends like

Oh fine well that's a relief you see

what I mean the moment you start looking

stuff there's a funny side to it here

that they said all the Greek big Greek

well apparently he's going to inherit

the earth did anyone catch his name the

meek blessed are for me oh that's nice

silly I'm glad they getting something

cuz they had elevate I'm the comedy it

seemed pretty clear

was in the interpretation of the gospel

the angle that we all agreed on in the

end was that you'd look at the

historical situation in Judea at that

time it was a time when the sub

millennium was being sort of thought

about again and people were expecting

God to come down clean up the world and

all that so people are looking for

messiahs and so the idea of someone

being chosen as the Messiah when all he

is is somebody happens to be around at

the same time in the same place seem to

unlock a way of doing this

there's any moment when we thought well

we don't do that because it might be

blasphemous it was just really a

question of being guided where the

comedy was I was always convinced there

was no where you couldn't go or you

shouldn't go more to the point I think

that's there are no sacred cows and if

they are there if they're really sacred

then let's see how much we can puncture

them and see if they still float they

had the angle but in setting out to

lampoon the blindly faithful the Pythons

had chosen a dangerous path a path

towards possible prosecution for

blasphemy and perhaps even more

disturbingly towards a head-to-head with

the self-proclaimed guardian of

Christian morality Mary Whitehouse last

Thursday evening we sat as a family and

we saw a program that started at 6:35

and it was the dirtiest program that I

have seen for a very long time

in 1977 as the Pythons began writing

what was now called Life of Brian events

took an ominous turn when for the first

time in 50 years a prosecution was

brought for blasphemy gay news published

a poem called the love that dares to

speak its name it's a kind of meditation

by a Centurion at the crucifixion of

Christ and he meditates on the wounds of

Christ and he rather gets off on these

wounds mrs. Mary Whitehouse took

objection to this particular poem and

therefore she launched a private

prosecution for blasphemous libel

against the publishers of Gainey's and

the editor of gay news Dennis Lemon

mrs. White House got after it and if she

found anything which caused her

particular pain or distress she

immediately bought it and read it and

started starting a law case she felt

inside you know that this is Christ

being crucified again and that we really

cannot stay silent about this this is

what has and her her adherents sprayed

in the passages of the Old Bailey gay

news was convicted Dennis Lemon was

sentenced to nine months in prison

18 months suspended fined 500 pounds and

gay news was fined a thousand pounds so

by the time the gay news trial happened

there was a kind of new definition which

actually the judge gave you said that

the particular offense of bas Murray was

irreverence scre ility profanity

vilification or lie census abuse of the

Christian religion of course irreverence

guerrilla T profanity vilification and

licensures abuse sums up Monty Python

humor beautifully the Pythons decamped

to Barbados for two weeks

to hone the script without interruptions

or family pressures Terry and ice will

slightly reluctantly agreed thinkI well

what we get at Barbados we're just gonna

want to

to ski and swear money hangout who's

gonna want to write it well I think

Barbados is really one of the smartest

things we did because it's the first

time we actually all went away at one

time to one place and just locked

ourselves off and we laughed and had a

wonderful time and I think it was a good

way of working because these ideas were

thrown around really fast I think was in

those last two weeks when we were all

together that really the themes of the

film came out people had written very

good stuff I mean things like the

writing on the wall at like of the Latin

I remember John and Graham coming up

with that this is terrific it's just

what we want no more knees a on Thomas

people call Romani's they go house it's

as rebels go home no it doesn't what's

lacking for Roman come on Romanus goes

like Anna's father Perrault manases

Annie Romani the script was finished the

next big task was to find funding for

the film between two and three million

pounds it was always going to be a

struggle to get backing for such a

controversial film but undeterred they

sent the script to EMI asset when sunny

Sunday afternoon oh my god and I've

never read a funnier script in my life

before or since it was just a joy I told

Jon Gosselin that we would like to make

the picture we shook hands

he owned a bottle of champagne and I was

kind of taken aback in a way because in

negotiations with her finance was never

supposed to be that easy with EMI on

board the team looked for a place to

film and they soon settled on Tunisia

you have to remember that Tunisia

monastere was all set up the biblical

epics that's where they made I think it

was new grades Jesus Christ with with

with Robert Powell in and all that so

they had the devils they had the

Tabernacles all these Arab extras are

quite used to coming along and big Jews

for a bit out sort of dead

pre-production began costumes were made

sets began to be built all that was left

now was to decide on the casting it was

becoming clear that the biggest decision

would be who was going to play Brian

Graham Chapman was the leading contender

but his notorious heavy drinking was

causing concern and John in particular

was worried about whether he could cope

John had written with Graham during the

days when Graham drank a lot and was

kind of absent physically or mentally

for a lot of the time so John was having

duels writing and I think John saw a

possible danger that Graham may blow

there the whole film you know because

the central character Graham was getting

through two bottles of gin a day that

those with large ones you get behind bar

pretty colossal he never used the word

alcoholic but he knew damn well that he

had to clean his act up as I understand

it anyway

Graham already knew he would be playing

Brian and had really stopped drinking

with that in mind but John Cleese wanted

to be Brian - I wanted to be Brian for

one simple reason which was that I'd

never played a role that went all the

way through the movie I'm afraid the

rest of us were against it because okay

I couldn't see Jones Brian quite

honestly um and and B we we thought

there was all these other paths that we

wanted John to do come on no no no one

is to stone anyone until I blow this

whistle Joanna said her father what slow

him before Ian's oh yes swim to the

four-piece they were right because they

said no no you will be funnier and the

film will be funnier if you play the

Centurion and reg and I was disappointed

just because I wanted the experience but

after very very soon I realized they

were right and also Graham who was a

tremendously good actor I think probably

potentially almost the best actor of all

of us

February 1978 and everything was now in

position to start filming all were ready

to leave for Tunisia in several days and

then the boss of EMI Bernhard del font

read the script a suddenly gather very

very angry

telex in those days from Bernard L font

who was chairman of the EMI

entertainment section

he said I'd looked rather quickly

through the script of the new Marty

Python Thurman amazed to find that it's

not the zany comedy usually associated

with his firms his films but his obscene

and sacrilegious and was certainly not

be in the interest of VMAs image to make

this sort of film every few words there

are outrageous swear words which is not

in keeping with Monty Python's image

this is very distressing to me and is a

very serious situation I thought it's

clearly ridiculous he doesn't know

anything about films he shouldn't be

making these judgments I called him up

and spoke to him said then you've got

the wrong end of the stick I can assure

you as a Catholic not at normally a

qualification I use in the film industry

that this is not blasphemous it really

isn't and I didn't think we should worry

about that and he had obviously made up

his mind that it was and he offered a

lot of splattering on whether I argue

with him argue with him and eventually

lost his temper and he used the immortal

words I'm not going to have people

saying I'm making fun of fucking Jesus

Christ it was a mortal blow my knee am I

pulled out because you know we had no

other option at the time I actually

thought the thing wasn't going to happen

I remember I accepted a role working

with Peter Sellers in Vienna doing a

remake prisoner of Zenda a race to find

finance for the film ensued with Eric

Idle and producer John Goldstone

departing for America Eric Idle said

well yeah the one person that has always

been a big Python fan is George Harrison

and he lives in the Hollywood Hills and

we should really go and see him and talk

to him about it I think we sent a script

ahead of time for him to read and then

anyway a miracle a miracle happened a

miracle say George of Harrison

thanks Eric Idle heard about the project

have said yes you know how I'd like to

do it you know what we did was we pawned

my house and the office in London and to

get a bank loan and that was a bit

nerve-racking George put up all the

money himself and in doing so set up the

company handmade films that would go on

to make Mona Lisa and a private function

amongst others and so several months

later than planned in September 1978 the

41 day shoot began in monastere in

Geneva it was decided that Terry Jones

should direct the film with Terry

Gilliam in charge of art direction this

was a change from the Holy Grail film

where both men had directed together a

situation that had caused some tension

they were sort of working on different

ends of the spectrum at times and it did

cause a fair amount of consternation by

the time they got to Bryan I think

everyone in the group felt that they

couldn't have two people again calling

the shots

Gilliam wisely back down I think because

by then he'd made Jabberwocky so he kind

of felt I'm gonna go off and make my own

movies anyway

Terry was important to be the director

because I would have got caught up in

all sorts of detail that would have

riled the others because you John didn't

want to wear this and then you know they

they didn't want to do all the things

that I think are important film wearing

uncomfortable clothes having your

grotesque makeup all those things Terry

and I sort of fell out at one point I

think I said something or the stroppy to

Terry at some point because I thought he

was he was bending the camera man's ear

more what I want the lovers but it's a

sort something out

and it took Terry long time to forgive I

think he didn't speak to me Rover died

and thought that for now but just think

about he you probably just kept out of

my way it was Felix a pistol and I think

there was a feeling right from the

beginning and the very first scene I

think that was shot was the stoning

scene but this could be very funny

indeed

and so morale morale was high with her

son of Deuteronomy of Gath well I say

yes yes yes you have been found guilty

by the elders of the town

muttering the name of our Lord and so as

he bless fever you are to be stoned to

death oh look I went a lovely supper and

all I said to my wife was that piece of

halibut was good enough for Jeremy he

said it again we were there on day one

and and and and Jonesy was so well

prepared it was shot like that I

suddenly thought my car this is fun

stuff my blind taxidermy the shoot

progressed smoothly behind-the-scenes

footage shows a relaxed group of pythons

enjoying themselves yes it's another

edition of Graham Chapman rests a series

of four hundred half-hour programs which

look at the life of a man who rests a

lot when we're doing those crowd scenes

where they will had shout out yeah these

are Arab speaking crowd and some smoke

bit of French but not English speaking

so I assumed we'd have to dub on and

basically I just shouted out to them

what I wanted them chat back and

actually everybody just shouted back or

phonetically what I shouted at dude and

we used the actual sound track in the

end it was cut its head fit least on

yourself you're all individual yes oh

yes

I'm not we have to midway through

filming and in a bizarre coincidence

Spike Milligan suddenly popped up and

was given a cameo spike happened to be

into knitting because he was visiting um

the Second World War battlefields on

which he'd fought and he suddenly turns

up in monastere can't get a room in her

talk to the entire Python team is there

so he came along one morning he filmed

his lovely little cameo they all went

for lunch

he just went he didn't come back and

they had Tim scheduled for the afternoon

for his close-ups and the rest of the

scene but he'd gone he just had I've had

enough of this I'm on holiday and he'd

gone off to look at some battlefield

somewhere but he still appears in the

movie and it is a great link between the

greens and the pythons

yay he cometh to us like the siege of

the grave the scene that would be the

hardest to film would also be the most

controversial the crucifixion of Brian I

remember vividly the was on the right

side shooting that in this is requite a

weird place and arriving there on the

morning of a shoot and seeing all these

crosses up on my horizon that was kind

of a weird moment and you kind of

wondered where quite how people would

respond to that because you know the

images were so strong and and and the

idea that it became a song and dance

number I like remember Eric singing this

song to us seeing the end song to us in

the hotel I think cheer up one you know

as I say some things Eli forbade they

can really made you made other things

just might you swear and curse when

you're chewing on life's gristle back

humble give a whistle and this'll help

bees turn out for the bass I always look

on the bright side of life

I wasn't overdressed but we didn't have

any other ending so they thought it'd be

quite funny

okay they also had the problem of

actually filming it it's very difficult

to bring stuff I came across one can

emerges happy they were actually open

the crosses for three days and there's a

lot of time and dancing it had little

platform for the feet just on the middle

of the cross and the force a hidden

bicycle seat that they could sort of

perch on while they were up there that's

the thing about four of us who were

slightly tended to have chest problems

got really quite sick and I remember

thinking the day I was crucified you

know I was looking forward to being

crucified be crucified when you got

I always just thought it'd be friendly

having a song-and-dance routine on what

across it

nobody's tied to this place they can't

move it was a wonderful bit of work by

Eric that song so I think in a way we

were all in our different ways working

at our best certainly gray was at his

best as an actor I was performing well

Eric was in good form

Michael's superb terry gilliam made the

film look good and Terry Jones was

absolutely on top of his game as a

director so it was just one of those

moments when it all comes together

usually a movies all falls apart the

shoot was completed and Terry Jones

began to edit the film in preparation

for life of Bryan's sheduled release a

few months later but done banants to the

film crew the secret was already out

because there was a traitor within its

ranks someone had sent 11 pages of the

script to Mary Whitehouse and the

festival of light the nationwide

festival of light obtained the script

from somewhere I've no I have no

knowledge of that

the fact that they got the script means

that somebody must have sent it to them

that was associated with the film the

festival of light were appalled and

wrote a letter to the British Board of

Film classification urging them to think

of the consequences of allowing the film

to be shown it ended I need not remind

you of the wider implications of

scurrilous abuse of God Christ or the

Bible the lines were drawn for one of

the great cultural battles of modern

times

April 1979 while Terry Jones was working

hard to finish life of brian the

festival of light began their crusade

against it they obviously don't like

what they read but they realized that if

they go for this in a big way then that

may be counterproductive

so what they do is they adopt this kind

of low-profile somewhat insidious

campaign of saying oh let's all pray for

the failure of Life of Brian the

festival of light and Mary Whitehouse in

particular was on the warpath

the Python team was staring a possible

prosecution for blasphemy in the face so

sought the advice of John Mortimer the

lawyer who defended gay news they sought

legal advice from he because I suppose

because I'd done the blasphemy trial and

I think it was quite brave I think it

still is quite brave and they came to

see me and I saw the film which I

thought riotously funny and it remains

one of my favorite funny films and and I

gave it a legal opinion it was one

rather dangerous point where Michael

Palin was was a leper and he was cured

by Jesus he was very angry said oh

bloody do-gooder okay oh Jesus pizza I

was hopping along on my own business all

of a sudden a becomes yours me one

minute I'm a leper with a fight next

minute my love dudes gone it's not so

much as a by-your-leave Yorkshire night

but he do good uh-oh

the Pythons decided to keep the

character in but another called otto was

right on the edge otto was a jewish Nazi

now this really was quite delicate

territory it's right on the edge again

you're saying things you're not supposed

to say this time not about Christians

what about Jews and Israel important

stuff to say because it's it it's a

cutting through the hypocrisy in one

particular scene Otto talked to Brian

about setting up a racially pure all

Jewish community it was a problem

character because

of course this is not the sort of

character that would appeal to an

American film distributor where the

Jewish lobby is very strong the auto

story line had to go the only remnant in

the finished film is his very brief

appearance at Brian's crucifixion deck

you may remember that does this run a

strange bunch of sort of samurai looking

people who turn up at the end and commit

suicide

that showed him huh I'm still not

convinced cutting it out was the right

things I I think that seems really

important they obviously we're points

which a prosecutor would make much show

but our advice about the whole film was

really founded on telling the court the

bride and Jesus were two different

people and that Jesus appears in the

film was a separate character now well

that's a very convincing defense I don't

know but luckily we never had to try

that life of brian was completed the

Pythons set out for America it had been

decided to open the film their first

home as it was to freedom of speech the

Constitution and perhaps even more

helpfully not home to any blasphemy laws

the world premiere was set for New York

on August the 17th 1979 I just know it

was gonna be fun

and and it was they didn't let us down

they were out there parading marching

screaming and shouting you know just

like what would expect but it seemed odd

when the film came out that the the

first group to complain about it was the

group that we'd never actioned with what

everybody complained about at all

that was the it was the New York

association of rabbis and we thought

well why are they complaining oh the

magic Christians can play it even rabbis

and anyway they were complaining about

the use of the prayer shawl in the

stoning sequence which showing me the

night was the prayer shawl we just

thought it was a bit of costume so when

you're treading on delicate ground you

never know what you're going to be

offending Rabbi Abraham Hecht was quoted

in the trade paper variety accusing the

film of being blasphemous sacrilegious

and an incitement to possible violence

they knew they were

in for a rough ride because they'd been

told they must all make a will before

they went to New York since they had no

idea whether they'd someone take a shot

at them or not a group of rabbis and

priests held demonstrations over this

past weekend and they were demonstrating

against a movie called The Life of Brian

for the new Maude a Python film is

entitled The Life of Brian it is a spoof

of the life of Christ and has managed to

offend just about every religious group

in this city Monty Python's Life of

Brian a film attracting much attention

today outside the Warner Brothers

building in Rockefeller Center

demonstrators gathered to call the film

blasphemous Catholic Jewish Greek

Orthodox and Protestant religious

leaders all condemned the film New York

archdiocese officially on record against

it I mean it wasn't a great surprise

that there were going to be people who

disliked the film because we knew that

there were certain people whom the Bible

story was untouchable at one famous

demonstration in New York the reverend

roger fulton referred to the makers of

the film as monty snake people who he

said needed a new heart a new soul and a

new spirit I think what really worried

Roger Fulton was actually British humour

because while he could as a as a

believing Christian make all these

objections to the alleged blasphemy in

the film what really I think got up his

nose is the fact that here were all

these men dressed as women you've got to

remember that Christianity in America is

mainly about sex there's so deeply

uncomfortable about every aspect of sex

that they don't much care about wars or

destroying the environment or financial

corruption or anything to do with sex

sets of all and it's because these

people are operating at a very very low

level of mental health they are

incapable of understanding the teachings

so understand the majority of the

religious

reaction against the film was from

people who hadn't seen the film this is

what makes me crazy is his ability to

just close say no don't even look at

that don't even think about it that it's

a way of keeping people you know

ignorant under control and not thinking

and I think with Python one of the

things I thought we were all pretty

proud of is trying to make people think

the u.s. protests and marches only

served to heighten media profile and

increased takings the original plan to

open Brian on two hundred screens

nationwide snowballed to near a six

hundred certain states banned the film

especially in the Bible Belt which only

fanned the flames more Life of Brian

would eventually take over twenty

million dollars in the US alone back in

the UK the word about life of Brian was

spreading and although the film wouldn't

be on general release until the

following year on November the 9th 1979

John Cleese and Michael Palin were

invited to appear on a late-night BBC

Two discussion programme to debate the

film in the presence of Mervyn Stockwood

the Bishop of Civic and Malcolm

Muggeridge born-again Christian and

well-known friend of Mary the stage was

set for one of TV's all-time great ding

dongs

it was obvious going to be quite a heavy

interview perhaps the most the strongest

criticism we we would face and John and

I I mean I remember actually czar

mugging up for it like for an exam you

know going through my books and yes for

getting all the arguments together when

I look at their figure I mean I know

you're going to play rounders and Jesus

but I mean that's that's rubbish the it

was the her thing is quite clearly had

know Jesus had lived their film wouldn't

have been produced the bishops sitting

in always purple with the world's

biggest silver crucifix I've never seen

one so big fingering it and the voices

were all Headmaster's voices and they're

all dignified but I come back to say

that this is not us really cooling of

the founder of the Christian religion

and of the Incarnation in an extremely

chic intense rate way Muggeridge and

until he was 60 was a well-known

womanizer and drinker

and I expect to some extent he only got

religion after he couldn't do anything

else and momen Stockwood was was a

homosexual as everybody knew and also as

it happens a heavy drinker as it went on

an extraordinary thing happened was that

we were the ones with the serious points

and they were the ones who are playing

to the crowd

I said no think it was worth it was the

sort of thing as I say that at Cambridge

the footlights did on a damp Tuesday

afternoon or the layer fourth of an idle

schoolmaster you keep making the basic

assumption that we are ridiculing Christ

and Christ's teaching and I say that we

are not but do you imagine that your

scene for instance of the Sermon on the

Mount the scene in this in your your

film of the Sermon on the Mount is not

ridiculing one of the most sublime

utterances that any human being has ever

spoken on this earth of course it is no

no it's making fun of the guy who's

remembered it wrong and of the people

who don't understand it missed the point

where I think I think that's really

unfair because I think that a lot of

people looking in will think that we

have we have actually ridiculed Christ

yes physically Christ is played by an

actor Kent Colley he speaks the words

from the Sermon on the Mount he's

treated absolutely respectfully the

camera then pans away we go right to the

back of the crowd to someone who sharps

speak up because they come out here that

utterly

no no that's not really undermine their

disease in Christ Chris effect no

because you say I started off by saying

that this is such a tenth-grade film

that I don't believe that it would

disturb anybody the living mind I

realized

I've never been so sort of angry in

public before I don't think I just it

was just the way they dealt with it them

that the sort of venom used just just

because they like the sound of the word

I was aware mica was steaming but I was

kind of enjoying it because they'd be

annoyed me and I reckoned that we were

nailing I thought we were winning all

you've done is to make a lot of people

all across seeing a music music hold

song leave so discuss can I shake a bit

a lot of people go away very happy

laughing at that their faiths not

touched one Jaden I really do feel like

I had quotes in my pocket from Malcolm

that absolutely validated our position

and destroyed his earth and out of

kindness I didn't pull them out and read

them out cuz I was feeling kind of sorry

for is that unbelievable you have

succeeded in reducing something which

has inspired the greatest art into

something which is presented in terms of

the lowest art if you let your feet then

you might on your own terms that we have

to influence people we're not saying we

want to infinity you're trying to make

them laugh make it unhappy I mean it's a

hits that's something that helped

Jasmine have a collaboration words and

just as it was being wound up Mervin the

bishop delivered his PS terezi starts I

can't you'll get your 30 pieces you'll

get your 30 pieces of soap right I like

right sure I hasten for those of you who

didn't attend Sunday school this is a

biblical quote and refers to the money

that Judas was paid to betray Jesus

Christ

days later the show not the 9 o'clock

news would send up the whole encounter

effectively turning the tables with

Rowan Atkinson as a bishop who had made

a film based on the life of John Lee I

mean I actually find it deeply offensive

that in a country that is still

ostensibly a Python worshipping comic

but a 14-year old child can actually get

in to see this I mean there is there is

little enough proper Python around these

days without parading this distorted

garbage about Bishop you directed the

film did you expect this kind of

reaction well well I certainly didn't

expect the Spanish Inquisition in the UK

the British Board of Film censors passed

life of Bryan uncut with an A a

certificate meaning that anyone over the

age of 14 could see it this despite the

lobbying from the festival of light who

had pushed for an outright ban but that

didn't mean the UK release of Life of

Brian would be problem-free since it was

up to councils to decide whether to show

the film or not and the festival of

light now began to write letters to them

still pressing for a ban

if you've got the festival of light

causing trouble if you've got some

fairly conservative views in your local

area that it is quite possible for any

local authority to call in the film view

it and say no it can't go on in our

cinema or to demand that it should be

reclassified and it worked the film was

banned in places like East Devon

Cornwall Swansea and here in Harrogate

Council Hitchin why have you banned the

life of Brian because from what we heard

about it we think that it's going to be

an extremely offensive film on religious

grounds

now you've not actually seen the film we

haven't what reports have you had of it

where of those reports come from the

reports have come from the festival of

light and they have told us of the

attitude of the American Catholic Church

and the American Jewish Church what do

you know about the festival of lights

yourself nothing what we said was that

if you feel strongly about this film you

what you have to do is you exercise your

democratic rights and write to your

local councillors who have authority

over the cinemas and who can either

reclassify our film or conclude that

it's not appropriate for your area the

classic kind of ignorant response to

this was the counselor who said he

didn't have to see the film because you

know you don't have to see a pigsty to

know that it stinks Mary white has Lord

Longford a few other people had a

phenomenal power at that time they

really frightened the politicians they

could organize big demonstrations they

could particularly intimidate local

politicians they could get a grip on

local councils and that's of course

where films were censored and it was

very effective campaign and pretty

dreadful for filmmakers it was appalling

the life of Brian couldn't be seen

everywhere what I was proud about

England was that where it was banned in

different communities you know people

would organize Shera bank parties and go

to the communities where you could see

it at the English good for them they're

not going to be told what to think

where life of Brian was allowed to be

shown the religious protests continued

to keep up the pressure in Liverpool

leaflets were handed out by the city's

mission pointing out to the audience

some of the lies as they saw it that the

film contained including number four a

blind man testifying to healing promptly

falls into a pit denying the reality of

our Lord's miracles blind now I can see

and the most offensive part of the film

from the Christian communities point of

view was very definitely the crucifixion

they're insulting the Savior that we

love who shed his blood for us who died

for us and this is what is all about to

treat crucifixion I think as a sort of

jolly boys outing I think that that

really is something that I felt was

really offensive I have no sympathy

whatsoever any religion that makes a

form of torture into an icon that they

worship seems to me a pretty six or a

religion quite honestly what do they do

in the Christian Church they have Christ

on the cross a crucifix what is that if

it's not a graven image it might have

been tricky to see Life of Brian in

certain parts of the UK but in Norway it

was banned completely he had to go to

Sweden if he wanted to see it where

cinemas proudly proclaimed this film is

so funny

they banned it in Norway

despite the protests and the band's life

of brian went on to take four million

pounds in the UK alone and provide some

of the most iconic comedy scenes

crucifixion yes good out of the door

line on the left one cross each next or

Ivan apart from the Sanitation the

medicine education wine public order

irrigation pros a fresh water system and

public health what are the Romans ever

done for us people of Jerusalem well is

your friend beloved by many in the UK it

was recently voted the greatest comedy

film of all time it also marks perhaps

the happiest and most creative period

for the pythons I've always thought that

life burns the best thing Python did by

quite a long short it's the one when we

all are dust life O'Brien

it made a difference baby I'm curious if

it did make a difference that's what's

interesting but I do think it does it

gives hope to people who still want to

think and laugh let us like him hold up

one showing that the other be upon our

course or this is his sign that all who

follow him shall do likewise

no no no the show is a sign that we must

gather shoes together in abundance know

you just gather shoes together pick me

follow the shoe know it's a sandal fold

the gore is my favorite scene because it

is in in five minutes we do the history

of any major religion and all of its

heresies and its punishments and its

madness and I think that is it

extraordinary same hell my style I'm not

the Messiah

I say you are Lord and I should know I

followed a few Hey

the group scenes with the various

members of the Judean people's front

appear for B that was a lovely thing to

play campaign for C Galilee

oh uh it was fun at you dear officials

Oh

what's your crew tell you we're gonna

kidnap pilots while you take a back you

sudhi man sorry what Harlan wewe are

first are you mean we thought of it

first

oh shit yeah it's a couple years ago it

was invention going on there as well as

are basically a good strong script and I

think seems like that everybody felt

either this is our one chance to get

this brother we should be struggling

together we mustn't fight each other

surely we should be uniting against the

common enemy if you feel Babel France no

no the Romans almost 30 years on the

film still provokes controversy still

provokes debate I know I didn't think it

was funny I thought that it was um quite

an insult to be honest maybe just being

offensive to them because it is making

fun of people who don't think for

themselves and that's exactly what the

whole things about so I think it's quite

right for people who don't think

themselves you can upset about it we

don't have the power to make films we

don't have the money to make films to

lampoon Eric Idle nor what we want to

but you but one of the things that puts

as it were the Christian community at a

real disadvantage is that you know our

Lord Himself said if somebody strikes

you turn the other cheek some poor tells

us don't be offensive to anyone

I think it's extraordinarily rare for

the religious to be funny or to be funny

about their religions or even about

anybody else's I think there is a great

humor vacuum at the heart of all

religions I don't think you ever wanted

to hurt anyone's feelings but sometimes

you know as with the Islamic world now

there are certain things they believe in

which are quite contrary to what we

believe and I don't really think our

values are less important than their so

I guess you just have to have a clash

and says that's the way it is

although the pythons went on to make two

more feature films they never achieved

the same success or impact as Life of

Brian its legacy is unquestionable and

it could easily be argued that it's more

relevant today than when it was made

now there's so many groups all demanding

don't offend don't cause the desert

because our and on and on

a Samaritan this is supposed to be a

Jewish section he doesn't matter you're

all gonna die on a diet oh it may not

matter to you Roman but it certainly

matters to us doesn't it darling a

rather under the terms of the Roman

occupancy we're entitled to be crucified

in a purely Jewish area Pharisees and

Sadducees thank you mr. Pinter wish it

is entirely legitimate to criticize

religions it has to happen we must be

allowed to do it we can't fall silent

just because it's become more

politically difficult I think if you

have a religion that can't bear being

made fun of or laughed at or even

attacked viciously then it's not a bunch

of a religion when you suddenly have to

think to yourself now can I write this

because it might maybe I'll be offending

somebody some of religious

susceptibilities or racial septum

susceptibilities I mean it's ridiculous

I don't understand well I do understand

but I don't want to accept a world of

such parody of such thin-skinned and of

such that offense is the causing offense

is the greatest crime you can do to

somebody and as to whether life of brian

could be made in the present day well i

think it ought to be made today i think

everybody would think twice about doing

it today because it is terrifying what's

what's happening and very very dangerous

i think free speech is really under

attack at the moment in a very devious

way as you get older when you get in my

age and I'm 66 now you realize the

world's a madhouse and that most people

are operating in fantasy anyway so once

you begin to realize that it doesn't

bother you very much comedy is not

particularly difficult you can get

laughs doing any number of things but to

get laughs at an intelligent level about

an important subject whew that's good

you