First Take: Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian- He's not the messiah, he's just a very naughty boy

SYPNOSIS:

Brian is born on the original Christmas, in the stable next door. He spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.

The 1970s gave us some great TV comedy moments, and this, widely regarded as the best and most controversial piece of work that the iconic Pythons made, is your proof.

Terry Jones takes the direction role with a very refined presentation of the story that he and his fellow colleagues worked on, and nearly 40 years after its release, it hasn’t aged at all, with a lot of the humour still being relevant in a modern day context. The performances from Jones, Cleese, Idle, Gilliam, Palin and the late Graham Chapman are pure comic brilliance, and it is safe to say that noone would have left their local cinema without being offended back on its initial release in the autumn of 1979. It’s shot beautifully by Peter Biziou, and as I mentioned earlier, it certainly hasn’t aged at all. Music wise, do I really need to say anything about the number that closes the film? The bright side of life really does show during those final few minutes, and it is a great way to close a film that caused so much offense back in the day.

THE VERDICT

Even if its nearly 40 years on from it’s release, Life of Brian is still the standard for British comedy on the big screen, and of course, I would be foolish not to give this film the rating it absolutely deserves.

Rating: 5/5