Directed by Terry Jones
Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin
1979/UK
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Reg: All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
This film seems funnier every time I watch it.
Brian (Graham Chapman) was born in a stable in Bethlehem next to the one occupied by the Baby Jesus and his parents. His mother Mandy (Terry Jones) is a shrill old harridan. The three wise men (Chapman, John Cleese and Michael Palin) stop by the wrong stable first.
So begins a series of mistaken identities that get Brian in a heap of trouble. Along the way we get aquainted wth the inept People’s Front of Judea. Irreverent religious, political, and dirty jokes abound along with some general absurdity.
It takes me a while to get in the right head space for Monty Python but once I do I always laugh. Recommended.
“This film seems funnier every time I watch it.” Yep!!
For any lost soul who’s not watched this (could there be anyone???), simply MUST DO. Disregard it’s age as it’s timeless.
It really is timeless. Partly because one would need to watch it multiple times just to catch all the jokes that happen while one is busy laughing!
Your proofreader here AGAIN!!
“It takes me awhile to…” should be “It takes me a while to…”
Change made.
I’m laughing just looking at these guys. . . .
They are ridiculous and very clever all at the same time. This movie has grown with time.
This film is a masterpiece. Comedy that isn’t just smart but also says a lot about contradictions, the fallacies of religion, and other dumb shit. I love the “what have the Romans done for us?” bit as it’s something that we have to reflect on. Even when it comes to certain things in the world as people would argue about oh “what have George W. Bush ever done for us?” and people would list some things that he did and in comparison to the last fuckhead who was in the White House (I can’t think of anything he’s ever done that was helpful). I’d rather 8 years of W than 8 seconds of Mr. Golden Toilet Bowl.
I have long said that Mr. GTB makes George W. look like a statesman (and a genius).
In a lot of ways, this is probably Python’s most important film, but it’s also the one I watch the least. Not sure why that is.
Although I enjoy them when I watch them, I don’t normally re-watch them unless as part of a project, so I can’t help you much. Nice to see you back in these parts!
You can read a lot into their jokes, but I am not certain that is entirely sound. Sometimes it is just irreverent hilarity and that is okay with me.
I like how just plain silly they are!