Movie Music Monday – Life of Brian

On this day in 1979, Monty Python’s Life of Brian opened in theaters.

Before I go on, I will say that this is not my favorite Monty Python film. I didn’t care for the plot and despite knowing that it was meant as a parody/spoof/satire, I didn’t find the humor in it. Monty Python took a lot of flack about this film. The film itself takes place in biblical times. The plot is about a particular man named Brian who is born at a similar time and location as Jesus, who would be mistaken for the Messiah, but had no desire to be followed as such.

The film was to be financed by EMI, however, when they found out the subject matter of the film, they pulled the money. Enter George Harrison. He set up HandMade Films to help fund the movie (about 3 millions pounds). The story goes that Harrison put up the money for it because he “wanted to see the movie”—later described by Terry Jones as the “world’s most expensive cinema ticket.”

One of the most controversial scenes is the setting for today’s song. It is a crucifixion scene. From Wiki:

Many Christian protesters said that it was mocking Jesus’ suffering by turning it into a “Jolly Boys Outing” (such as when Mr Cheeky turns to Brian and says: “See, not so bad once you’re up!”), capped by Brian’s fellow sufferers suddenly bursting into song. This is reinforced by the fact that several characters throughout the film claim crucifixion is not as bad as it seems. For example, when Brian asks his cellmate in prison what will happen to him, he replies: “Oh, you’ll probably get away with crucifixion”. In another example, Matthias, an old man who works with the People’s Front of Judea, dismisses crucifixion as “a doddle” and says being stabbed would be worse.

The Pythons also pointed out that crucifixion was a standard form of execution in ancient times and not just one especially reserved for Jesus.

The film continues to cause controversy.

The only thing that I really cared for from the film was one song. Over the years, I have played it at weddings, parties, and memorials. With that in mind, let’s look at that song.

Take Always Look on the Bright Side of Life away from the film and listen to it as a stand alone song, one will find that the song is about always being optimistic, even if your life is awful. The song has actually been comforting to people in mourning. Eric Idle, the song’s writer said:

“People write all the time saying it cheered them up when their parent died,” he said. “It’s really nice that it does that, and it did it in wartime for people too. During the Falklands and the Gulf War, it became a war song.”

Songfacts.com says: A 2014 survey by the UK chain The Co-operative Funeralcare showed that this was the most popular song at British funerals. The comic tune represents a generational shift in attitudes towards a more personal choice, whereby the mourners wish to celebrate their loved one’s life with a fitting farewell.