Fun facts: they struggled to get the budget for the movie because the film studio got cold feet and pulled out late because it didn't want the religious controversy associated with story and script. George Harrison saw the screenplay and loved it, he financed the film. The locations were in Tunisia and the film sets were from the big budget mini-series Jesus of Nazareth which had just finished filming. When the movie was released worldwide it did garner banning orders from some local councils in UK and other countries for blasphemy. In Sweden the movie was marketed as 'so funny they banned it in Norway.'
All of the Pythons preferred Life of Brian for many reasons. First off, with both Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam sharing directorial duties there was a lot of friction due to their differences in filming. Plus the weather was miserable for the entirety of shooting. With Life of Brian, the Pythons went to the Caribbean to write the script together, having a wonderful time bonding. Also they decided to have Terry Jones direct the film by himself which gave the film a single harmonious feel. Graham Chapman (Brian), who had used alcohol to deal with his anxiety in performing, was in his best spirits and was able to act without having to get sloshed. It was probably their happiest time together as a group.
His alcoholism was also connected to the fact that he was a closeted gay man in the 1970s. I'm not sure which was first, but when he went dry, he also came out to those closest to him. Every part of Chapman's life improved.
@@gmchris3752 The Pythons also have mentioned that his drinking was in large part performance anxiety. When he told the other Pythons he was gay they were, "yeah we knew, anything else?" I am sure other people in his life didn't respond well, but his fear of the Pythons not understanding, was unwarranted.
Was banned in many places including Aberystwyth in Wales, for amongst other things, Judiths full frontal. The ban was finally lifted by the Aberystwyth Mayor; Sue Jones Davies, some 30 years later. If that name rings a bell, you may remember her as the actress who played Judith in The Life of Brian.
It was never banned there. "It was thought for many years that Life of Brian had been banned in Aberystwyth, and Sue Jones-Davies wanted to get it shown there on that basis. But it subsequently emerged that although councillors in the county Ceredigion formed a sub-committee in 1981 to watch the film, and found parts "quite unacceptable", they allowed it to be shown. However, the belief persisted among some for decades that there was a ban." news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/7915623.stm Editors note at the bottom.
@@helloweener2007 Yes, I know, But I didn't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the TV film (on here) of 'Monty Python in Aberystwyth' from 2009
For a long time *Meaning of Life* was my favorite Python film because I thought it had the funniest jokes. Then I decided that *Life of Brian* was the best because it's such a magnificent piece of satire and it has the most engaging narrative. Lately I've been thinking that *Holy Grail* is my favorite because it is so creative in the way that, whether by design or by necessity, it subverts so many movie making and story telling conventions.
Dunno if you spotted George Harrison of The Beatles, basically playing himself. George funded a lot of Python's early stuff under 'Hand Made Films', so in the movie when Brian is introduced to the person funding their uprising, it's George. You can just make out his Liverpudlian, "Hello." :)
They set up Handmade Films specifically to fund this but went on to produce many more films, including the Python spin off films like Time Bandits and Baron Munchausen.
Much of the outdoor scenes were filmed at the Ribat in Monastir, Tunisia. Which interestingly is also about 4 hours down the road from Luke Skywalkers old house.
13:06 the pythons told the cast that if they laughed during that scene they wouldn't get paid. that was the first take and all those reactions are genuine
Not true. Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards, together they played 12 different roles in the film, no one was threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.. script for scene 13 is available and includes stage direction for guards to giggle, the final scene wasn't done in one take.
In the BIGGUS DICKUS scene ... the actors who played the soldiers were told that if they laughed they would not be paid for the day ... so they are genuinely struggling on camera.
@@HistoritorJimaldus This could be true, but i don't really believe it. There is a series of videos on youtube filmed in 1977 where the pythons do a table read of the Life of Brian script, and the Biggus Dickus scene plays out almost exactly like in the finished film. I wouldn't think they could predict the extra's reaction so accurately that they wouldn't give them directions. And i have never heard or seen a source where the Pythons confirm this myth. But i did a quick google search and found this: "I have a physical copy of Monty Python's Encyclopythonia; which contains some interviews with the Python members. It's not that the guards weren't aware of the script. They were. However, when the scene was being shot, one of the actors couldn't help but laugh because of Michael Palin's character. It was just that funny. Instead of ending the scene, Palin stayed in character and approached the guard; resulting in the scene you are referring to. However, that does not prove that the guard's reactions (after their initial unintended outburst) were genuine. They could have picked up on the fact that Palin was improvising, and they continued the scene based on how Palin was steering the conversation. Monty Python is well known for its improvisation. In improv, when you are dealing with more than one actor; all actors need to understand what they are acting out, and will therefore "build a sketch together" on the fly. Presumably, only the initial laugh was genuine. The rest is simply a continuation of the scene in an improvised manner."
@@monsterlair But it was actually true, in OFAH's...the chandelier scene, where the director warned no one must laugh, as the chandelier costs £5,000 to make!..One take only.
Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards in scene 13, together they played 12 different roles in the film and were NOT threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.
I don't know if this is true or not but in the biggus dickus scene they told the actors playing the soldiers that they had to stay completely stoic or they weren't going to get paid which made their laughs genuine
It's not true. Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards, together they played 12 different roles in The Life of Brian are were not threatened with not being paid for laughing in scene 13.
For me Michael Palin is the best actor, he played so many in this film: Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus.
@@fringelilyfringelily391 Oh I love Graham, and I LOVE Terry Jones, almost tied for number one as my favorite Python. I love ALL the Pythons, it's like picking my favorite Beatle.... I may have a favorite, but I love 'em all, I would never think of throwing one out or talking a bad about them! Regarding "Life Of Brian", the sheer amount of distinct, memorable characters from Palin is amazing, even for Python!
They filmed it in Tunisia. I was at the Colosseum where most of the meetings took place. BTW, ex-Beatle George Harrison made the movie possible. He put out his money to fund it. He's doing cameo appearance being introduced in the crowd as the man who rented them the place.
de·us ex ma·chi·na noun; an unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel. Definitions from Oxford Languages Common literary device, especially in ancient (and religious) texts. In this, a literal machine from space saves Brian from certain death. He even survives the crash, gets accused of being a lucky bastard, and shrugs it off - all with no explanation.
"Holy Grail" showed, that Monty Python" had the ability to make a great movie, and "Life of Brian" was their masterpiece. That said, if not for funding from George Harrison, "Life of Brian" wouldn't have been made, because in it's time, it was seen as too controversial.
Did you spot the Pythons' hero Spike Milligan in the scene where they find Brian's shoe? He's the one that gets left behind, says a few lines then suddenly realizes he's all alone and awkwardly ambles off to the left. He wasn't meant to be in the film but happened to be on holiday in the area and showed up on set, so being the comedy legend he was they wrote a small role for him. It's how he clenches his fists in embarrassment that makes it the funniest scene for me. 😆😅
The story is that the head of EMI US read the script only months before filming was due to start and declared that EMI would not fund the movie. It nearly all fell apart until a last ditch recovery which involved George Harrison re-mortgaging his house to give them the money. Harrison is quoted as saying "I wanted to see the film" as his reason for doing it. Ended up creating a production company that made several successful and well-regarded movies throughout the 80s.
The main reason i like Brian a bit more than Grail is that Brian actually is about something. It's funny as all fuck, but it is also a satire. There are running themes about religion, group belonging, dogmatism and individuality. If you can say something about the nature of humanity while making the audience belly laugh, it trumps the collection of (very funny) sketches that is Grail.
Who noticed Spike Milligan - famous for The Goon Show on radio and a favorite of the Monty Pylon crowd? He is the one left standing when the crowd of shoe holders and gourd holders disperse leaving one person (Spike) alone on the road. Spike and the Goons started the "off the wall" humour which Monty Python took and expanded.
I've always thought that that incongruous spaceship bit was the Pythons' nod to the hugely popular sci-fi films that were enormous at the time this film was made: "Star Wars," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," etc, kind of their jokey incorporation of that film trend into just a small bit of this movie.
Fun fact about the biggus dikkus scene is that the guards were actually laughing. They told the actors not to laugh no matter what happens. 🤣so their laughter was real, which makes it even funnier
"It's not my cross; I was holding it for someone" is hilarious because it sounds like nonsense even after you see the exchange between the cross-bearer & the good Samaritan.
I agree that this is a better movie than Holy Grail. This is my favorite Monty Python movie. I'm a Christian and went to a private Christian school most of my life so seeing these jokes based in the Biblical New Testament era is very funny for me. My favorite line is when Brian wakes up and the massive crowd is waiting for him outside. He actually gives them really good advice: Brian: "You don't need to follow me! You don't need to follow anybody! You got to think for yourselves! You're all individuals! You're all different!" One man: "I'm not" The juxtaposition of the massive crowd all saying that they are individuals and one single man saying that he's not is wonderful!
Classic fun fact, but the reason for those faces during the "Biggus Dickus" scene was that all those soldiers were extras who were told that they would not be paid if they laughed during filming. So they're genuinely contorting their faces so they don't giggle and go home with a paycheck
The 4 guards were Charles McKeown, Chris Langham, Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan, all are well known actors, between them they played 11 rolls in the film. Bernard is a great comedy writer that has worked on many many British television comedy shows, he's known for his work with Peter Cook and Graham Chapman, I don't think he was worried about a days pay, it's a silly myth repeated by people that apparently don't know what Google is.
The Biggus Dickus scene is by far my favourite because they didn't tell the extras about their plan for this sketch, so all their reactions are actually genuine.
They don't explicitly say it outright, so I don't know how many viewers catch the reference when Brian disrupts the "vow of silence" man ("Simon," according to the script); it's a parody of Lazarus' resurrection. When Brian's followers see this guy popping up out of a hole in the ground crying "I'm alive! I'm alive!," they think Brian's performed a miracle--hence the immediate beggary for fixing bald patches and declarations of cured blindness. 22:05 The Judean People's Front! If shots hadn't already been filmed of Judith and Mandy (Brian's mum) standing over their corpses, they would've been cut from the film completely. Look at the symbol on their helmets; it's a mashup of the Star of David and the N__i swastika. In a deleted scene included as an extra in the DVD/BDs, their leader Otto--Eric Idle--demonstrates that this is not an accident. For all their boundary-pushing, the Python lads decided that they were already going to be in enough hot water and there was no gain in provoking even more outrage with such a confusing and muddled metaphor, and cut what they could. Self-ordained culture warriors, take note.
When EMI pulled the Backing to Make life of Brian ,ex beatle George Harrison a big monty python fan helped finance it with two Million pounds of his own, The spaceship appears around the time that star wars movies were gaining popularity,😂😂😂😂😂
The alien ship bit was not a 'random section' as you suggest. It was a reference to a popular set of books 'Chariots of the Gods' by a weird science writer at that time called Eric Von Danniken, which (charlatan) put toward the idea that religions were started by aliens. Hence the flying saucers hanging round ancient temples.
I think the spaceship is a sly reference to von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods?" and its nonsense about aliens visiting the ancients and building stuff like pyramids. Eric Idle's character who jokes about being Brian is called Mr Cheeky in the script.
If you haven’t seen it, I would recommend “Time Bandits”. It’s directed by Terry Gilliam and features John Cleese and Michael Palin. Sean Connery also makes an appearance in the movie as well.
Meaning of Life is my favorite Python movie. It doesn't have much of a structure, but it is incredibly outrageous. It's essentially "look, the Americans gave us all this money!".
P.S Have you seen Spamalot. It's Monty Python's musical based on their own film, The Holy Grail. And yes, on stage, they do the same thing with the coconuts! You got to love it. Unfortunately, you probably don't do stage musical reactions.
They didn't tell the guys playing the soldiers that they were gonna do the Biggus Dickus line and they were simply told they would not be able to laugh.
@@Stardust_7273 Charles McKeown, Chris Langham, Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards in scene 13. All are respected professional comic actors with long history of working with Monty python, were friends with Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and John Cleese. Charles McKeown, the first guard to laugh, he played 4 different roles in The Life of Brian, he's worked on Ripping Yarns and Faulty Towers. Chris Langham, the guard pulling the face, a well known comic actor, writer and producer, known for his work on Not The Nine O'clock News, although better remembered today for downloading images of children and going to prison. He played 2 roles in the film. Andrew MacLachlan, played the guard behind Brian on the right, again a well known comic actor and first class Cricketer, he played 2 roles in the film. Bernard McKenna, the guard behind Brian on the left, the one that said "oh god" is an icon within British television comedy, he's a Scottish writer producer and comic actor, he's written many hours of British comedy, Robin's Nest among others. He played 4 different roles in The Life of Brian, and was involved in filming from start to finish. The script for scene 13 is available, you can read it if you like, it includes stage direction for guards to giggle, scene 13 wasn't done in one take so everyone involved knew what the scene was about. Yes it's true Michael Palin did change the odd word to keep it interesting, because they went over the scene many times, but the finished scene is the result of many takes stitched together, brilliant actors acting out a brilliantly written scene. This nonsense that they guards were extras, or they were threatened with not being paid, or being fired, and were not told about the scene is just a myth. The four actors playing the guards together played 12 different roles in the film. None of the four have ever said they were threatened for laughing or they didn't know what was going on in the scene.
If you only knew how much furore, this caused by church groups was more surreal than the movie. The alien but was a passing nod to Star Wars which, at the time was monumental! The movie was shot in Tunisia. There are quite a few behind the scenes vids here on RUclips!
One of the interesting things Terry Jones discovered was that in this era there was something of a messiah cult, with people believing a saviour was coming, and it was partly down to that that they went with Brian being mistaken for a Jesus type figure. The daft thing is that for all the controversy that caused, it was only a small part of the film. Yes the film ended with him being crucified, but crucifixion was the standard form of execution at the time.
hey just came across your ‘Train to Busan’ reaction and ur content is really enjoyable!! i really recommend the movie ‘Parasite’, it’s another korean film and it is hands down one of the best films i’ve ever seen. the meaning behind it all and the way it was directed was SO smart. it deserved every single award it got and it’s 98% rotten tomatoes rate. it really puts social classes into perspective, the director Bong Joon-ho also did the original Snowpiercer with Chris Evans starring, another great movie his work is outstanding, though Parasite will always be my absolute favourite!! new subscriber have a nice day whenever and if ever you read this :)
thank you for your comment! I loved Parasite when i watched it! one of the best films ive seen! I haven't watched snowpiercer though....might have to make a video on that.
As with Holy Grail, a little knowledge of the history of the politics, religions and cultures of the time and place this movie was set in makes it even funnier.
Both the movies Holy Grail and Life of Brian are amazing comedy films. But my fav is always Now for something Completely Different. That is Monty Pythons at their early years they made the film to try and break into the American market.
I agree that this is the best of the Monty Python movies. I really could have done without the alien ship ("random because random is funny, right?!"), but otherwise this movie is just solid satire. I know John Cleese is most proud of this one.
@24:28 _I wonder if they just thought the film is not gonna work, we're gonna give you as much, when the success of Holy Grail, then they would okay we'll give you a biger budget._ Well this makes sense but still EMI films withdrew its funding very soon & then *George Harrison* arranged the funding forming his company Handmade Films.
I vastly prefer Life of Brian because not only are so many of the scenes and skits hilarious in and of themselves, but they’re also hilarious as social commentary (on both early religious followings as well as wouldbe movements desiring social reform all defeating themselves over minor differences and failing to unite against the larger threat and perceived oppressor, as well as the hypocrisy, extremism, and absurdity of some of the various followers in their interpretations of their chosen messianic figures). And all of this culminated in hilarity on the scale of the entire movie in many of these shortcomings of society being essentially self-inflicted by people themselves, and this sort of nihilistic futility of Brian’s life, while his co-crucifieds join in pleasant acceptance that all they can and ought to do is be cheerfully optimistic. And a lot of these same story qualities go on to appear in the films Terry Gilliam later directed.
I think I prefer _Holy Grail_ because I was exposed to it first, but _Life of Brian_ gels with my rather nihilistic world view. I'm a reluctant nihilist, but all the things you mentioned have made me realize there really isn't much hope for humanity. About all you can do is ignore the various religions and political movements that promise they can make things better and try your best to enjoy life. I don't "do" causes anymore. It's a waste of time and energy.
I like Holy Grail because it's a representation of how my brain works: absolute chaos. I thought Holy Grail's use of cheap effects was part of the jokes. If the dude wasn't clapping coconuts but was on a real horse, it just wouldn't be the same. I think Holy Grail takes from Theater of the absurd. People often try to connect the reality of the cops and murder with the storyline of Arthur. I say stop thinking so hard. Why? That's the point of Theatre of time absurd, which is to point that everything is absolutely meaningless and void of purpose. So while reactionist constantly try to connect the two saying it's a story about making a film, I say that's not the point. The point of it is to point out that everything in reality has no purpose, so while you may think you're Quest us clear in your reality, life really is not clear and is void of any meaning. So thars why the current reality collided with the fake reality to show that everything is for naught Life of Brian kind of has a little bit of this theme that all is for naught. Bryan has a life but then ends up getting crucified fir doing good. And his mother, he just leaves him. Hence the song "Akways Look on The Bright Side of Life." Sometimes we think our own realities have purpose but then we ask ourselves why us. I am a generation X pre-millenial. This means I was born at the tale end of Gen X. Hence, I'm not familiar with current generation z phrases. One phrase I keep on hearing is "meta" when it comes to describing Monty Python. I think they mean metaphysical. I'm not into philosophy but I think that's what the slang term meta means, besides the technical term as in Metadata -- data about data. And they are right if they do mean metaphysical. But then they go back to trying to structure it like a real film. And thats where reactionisrs stray. Tgey get so close but don't think it in terms of anti plot. Yep. Anti-plot is real. And I think if reactionist can derive that Monty Python films have elements of anti plot, then they can finally arrive at the idea of absurdist comedies or in theater terms, theater of the absurd, suchlike Waiting For Godot. However, Waiting for Godot is not about constant jokes, yet makes jokes through dark humor which may seem tragic. We gave to remember Monty Python was a theater troupe originally. Therefore, they might have been inspired by theatre of the absurd.
If you want another "Handmade Films" movie to watch, then try "The Long Good Friday" with Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It is the best British gangster film ever made.
If I remember correctly, I think technically Jesus was probably actually born around April or June or something, so he probably wasn't actually a Capricorn... Christmas came about later and took over from another festival at that time... I think Easter might be the same too... Oh well.
The biggus dickus scene the actors playing the soldiers weren't told what the scene was about, and were told if they laugh then wouldn't get paid. They were also told they could only do one take, so the holding back the laughter was genuine.
Not true. Script for scene 13 has stage direction for guards to giggle. All 4 guards played 12 different roles in the film, no one was threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.
yeah I'm a big fan of life of brian but really, holy grail is where they shine. Everything that they mentioned about the lack of structure, etc is totally intentional - it is a send up both of the holy grail myth and of film in general. I know its hard for the more literal minded to get holy grail, but once you realize what they are up to it makes it a lot easier IMO.
I honestly believe this story is a lot more realistic than the bibble story. Not word for word but the circumstance in a more realistic setting i mean. It's honestly what I think really happened to Jesus.
please watch the witch!!! It's a korean movie, and I just came from your reaction to train to busan, and let me say, the fighting scenes in king fu hustle and the witch REMAIN SUPERIOR! please react to it the witch!
What's the best quote from this film?
He's not The Messiah.....he's just a naughty boy!" :)
"I'm Brian and so is my wife"
There aren't any women here...?
"My right as a man"
@@preachercaine Probably my most quoted, especially if someone starts a round of "I'm Spartacus."
Fun facts: they struggled to get the budget for the movie because the film studio got cold feet and pulled out late because it didn't want the religious controversy associated with story and script. George Harrison saw the screenplay and loved it, he financed the film. The locations were in Tunisia and the film sets were from the big budget mini-series Jesus of Nazareth which had just finished filming. When the movie was released worldwide it did garner banning orders from some local councils in UK and other countries for blasphemy. In Sweden the movie was marketed as 'so funny they banned it in Norway.'
And when someone once asked him why he financed it he replied, _'Because I want to see it.'_ Fair enough George!
I have a feeling it turned out to be a good investment for Harrison.
Obviously ironic it got banned for blasphemy, which was heavily satirized in the film.
@@ebashford5334 it got banned by people who never saw the movie.
@@dcanmore It got banned by a UK council who didn't even have a cinema to ban it from :D
All of the Pythons preferred Life of Brian for many reasons. First off, with both Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam sharing directorial duties there was a lot of friction due to their differences in filming. Plus the weather was miserable for the entirety of shooting.
With Life of Brian, the Pythons went to the Caribbean to write the script together, having a wonderful time bonding. Also they decided to have Terry Jones direct the film by himself which gave the film a single harmonious feel. Graham Chapman (Brian), who had used alcohol to deal with his anxiety in performing, was in his best spirits and was able to act without having to get sloshed. It was probably their happiest time together as a group.
His alcoholism was also connected to the fact that he was a closeted gay man in the 1970s. I'm not sure which was first, but when he went dry, he also came out to those closest to him. Every part of Chapman's life improved.
@@gmchris3752 The Pythons also have mentioned that his drinking was in large part performance anxiety. When he told the other Pythons he was gay they were, "yeah we knew, anything else?" I am sure other people in his life didn't respond well, but his fear of the Pythons not understanding, was unwarranted.
Was banned in many places including Aberystwyth in Wales, for amongst other things, Judiths full frontal. The ban was finally lifted by the Aberystwyth Mayor; Sue Jones Davies, some 30 years later. If that name rings a bell, you may remember her as the actress who played Judith in The Life of Brian.
It was never banned there.
"It was thought for many years that Life of Brian had been banned in Aberystwyth, and Sue Jones-Davies wanted to get it shown there on that basis.
But it subsequently emerged that although councillors in the county Ceredigion formed a sub-committee in 1981 to watch the film, and found parts "quite unacceptable", they allowed it to be shown. However, the belief persisted among some for decades that there was a ban."
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/7915623.stm
Editors note at the bottom.
@@helloweener2007 Yes, I know, But I didn't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the TV film (on here) of 'Monty Python in Aberystwyth' from 2009
“Leave that welsh tart alone!”
For a long time *Meaning of Life* was my favorite Python film because I thought it had the funniest jokes. Then I decided that *Life of Brian* was the best because it's such a magnificent piece of satire and it has the most engaging narrative. Lately I've been thinking that *Holy Grail* is my favorite because it is so creative in the way that, whether by design or by necessity, it subverts so many movie making and story telling conventions.
Dunno if you spotted George Harrison of The Beatles, basically playing himself. George funded a lot of Python's early stuff under 'Hand Made Films', so in the movie when Brian is introduced to the person funding their uprising, it's George. You can just make out his Liverpudlian, "Hello." :)
i didn't spot George! thanks for telling us!
Apparently the "hello" was dubbed by Michael Palin,
@@RevStickleback Ha! :)
So did Led Zeppelin,Pink Floyd & heaps of others 😁
They set up Handmade Films specifically to fund this but went on to produce many more films, including the Python spin off films like Time Bandits and Baron Munchausen.
"Where does this rank amongst the greatest comedies ever?!?!"
That poll was held years ago and Life of Brian won.
Much of the outdoor scenes were filmed at the Ribat in Monastir, Tunisia. Which interestingly is also about 4 hours down the road from Luke Skywalkers old house.
@Ashton Almond He's not the chosen one, he's a very naughty boy! (sorrynotsorry)
13:06 the pythons told the cast that if they laughed during that scene they wouldn't get paid. that was the first take and all those reactions are genuine
Not true.
Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards, together they played 12 different roles in the film, no one was threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.. script for scene 13 is available and includes stage direction for guards to giggle, the final scene wasn't done in one take.
In the BIGGUS DICKUS scene ... the actors who played the soldiers were told that if they laughed they would not be paid for the day ... so they are genuinely struggling on camera.
This is a myth. Not true.
@@monsterlair I think they just told them not to laugh and they were unaware what would be happening
@@HistoritorJimaldus This could be true, but i don't really believe it. There is a series of videos on youtube filmed in 1977 where the pythons do a table read of the Life of Brian script, and the Biggus Dickus scene plays out almost exactly like in the finished film. I wouldn't think they could predict the extra's reaction so accurately that they wouldn't give them directions. And i have never heard or seen a source where the Pythons confirm this myth.
But i did a quick google search and found this:
"I have a physical copy of Monty Python's Encyclopythonia; which contains some interviews with the Python members.
It's not that the guards weren't aware of the script. They were. However, when the scene was being shot, one of the actors couldn't help but laugh because of Michael Palin's character. It was just that funny.
Instead of ending the scene, Palin stayed in character and approached the guard; resulting in the scene you are referring to.
However, that does not prove that the guard's reactions (after their initial unintended outburst) were genuine. They could have picked up on the fact that Palin was improvising, and they continued the scene based on how Palin was steering the conversation.
Monty Python is well known for its improvisation. In improv, when you are dealing with more than one actor; all actors need to understand what they are acting out, and will therefore "build a sketch together" on the fly.
Presumably, only the initial laugh was genuine. The rest is simply a continuation of the scene in an improvised manner."
@@monsterlair But it was actually true, in OFAH's...the chandelier scene, where the director warned no one must laugh, as the chandelier costs £5,000 to make!..One take only.
Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards in scene 13, together they played 12 different roles in the film and were NOT threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.
15:30 I think the idea put forth here, is "when the people need a savior, a savior will be found -- divinity aside."
4:55 It was filmed in Tunisia and was able to reuse sets from the TV miniseries JESUS OF NAZARETH, which had just wrapped shooting there.
I don't know if this is true or not but in the biggus dickus scene they told the actors playing the soldiers that they had to stay completely stoic or they weren't going to get paid which made their laughs genuine
It's not true.
Charles McKeown Chris Langham Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards, together they played 12 different roles in The Life of Brian are were not threatened with not being paid for laughing in scene 13.
Re: T he alien shot...It was a Tribute to the first Star Wars film..and apparently, they were also stuck as how to get Brian down safely....
Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, Brazil and Baron Munchausen are Python-esque movies by Terry Gilliam and usually have a couple of Pythons in the cast.
i haven't watched time bandits since i was a kid! might have to make a video on that!
@@_willandjack When George Harrison financed Life of Brian, he then set up HandMade Films production company and their next project was Time Bandits.
For me Michael Palin is the best actor, he played so many in this film: Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus.
Absolutely. What a tour-de-force. Happy to see I'm not the only one.
@@TTM9691 True ... but God, Graham Chapman was fantastic too ... and as for Terry Jones' Mary, priceless.
@@fringelilyfringelily391 Oh I love Graham, and I LOVE Terry Jones, almost tied for number one as my favorite Python. I love ALL the Pythons, it's like picking my favorite Beatle.... I may have a favorite, but I love 'em all, I would never think of throwing one out or talking a bad about them! Regarding "Life Of Brian", the sheer amount of distinct, memorable characters from Palin is amazing, even for Python!
They filmed it in Tunisia. I was at the Colosseum where most of the meetings took place. BTW, ex-Beatle George Harrison made the movie possible. He put out his money to fund it. He's doing cameo appearance being introduced in the crowd as the man who rented them the place.
I couldn't place the Colosseum as I have been to El Djem and Carthage and neither looked familiar
de·us ex ma·chi·na
noun;
an unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.
Definitions from Oxford Languages
Common literary device, especially in ancient (and religious) texts. In this, a literal machine from space saves Brian from certain death. He even survives the crash, gets accused of being a lucky bastard, and shrugs it off - all with no explanation.
"Holy Grail" showed, that Monty Python" had the ability to make a great movie, and "Life of Brian" was their masterpiece. That said, if not for funding from George Harrison, "Life of Brian" wouldn't have been made, because in it's time, it was seen as too controversial.
Did you spot the Pythons' hero Spike Milligan in the scene where they find Brian's shoe? He's the one that gets left behind, says a few lines then suddenly realizes he's all alone and awkwardly ambles off to the left. He wasn't meant to be in the film but happened to be on holiday in the area and showed up on set, so being the comedy legend he was they wrote a small role for him. It's how he clenches his fists in embarrassment that makes it the funniest scene for me. 😆😅
Pretty sure George Harrison funded the film as their original film company dumped them just before production started
The story is that the head of EMI US read the script only months before filming was due to start and declared that EMI would not fund the movie. It nearly all fell apart until a last ditch recovery which involved George Harrison re-mortgaging his house to give them the money. Harrison is quoted as saying "I wanted to see the film" as his reason for doing it. Ended up creating a production company that made several successful and well-regarded movies throughout the 80s.
Eric Idle called it the most anybody ever paid for a movie ticket.
He did fair play to him
The main reason i like Brian a bit more than Grail is that Brian actually is about something. It's funny as all fuck, but it is also a satire. There are running themes about religion, group belonging, dogmatism and individuality. If you can say something about the nature of humanity while making the audience belly laugh, it trumps the collection of (very funny) sketches that is Grail.
Who noticed Spike Milligan - famous for The Goon Show on radio and a favorite of the Monty Pylon crowd? He is the one left standing when the crowd of shoe holders and gourd holders disperse leaving one person (Spike) alone on the road. Spike and the Goons started the "off the wall" humour which Monty Python took and expanded.
I've always thought that that incongruous spaceship bit was the Pythons' nod to the hugely popular sci-fi films that were enormous at the time this film was made: "Star Wars," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," etc, kind of their jokey incorporation of that film trend into just a small bit of this movie.
Fun fact about the biggus dikkus scene is that the guards were actually laughing. They told the actors not to laugh no matter what happens. 🤣so their laughter was real, which makes it even funnier
Fun fact: gold was actually the least expensive present they brought him
"It's not my cross; I was holding it for someone" is hilarious because it sounds like nonsense even after you see the exchange between the cross-bearer & the good Samaritan.
There was no budget for horses in the making of the holy grail ,so palin came up with the coconut ,horse shoe gag😂😂😂😂😂😂
George Harrison from the Beatles actually funded this.......my favourite quote? Probably ' How shall be f*** off Lord?' 🤣💙✊
Amazing film
I agree that this is a better movie than Holy Grail. This is my favorite Monty Python movie. I'm a Christian and went to a private Christian school most of my life so seeing these jokes based in the Biblical New Testament era is very funny for me.
My favorite line is when Brian wakes up and the massive crowd is waiting for him outside. He actually gives them really good advice:
Brian: "You don't need to follow me! You don't need to follow anybody! You got to think for yourselves! You're all individuals! You're all different!"
One man: "I'm not"
The juxtaposition of the massive crowd all saying that they are individuals and one single man saying that he's not is wonderful!
Classic fun fact, but the reason for those faces during the "Biggus Dickus" scene was that all those soldiers were extras who were told that they would not be paid if they laughed during filming. So they're genuinely contorting their faces so they don't giggle and go home with a paycheck
Why do people keep spreading this ridiculous myth?
The 4 guards were Charles McKeown, Chris Langham, Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan, all are well known actors, between them they played 11 rolls in the film. Bernard is a great comedy writer that has worked on many many British television comedy shows, he's known for his work with Peter Cook and Graham Chapman, I don't think he was worried about a days pay, it's a silly myth repeated by people that apparently don't know what Google is.
@@peterdemkiw3280 fair enough
This is miles better than Holy Grail! Life of Brian is one of the best films ever made!
Yeah yeah, everybody loves the hits. It takes a real man to love "The Meaning of Life".
This was filmed in Tunisia, N. Africa. Same place that Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed.
The Biggus Dickus scene is by far my favourite because they didn't tell the extras about their plan for this sketch, so all their reactions are actually genuine.
Those who underwent Classics in a public school recognise every part of the graffiti scene - with the debatable exception of the sword.
They don't explicitly say it outright, so I don't know how many viewers catch the reference when Brian disrupts the "vow of silence" man ("Simon," according to the script); it's a parody of Lazarus' resurrection. When Brian's followers see this guy popping up out of a hole in the ground crying "I'm alive! I'm alive!," they think Brian's performed a miracle--hence the immediate beggary for fixing bald patches and declarations of cured blindness.
22:05 The Judean People's Front! If shots hadn't already been filmed of Judith and Mandy (Brian's mum) standing over their corpses, they would've been cut from the film completely. Look at the symbol on their helmets; it's a mashup of the Star of David and the N__i swastika. In a deleted scene included as an extra in the DVD/BDs, their leader Otto--Eric Idle--demonstrates that this is not an accident. For all their boundary-pushing, the Python lads decided that they were already going to be in enough hot water and there was no gain in provoking even more outrage with such a confusing and muddled metaphor, and cut what they could. Self-ordained culture warriors, take note.
When EMI pulled the Backing to Make life of Brian ,ex beatle George Harrison a big monty python fan helped finance it with two Million pounds of his own, The spaceship appears around the time that star wars movies were gaining popularity,😂😂😂😂😂
George Harrison mortgaged his house to finance this.
Still most expensive cinema ticket ever.
The alien ship bit was not a 'random section' as you suggest. It was a reference to a popular set of books 'Chariots of the Gods' by a weird science writer at that time called Eric Von Danniken, which (charlatan) put toward the idea that religions were started by aliens. Hence the flying saucers hanging round ancient temples.
This was made in the Stars Wars Era, hence the spaceship sequence.
I think the spaceship is a sly reference to von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods?" and its nonsense about aliens visiting the ancients and building stuff like pyramids.
Eric Idle's character who jokes about being Brian is called Mr Cheeky in the script.
Another fun fact: Jesus was portrayed by Kenneth Colley - Admiral Piett in the Star Wars franchise…
In my eyes, Holy Grail was the experiment, Life of Brian was the outcome.
If you haven’t seen it, I would recommend “Time Bandits”. It’s directed by Terry Gilliam and features John Cleese and Michael Palin. Sean Connery also makes an appearance in the movie as well.
Nice fact about Caesar, thank you.
George Harrison from Beatles actually funded this! 💙✊
"what is happening"? Brian was taken to heaven alive.
I read the guards did not know this was coming
You both provide the best commentary/reactions for my money. You don't make it about yourselves as many others do.
thank you!
Meaning of Life is my favorite Python movie. It doesn't have much of a structure, but it is incredibly outrageous. It's essentially "look, the Americans gave us all this money!".
They played that song at the end at the memorial of the guy who played Brian.
LoB is definitely a superior film over HG. As a fervent Python fan, I feel very confident in saying that.
P.S Have you seen Spamalot. It's Monty Python's musical based on their own film, The Holy Grail.
And yes, on stage, they do the same thing with the coconuts! You got to love it. Unfortunately, you probably don't do stage musical reactions.
I was in high school this came out and we made PFJ t shirts
Life of Brian is by far the better film. However, I find Holy Grail funnier.
4:28 alright [boys] get him.
They didn't tell the guys playing the soldiers that they were gonna do the Biggus Dickus line and they were simply told they would not be able to laugh.
Not true.
@@peterdemkiw3280 uh, yeah, I saw an interview where John Cleese said as much
@@Stardust_7273
Charles McKeown, Chris Langham, Bernard McKenna and Andrew MacLachlan played the guards in scene 13.
All are respected professional comic actors with long history of working with Monty python, were friends with Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and John Cleese.
Charles McKeown, the first guard to laugh, he played 4 different roles in The Life of Brian, he's worked on Ripping Yarns and Faulty Towers.
Chris Langham, the guard pulling the face, a well known comic actor, writer and producer, known for his work on Not The Nine O'clock News, although better remembered today for downloading images of children and going to prison. He played 2 roles in the film.
Andrew MacLachlan, played the guard behind Brian on the right, again a well known comic actor and first class Cricketer, he played 2 roles in the film.
Bernard McKenna, the guard behind Brian on the left, the one that said "oh god" is an icon within British television comedy, he's a Scottish writer producer and comic actor, he's written many hours of British comedy, Robin's Nest among others. He played 4 different roles in The Life of Brian, and was involved in filming from start to finish.
The script for scene 13 is available, you can read it if you like, it includes stage direction for guards to giggle, scene 13 wasn't done in one take so everyone involved knew what the scene was about. Yes it's true Michael Palin did change the odd word to keep it interesting, because they went over the scene many times, but the finished scene is the result of many takes stitched together, brilliant actors acting out a brilliantly written scene.
This nonsense that they guards were extras, or they were threatened with not being paid, or being fired, and were not told about the scene is just a myth.
The four actors playing the guards together played 12 different roles in the film.
None of the four have ever said they were threatened for laughing or they didn't know what was going on in the scene.
Is Jack related to Bill Bailey, he's the spitting image of him?
when the aliens show up... yep; bigger budget this time!
If you only knew how much furore, this caused by church groups was more surreal than the movie.
The alien but was a passing nod to Star Wars which, at the time was monumental!
The movie was shot in Tunisia. There are quite a few behind the scenes vids here on RUclips!
One of the interesting things Terry Jones discovered was that in this era there was something of a messiah cult, with people believing a saviour was coming, and it was partly down to that that they went with Brian being mistaken for a Jesus type figure. The daft thing is that for all the controversy that caused, it was only a small part of the film. Yes the film ended with him being crucified, but crucifixion was the standard form of execution at the time.
It doesn't lessen their other stuff, but it's pretty clear, this film is their best work.
Filmed mainly in Tunisia, not far from where they filmed the original STAR WARS movie I believe.
hey just came across your ‘Train to Busan’ reaction and ur content is really enjoyable!!
i really recommend the movie ‘Parasite’, it’s another korean film and it is hands down one of the best films i’ve ever seen. the meaning behind it all and the way it was directed was SO smart. it deserved every single award it got and it’s 98% rotten tomatoes rate.
it really puts social classes into perspective, the director Bong Joon-ho also did the original Snowpiercer with Chris Evans starring, another great movie his work is outstanding, though Parasite will always be my absolute favourite!!
new subscriber have a nice day whenever and if ever you read this :)
thank you for your comment! I loved Parasite when i watched it! one of the best films ive seen! I haven't watched snowpiercer though....might have to make a video on that.
@@_willandjack definitely worth it!! it’s also about social classes :)
As with Holy Grail, a little knowledge of the history of the politics, religions and cultures of the time and place this movie was set in makes it even funnier.
Most of the extras were locals. They had to get them to repeat things verbatim, due to the language barrier.
Spike Milligan is in this he was on holiday and seen them filming and asked to be in it
15:47...well done, yes he is like Jesus. 🤣
Both the movies Holy Grail and Life of Brian are amazing comedy films.
But my fav is always Now for something Completely Different.
That is Monty Pythons at their early years they made the film to try and break into the American market.
Meaning of Life is great.
I agree that this is the best of the Monty Python movies. I really could have done without the alien ship ("random because random is funny, right?!"), but otherwise this movie is just solid satire. I know John Cleese is most proud of this one.
There are more Monty Python films than two. My fav is 1971's ''And Now For Something Completely Different''.
3:27 well Eric Idle has a pretty big nose himself...
next one should be Monthy Python and the meaning of life!!!! :D
@24:28 _I wonder if they just thought the film is not gonna work, we're gonna give you as much, when the success of Holy Grail, then they would okay we'll give you a biger budget._
Well this makes sense but still EMI films withdrew its funding very soon & then *George Harrison* arranged the funding forming his company Handmade Films.
I vastly prefer Life of Brian because not only are so many of the scenes and skits hilarious in and of themselves, but they’re also hilarious as social commentary (on both early religious followings as well as wouldbe movements desiring social reform all defeating themselves over minor differences and failing to unite against the larger threat and perceived oppressor, as well as the hypocrisy, extremism, and absurdity of some of the various followers in their interpretations of their chosen messianic figures). And all of this culminated in hilarity on the scale of the entire movie in many of these shortcomings of society being essentially self-inflicted by people themselves, and this sort of nihilistic futility of Brian’s life, while his co-crucifieds join in pleasant acceptance that all they can and ought to do is be cheerfully optimistic.
And a lot of these same story qualities go on to appear in the films Terry Gilliam later directed.
I think I prefer _Holy Grail_ because I was exposed to it first, but _Life of Brian_ gels with my rather nihilistic world view. I'm a reluctant nihilist, but all the things you mentioned have made me realize there really isn't much hope for humanity. About all you can do is ignore the various religions and political movements that promise they can make things better and try your best to enjoy life. I don't "do" causes anymore. It's a waste of time and energy.
Since Jack liked the prisoner on the wall so much, has he seen the Four Yorkshiremen sketch?
he hasnt watched any monty python! im probably gonna make a compilation of all their best bits and make him watch them!
They actually had trouble funding this until George Harrison offered to provide the money.
They filmed in Tunisia. Most of the extras were locals.
I agree it's miles better than Holy Grail. One reason is because there's actually some commentary about blind faith rather than simply being absurd.
It was filmed in Tunisia
Holy Grail was imo the best by far, way better and more jokes. Always nice to have more Monty Python is always good tho
Original concept: Jesus Christ, Lust for Glory
I like Holy Grail because it's a representation of how my brain works: absolute chaos.
I thought Holy Grail's use of cheap effects was part of the jokes. If the dude wasn't clapping coconuts but was on a real horse, it just wouldn't be the same.
I think Holy Grail takes from Theater of the absurd. People often try to connect the reality of the cops and murder with the storyline of Arthur. I say stop thinking so hard.
Why? That's the point of Theatre of time absurd, which is to point that everything is absolutely meaningless and void of purpose. So while reactionist constantly try to connect the two saying it's a story about making a film, I say that's not the point. The point of it is to point out that everything in reality has no purpose, so while you may think you're Quest us clear in your reality, life really is not clear and is void of any meaning. So thars why the current reality collided with the fake reality to show that everything is for naught
Life of Brian kind of has a little bit of this theme that all is for naught. Bryan has a life but then ends up getting crucified fir doing good. And his mother, he just leaves him. Hence the song "Akways Look on The Bright Side of Life." Sometimes we think our own realities have purpose but then we ask ourselves why us.
I am a generation X pre-millenial. This means I was born at the tale end of Gen X. Hence, I'm not familiar with current generation z phrases. One phrase I keep on hearing is "meta" when it comes to describing Monty Python.
I think they mean metaphysical. I'm not into philosophy but I think that's what the slang term meta means, besides the technical term as in Metadata -- data about data.
And they are right if they do mean metaphysical. But then they go back to trying to structure it like a real film. And thats where reactionisrs stray. Tgey get so close but don't think it in terms of anti plot.
Yep. Anti-plot is real. And I think if reactionist can derive that Monty Python films have elements of anti plot, then they can finally arrive at the idea of absurdist comedies or in theater terms, theater of the absurd, suchlike Waiting For Godot. However, Waiting for Godot is not about constant jokes, yet makes jokes through dark humor which may seem tragic.
We gave to remember Monty Python was a theater troupe originally. Therefore, they might have been inspired by theatre of the absurd.
Your forgetting "mean of life" it completes the python trilogy
More Python movies or shows!
shot in Tunisia I believe
U guys need to watch hot shots and the naked gun trilogy
Please react to Kung Pow: Enter the Fist!
If you want another "Handmade Films" movie to watch, then try "The Long Good Friday" with Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It is the best British gangster film ever made.
If I remember correctly, I think technically Jesus was probably actually born around April or June or something, so he probably wasn't actually a Capricorn... Christmas came about later and took over from another festival at that time... I think Easter might be the same too... Oh well.
I love both but personally prefer Holy Grail.
The biggus dickus scene the actors playing the soldiers weren't told what the scene was about, and were told if they laugh then wouldn't get paid. They were also told they could only do one take, so the holding back the laughter was genuine.
Not true.
Script for scene 13 has stage direction for guards to giggle.
All 4 guards played 12 different roles in the film, no one was threatened with not being paid for laughing in this one scene.
yeah I'm a big fan of life of brian but really, holy grail is where they shine. Everything that they mentioned about the lack of structure, etc is totally intentional - it is a send up both of the holy grail myth and of film in general.
I know its hard for the more literal minded to get holy grail, but once you realize what they are up to it makes it a lot easier IMO.
Was banned in many countries.
I honestly believe this story is a lot more realistic than the bibble story.
Not word for word but the circumstance in a more realistic setting i mean. It's honestly what I think really happened to Jesus.
FWIW, I'm camp Holy Grail.
Tunisia
please watch the witch!!! It's a korean movie, and I just came from your reaction to train to busan, and let me say, the fighting scenes in king fu hustle and the witch REMAIN SUPERIOR! please react to it the witch!