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Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Dolemite_the_Wiz writes "The BBC reports that Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' will be re-released, with the remaining Python troupe's full support, in US theaters next month. The Film's Distributor, Rainbow Film Company are marketing the film as an alternative to all the hype that Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of the Christ' has generated. Trailers for the Film will begin running in theaters on Good Friday. Wait until Biggus Dickus hears about this!"

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  1. Blessed are the Slashdotters by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 4, Interesting
    marketing the film as an alternative to all the hype that Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of the Christ' has generated.

    The thumpers finally get a film and someone has to get all opposition-like. Sheesh. Let the fairy-tale sucklers have their little MOOvie.

    ObBrian: The graffiti scene is one of the greatest scenes ever filmed in movie history.

    "People called Romanes they go the house?" :-)

    Would a Hollywood film ever have fun with Latin?

    No. In the Hollywood version, they'd have to have to words "bitch" and "ass" in the scene 50 times, and there would be at least one fart.

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
  2. Re:When it was originally released... by Mateito · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > considering it doesn't mock Christ as much as
    > some might think...

    With the exception of labelling Christ a "Bloody do-gooder", there is nothing againt him at all. He is shown first in the manger, then secondly giving the sermon on the mount.

    Who is does mock, however, are those factions within the church (and politics in general) who spend all their time bickering about inconsequencial differences rather than presenting a common front based on the 95% of their beliefs that co-incide.

    That's why some churches are dead against it.

    Still.. my favourite scene is the "romans go home" conjugation.

  3. Re:Monty Python by pknoll · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" is decent political satire. "Tough Crowd" also does a mix of political and social commentary, but for me is a bit hot and cold.

    Social satire prgramming includes (but is certainly not limited to) shows like "The Chappelle Show", "South Park", "The Simpsons" (which is still one of the most subtle), and when it was still airing, "Futurama". It's interesting how many of these kinds of programs are animated. Is it easier to speak dangerous words when your face isn't on the screen?

  4. Mel explicitly stated that he added Marianism... by leonbrooks · · Score: 4, Interesting
    ...in fact, he was surprised that Evangelical Christians were so happy about his movie, given its heavy Marianism.

    For reference, the two main Marian manuscripts cited are "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by Anne Catherine Emmerich and "The Mystical City of God" by Saint Mary of Agreda.

    If Jesus was just a clever, wise or insightful man, his entire life was essentially wasted, and on top of that he is recorded as lying about his abilities. All of the serious documentation we have available from the time (and there's a surprising amount of it) indicates that he was considerably more than that. Jesus is better documented than any of the Caesars. There's also a heck of a lot of non-literate archaeological evidence which is very difficult to explain if the canonical record is not reliable.

    But in everyday life "we're all individuals" and will carry on believing what the majority tell us. "I'm not!"

    --
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  5. Re:A bomb? What are you giving him a bomb for? by SRain315 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For those who can't wait, there's an interview with Eric Idle [RealPlayer Audio] from yesterday's "Which Way, L.A.?" program on KCRW. Apparently, the Pythons want to cash in on the furor over "Passion of the Christ." In the interview, Eric claims he's a "lapsed anti-Catholic" and an "Alzhimer's agnostic" - great stuff!

    --
    --- Corporations Are A Fad.
  6. Re:Monty Python by Jerf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's interesting how many of these kinds of programs are animated. Is it easier to speak dangerous words when your face isn't on the screen?

    It's more flexible, which the satire can take advantage of to the hilt. On one of the Family Guy DVD commentaries, they observed how impossible the show would have been in live action, prompted by the show where Peter goes from fat slob, to thin slob, to thin, buff man, back to fat man in the course of half an hour. (Obviously you can fatten up an actor artificially, but the other direction is too violent to use for a TV show, and you certainly couldn't get them back to fat in one show's taping time.)

    Cartoon Nixon on Futurama is funnier then the real thing or an actor playing Nixon could ever have been. (On one of the Futurama commentaries, Matt Groening says when he was a kid he always dreamed of doing something to make fun of Nixon; he never dreamt how successful Nixon-mocking would be 25 years later... ;-) )

    Yes, I listen to the commentaries. Best part sometimes.

  7. Wasn't the LOB really about radical politics? by 1iar_parad0x · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've always thought "The Life Of Brian" was a parody of the radical 60's political movement. Brian joined the Jewish underground because he's attracted to a girl, not because he really cares about politics. They plot meaningless proganda attacks against the Romans, and argue with splinter factions. I tought the aquaduct and "why can't men have babies" scenes where priceless.

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    1. Re:Wasn't the LOB really about radical politics? by nat5an · · Score: 4, Interesting
      It's also an awesome parody of the likely inconsequential origin of strongly held religious beliefs. Like when Brian is running away from his "disciples" and he loses his sandal, and the crowd immediately begins arguing over whether it means they need to take off their sandal to be like him, or whether it means to ignore the things of the body and concentrate on the face and head, etc. Then they immediately split into two sects, one which follows the "Holy Gourd of Jerusalem" and the other which follows the sandal.

      Oh, it's just brilliant. :-)

      --
      Head down, go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums...
  8. Now, a spoof of Islam by Animats · · Score: 4, Interesting
    We need a good spoof of Islam, to be beamed at the Islamic world. They need to lighten up.

    Mohammed's life makes a great comedy. He married an older women for money. He became a used camel dealer. He had a favorite slave girl, Zaid. Then he went into religion around age 40. For years, he was considered a nutcase. Somehow, he and his followers managed to take over Medina, after which he started invading and conquering neighboring countries.

    Visualize the Python version of that. It would drive the Islamic world nuts. But it would be worth it. Make sure it gets on satellite TV and file-sharing networks, so Arab kids see it. In most of the Islamic world, kids are forced to OD on religion, because the religious types run the schools. It's like the Dark Ages in Europe.

    The last major film about Islam, Mohammed, Messenger of God, was way too respectful. It doesn't even show the face of Mohammed (played by Anthony Quinn), to respect Islamic tradition. The Saudis use it as a training film. It was pulled from US theaters in 1976 after threats from people we'd today call terrorists. Today, the US wouldn't back down.