Movie Monday: The Life of Brian DVD Review

It's lunchtime, I've got some time to burn, and I desperately need to escape an encroaching depressive episode. The game consoles are all at home, so what do I do? I write my review of Monty Python's second feature film, The Life of Brian, which my sister somehow found on DVD (don't even ask if it's a pirated copy).

For those of you yet unfamilliar with the Pythons, they were a troupe of British comedians popular throughout the 60s and 70s. Mostly producing short, satirical skits, they were known chiefly for their often blunt criticisms of Western civilisation. Surviving members include John Cleese (Charlie's Angels 2, Die Another Day) and Michael Palin (Full Circle with Michael Palin). Alright. Enough expository info.

The Story
Made several years after their first movie, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, The Life of Brian revolves around Brian Cohen, an illegitimate son of a Roman centurion and a Jewish woman. Born about the same time as Jesus (the same night, actually) he survived being visited by the Three Wise Magi of the East (who thought he was Jesus) and quickly grew up to be lanky young lad obsessed with the size of his nose. Having grown up rather quickly, he made a living selling snacks at the local colisseum. He thought (as all Jews did) that Roman rule sucked, and therefore recruited himself into the People's Front of Judea, not to be confused with the People's Popular Front or The Judean People's Front. As the story progresses, Brian gets sucked into a plot to assasinate Pontius Pilate, has sex with a fellow committee member, and gets appointed as the Messiah (in no particular order). The story ends with Brian being crucified (no nails, just tied to a cross) and being comforted by the other crucifiees with an amazing rendition of "Always Look on The Bright Side Of Life".

It's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. But still, if you're interested (and have the stomach to see several Pythons naked), The Life of Brian is a wonderful look at all the cornball biblical films of the era, as well as the obsession with celebrity that still holds true even now. It's not meant to be a serious film (obviously), but as Terry Jones puts it, "It's to show the life of someone growing up during the time Jesus was alive..all around Brian important things were happening..but he doesn't see them! Although the audience does.."

Audio and Video
This was supposedly from a Criterion Collection remastering, so it's pretty passable..although the print does show its age. However, compared to the footage from video cassettes also included, you can see that the audio and video's been jazzed up quite well. Don't go expecting your subwoofers to rattle any windows though.

Extras
We get 2 commentary tracks featuring four of the Pythons, a half hour long documentary on the group, original BBC radio ads, deleted scenes (with commentary) and the theatrical trailer. Not bad at all, especially considering the Pythons have so much fun on the comments!

Final Word
If you're a fan of the boys, then by all means. But if you're not (or less experimental), stay with B. Jones or Hugh Grant.