johnlink ranks MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN (1979)
I figure this counts as a classic not only because it is considered one of the great comedies of all time, but also because it was made before I was born. And anything pre-John should be old enough to be classic. Right?
The movie loosely tells the story of a man of biblical times involved in a movement to make Rome look silly.
I watched MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) on 9.25.09. It was my second viewing of the film.
NOTE: THIS RANKING UTILIZES THIS SITE’S ORIGINAL SYSTEMIC ARTICLE WRITING METHOD. THE METHOD BY WHICH THE RANKINGS WERE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER, REMAIN THE SAME.
FILM
While this film certainly had a higher budget than HOLY GRAIL, this isn’t like they were remaking CITIZEN KANE. The cinematography is effective enough when it needs to be, but rarely tries to be anything more than a standard show of film. Thematically, however, this movie has quite a bit to say about blind faith and non-questioning devotion. Brian, you see, was almost given gifts by three wise men until they realized they had the wrong house. Many have no problem following him (or martyring him) anyway. SCORE: 5
MOVIE
While working with a higher budget than HOLY GRAIL, it is not as non-stop funny. This film has several awesome sequences of its own, especially once Brian begins to gain a following. This is an easily watchable film, though not the best in the Python catalog. SCORE: 7
ACTING
Spectacular characters include Chapman’s Brian (obviously), Cleese’s Reg, Palin’s Pontius Pilate and ex-leper, Jones’s mom, Gilliam’s sarcastic crucifee, and Idle’s singing crucifee, not to mention the groups’ stuttering employees, Roman soldiers, and the People’s Front of Judea (not to be confused with the Judean People’s Front). It is amazing to see what this iconic group of comedians could do with a character, whether on screen for thirty minutes or thirty seconds. I’ve said many times is this column that it is easier to do drama than comedy. Python always made comedy look so easy. SCORE: 8
WRITING
Meandering and episodic, this is a typical Python comedy. The end result of this experience is something which comes out as a piece greater than the sum of its parts. A few misses (not a fan of the jail scene as comedy), but many, many hits. Plus, this movie, as stated above, takes a stand against the blind following of something without thought. But, it is certainly no downer. It manages to ‘always look at the bright side of life.’ SCORE: 6
FINAL TALLY
FILM: 5; MOVIE: 7; ACTING: 8; WRITING: 6
5+7+8+6+0= 26
FINAL SCORE: 6.5
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