Monty Python's the Life of Brian

by Monty Python

The story of Brian, who was born 1,979 years ago in Judea next door to another nativity scene of considerably greater impact on mankind, maintains the Monty Python tradition of vulgarity and exuberant zaniness

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Film, Plays, Comedy, Satire, Drama

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

We saw Life of Brian last night at Ciné Transat, Geneva's free open-air movie theater. If anyone's wondering, the French for "Biggus Dickus" is "Enormus Vergus".

[Paul Bryant]

I was standing around at work in the communal pile of dirty dishes and disease-ridden mouldering food called a kitchen and there was a copy of the Sun newspaper open on one table and a woman I knew was looking down the list of BRITAIN'S FAVOURITE MOVIES which The Sun had printed that day between giant photos of almost naked girls and denunciations of foreign clerics.

Life of Brian was No 3.

The woman pointed it out and said "That's hilarious, it's probably my favourite film of all time."

Plucking up a certain amount of courage, I said

"But you're a Jehovah's Witness. Isn't it a bit blasphemous?"

She thought for a moment and said "I suppose... it is ... a bit offensive. But it's so funny."

Jehovah's Witnesses can be cool.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a Monty Python fan since at least high school. I’ve seen all of the movies and the TV series several times each, listened to the albums, read the books, etc. This certainly wasn't my first time reading this book, nor is it likely to be my last.

So what we’ve got here is a large--if it were a hardcover, we’d call it a coffee table book--volume consisting of the shooting script for Monty Python’s Life of Brian (including deleted scenes) and a miscellany of related materials--diary entries, scenes that never made the final script, etc. Throw in a gaggle of film stills, set photos, and various and sundry illustrations, and you’ve got yourself a bona fide Monty Python reading experience.

As with any Python project, it's the details that make it especially fun. Like the inside front cover in which the team's names--as well as movie, LP, and book titles--are all given in Latin. Or the scrapbook half of the book being printed upside down so that you have to flip the book over halfway through. Being a longtime fan, I also noticed that some of the material in the scrapbook half shows up in slightly altered form on Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album.

Monty Python books are always worth reading. Highly recommended!

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this was the one Monty Python movie I don't remember very well (apart from Eric Idle's wonderful song), I was lucky to have this crazy volume in my collection. Perhaps, "zany" would be a better description as it is not your normal movie adaptation publication. For anyone who hasn't seen the flick, Brian is the neighbour of Jesus Christ and being born the same day as the Messiah, is mistaken for him, thus leading to Python-esque shenanigans.

Along with the screenplay, this book is packed with stills from the movie along with ad-hoc candid shots. Then, you turn the book upside down for the second half, which is the land of zaniness. Diary excerpts, "Sharing A Caravan With John Cleese", a quiz, and even a comic strip provide enough 'filler' so that any other cinema adaptation would appear boring.



Book Season = Summer (everyone sing along)

[Ian Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life of Brian’s popularity as one of the best known and loved comedy films is often overshadowed by the controversy it sparked even before it went into production. EMI famously pulled out of the project after been pressurised by Mary Whitehouse’s moral majority organisation and the threat of been charged with breaching the blasphemy laws. The production was saved by George Harrison setting up Handmade Films to finance the venture and bring it to the screen.
The scrapbook was for many the only way to read, if not see, the film until the advent of video rental shops with its limited run and it’s being banned from television for a decade. The script is even an improvement on the final cut as the sequence of Otto and his crack suicide squad was removed from the finished print under advice from lawyer John Mortimer.

The Cleese, Palin, Jones, Gilliam and Idle ensemble play a cast of timeless characters to interact with Chapman’s faultless portrayal of Brian a man living at the same time as Jesus and his being taken for the messiah, ‘He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy’.

Classic pieces of Python fill the first half of the book, from the death to all Romans, except those concerned with drainage, roads, housing and those who have contributed to all Jews of both sexes and hermaphrodites, to the crowd demanding the welease of woger and of course the song ‘Always look on the Bright Side of Life’. Fantastic from start to finish, well worth the risk of being damned for all eternity.

Turning the book over, the second half, is a cut and paste affair similar to ‘Monty Python’s Big Red Book’ and the ‘Brand New Monty Python Papperbok’ but with a biblical theme. This really adds nothing but does justify it being one of the largest books ever published.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monty Python's Life of Brian by...Monty Python

Another Divine Comedy

A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/

This may very well be the best comedy ever.
Albeit fundamentalists would hate this, if it ever pops up on their screens.

The BBC had in fact a talk show where they had invited John Cleese and Michael Palin on one hand.
On the other there were a high ranking official in the church, a bishop probably and a theologian.

For me, the members of the Monty Python team made sense, while the defenders of the holy scriptures were aggressive and dogmatic.

Certainly, Life of Brian has an irreverential tone, but comedians should be able to jest about anything.
Or else we invite the jihadists in to use their Kalashnikovs, as they did for the Charlie Hebdo team and in so many other horrendous cases.

Freedom of speech means accepting jokes, satires that we may find tasteless, but when we deal with taste...

- De gustibus non est disputandum

After all, the aforementioned lunatics, members of the DAESH find ancient art insulting and they blew up parts of the patrimony of the world...
Most recently, the Petra site

Monty Python's Life of Brian refers to Jesus actually.
Everything about Brian is so evidently similar, if not identical with the details that we know about Jesus of Nazareth that there is no question hanging over what the comedy is about.

And yet, one could ask:

- Why not?
- First, why not tell a story about a different man, born under the same auspices and laugh with and about him

- Second, "Jesus wouldn't mind that I was here with you" says Judas betraying him to the Farisees in Jesus Christ Superstar.

From what religious texts I have read recently I gathered that God and His Son, saints and all do not take so seriously all the kerfuffles erupting regularly down here.

And more damage to the cause is done by those who read and believe "literally" the text of the bible which contains myths, stories that have to be interpreted and whose messages are not to be ingested per se, without using the mind.

Creationists and ultra conservatives- like the American VP- who reject the theory of evolution are much more dangerous and ultimately blasphemous than a comedy.

Aside from this serious message and undertones of the film, the humor is absolutely

- Magnificent

From the start:
We have the "Three Wise Men" coming to the birth place of Brian, only to be scolded by the terrifying mother, played by the sensational Terry Jones:

How can you call yourselves Wise Men coming at three o'clock in the morning!?
We have come for The Messiah
Go away!!
We brought incense and more...
Why didn't you say so!?

There is the ex- leper, played by Michael Palin...

I was minding my own business when this bloody man comes and cures me!

Then the Front:

Are you the Judean People's Front?
We're the People's Front of Judea

And the memorable, like all the lines really, list of what the Romans did for them:
Roads, sanitation, public baths and so much more

The stoning is a gem.
Questioning about the crucifixion

In fact I better include some quotes and eventually links to the YouTube scenes in question.


- The Divine Comedy indeed!!

[Bethanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the privilege of writing a paper on this fantastic script, and I can honestly say it's the first time I've been excited to write a paper. First of all, it's hilarious - my roommate thinks I'm a freak because I was chuckling to myself while I was reading it. But I've seen the debate, watched the documentary, read the Pythons' intent; and I love what the film stands for. I saw the film for the first time about a year ago, when I was struggling with some issues of personal faith: bad church experiences, distrust of religious leaders, etc. It has encouraged me to examine my faith and not simply accept what I'm taught without my own research. And I can safely say I'm the only person I know whose faith has been positively influenced by Monty Python.

It's a hilarious script, but its message is so powerful as well; and I think that combination is fairly rare.

[Rauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The film is HILLARIOUS! This is of course the funniest Python film.


The stoning scene, the useless People's Front of Judea (don't confuse it with Judean People's front), Romani Ite Domum, the naked hermit, and the song, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, are just a few of the funny things you're going to see in Life of Brian.
Michael Palin had 3 great parts as Pontius Pilates, the most uncharismatic preacher and the awfully nice guard ("Crucifixion? Good.")

And contrary to popular belief, no, the story isn't blasphemous. It didn't make fun of the christians or Jebus.

[Erisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blessed are they, who will read this holy comedic scripture, on the life of one Brian of Nazareth, son of Naughtius Maximus, and member of the Anti-Imperialist group, the 'People's Front of Judea’. Though, some say they’re a terrorist organization... It depends on who you talk to, really. Right. Well, anyway, they shall be satisfied Pythonists, as they read this Good Book, and they shall read it often, though not too often, just enough, but no less, as needed, to have a sensible chuckle, and remember to always look on the bright side of life.

[Linda (Miss Greedybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He is not the Messiah, he is a very naughty boy" - favorite line.

[Ietrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A faithful reproduction of the final edit of the movie. No cut scenes, no intermediary versions. Than some pictures added.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welp. That was a ride. I read a highly unofficial version that was virtually void of things like stage directions, which led to a fair amount of...puzzlement...in the group video read (and hence why I'm not including this in my 2020 book count). Having seen the movie last year made me perhaps the only person who consistently understood what was going on, though. A nice change of pace!

This wouldn't fly today, would it? Funny but the wrong kind of politically incorrect for the present day, if that makes sense. And...fun to read for two Wednesdays, a little tiring to read for three.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

hes a Capricorn btw

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The format is a mass-market paperback, but this isn’t a novelization but rather the screenplay as the movie was made. You’ll notice that last has a subtle distinction. Oftentimes screenplays differ notably from the movies as you see them–scenes are cut because they didn’t work, cost too much to do, or just because of the limits of time. The screenplays of Brazil and Monty Python and the Holy Grail are full of wonderful little tidbits that didn’t make it to the screen. Unfortunately, for Life of Brian, there’s only the parts that did get made, which are funny indeed, but you’ve already seen them.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this mainly to re-read the Scrapbook half. Not up to the standard of the Papperbok and the Big Red Book, but still some classic Python moments. The LOB script itself is just as funny as it ever was. I can understand them dropping the kidnapping of Pilate's wife, but I wish they'd left the scene with Otto in the movie.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is little doubt that when it comes to Monty Python's corpus of work their most famous cinematic production is 'Life of Brian'. It was an incredibly successful film and the book of the movie is an important adjunct to this work. Structurally separated into two separate parts, Monty Python's The Life of Brian consists of the script of the film (with some deleted scenes included), and a series of items that include rejected sketches from early drafts of 'Life of Brian' as well as diaries entries from the Pythons, art work and humorous inserts. Whilst not their best book (arguably this distinction goes to their Brand New Papperbok) it is a very significant title for those who have an interest in the Pythons. It will also appeal to anyone trying to come to grips with the movie itself or for that matter filmmaking in general. The material that is found herein that didn't make it into the film is fascinating, and worth reading itself.

The film script section of Monty Python's The Life of Brian is very important for those of us who are invested in the movie and Monty Python because it gives us the script as it was filmed, but not what was it actually distributed in cinemas. That the script as published here includes the entire Otto and his suicide squad scenes is a key reason to read the book. The inclusion of these excised moments from the final version of the movie make it abundantly clear that, if they had been included, would have made 'Life of Brian' even more controversial (if that us at all possible). One can understand why the Monty Python team decided to leave Otto out of the film, except for a very brief and somewhat confusing appearance near the end of the movie. However, I think it's fair to say that the script as it was written and published here seems just that little bit more cohesive than what was shown on the big screen. The same goes for the inclusion of Pilate's wife as an extension of the scene involving her planned kidnapping by Brian and his fellow Judean 'terrorists'. There are some other minor amendments that are referenced in this published version of the script, however none of them are as key as that involving Otto or perhaps Pilate's wife.

Of course, if you have seen the movie you will have a strong familiarity with 95% of the script as it is published here in this book. It's very easy to read the text and 'hear' the film, and the black and white photos further emphasise one's visualisation of the movie through the book. It's the second half or section of Monty Python's The Life of Brian that provides more original material.

A good percentage of the second half of the book includes rejected material from what one must assume are draft versions of the film's script. Whilst they read funnily enough independently one can understand why the scenes were consigned to this book. There is a rather effective representation of a scene that was filmed, showing some shepherds missing the Nativity, depicted here as a comic. Then there is the text of a sketch with a man berating his partner for falling pregnant to 'the Holy Spirit'; the dialogue gets a bit overtop with its repeated silly imagery (not unlike the anarchist peasants in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'), but it's still funny.

Probably the most interesting section of this half of Monty Python's The Life of Brian is the parallel diary entries from Michael Palin and Terry Jones, written during a Python script writing 'holiday' in Barbados. They provide some informative material as to how the Pythons worked, including their strong self-editorial ethic. It's no wonder the Pythons were so good when one reads of how they were willing to reject all but the best of their contributions, and in the process respected each others' comic sensibilities.

The remainder of the book is filled with the usual sort of material, including plenty of Terry Gilliam's artwork and a few silly odds and sods. The inclusion of the famous 'Philosopher's Song' is out of place but hey, the Python's don't care and admit that it really is just their whim. There's a couple of pages detailing a skirmish between John Cleese and an English tabloid over what the Python saw as a misrepresentation of him, and Graham Chapman's summary of his efforts as film crew doctor are worthy of inclusion. All up the second half of Monty Python's The Life of Brian is a hodge podge but it works.

What doesn't work is how the book was published. Admittedly my copy is very old and it is no wonder that it's falling apart. However, even from its original release Monty Python's The Life of Brian was a very clunky book. The large paperback format of the book is unwieldy and the spine breaks way too easily. Also, the editorial decision to have the two halves the book topped and tailed was wrong. Whatever one can say about the content of this book, what one has to deal with in regards to its physical format detracts somewhat from what the Pythons have produced.

In summary, Monty Python's The Life of Brian is a very good addition to the library of Pythin related material, and if you are a fan of their work and/or the film then you should read it. If you find a mint copy for purchase you will be very lucky, but also be prepared to pay big dollars for it.

[Deke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the dialogue alone without the performances drives home the incredible artistry in this screenplay. In turns absurd and wily in its skewering of religious tropes and tales, there isn't a moment wasted, a scene out of place.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for English Lit: Lit of Laughter module.

[Jenn Phizacklea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost don’t need the book - I know the movie pretty much by heart...

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and edgy.

[ILIYAN RUZHIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Така е то.

[Starfishpipi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurray for Blasphemy!

[Sanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

"Brought peace."

"Oh. Peace? Shut up!"