Editing Monty Python's Life of Brian (section)

{{Short description|1979 film by Terry Jones}}
{{redirect|Life of Brian|the ''Family Guy'' episode|Life of Brian (Family Guy){{!}}Life of Brian (''Family Guy'')}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Monty Python's Life of Brian
| image          = Lifeofbrianfilmposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Terry Jones]]
| writer        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Graham Chapman]]
* [[John Cleese]]
* [[Terry Gilliam]]
* [[Eric Idle]]
* Terry Jones
* [[Michael Palin]]
}}
| producer       = John Goldstone
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Graham Chapman
* John Cleese
* Terry Gilliam
* Eric Idle
* Terry Jones
* Michael Palin
}}
| cinematography = [[Peter Biziou]]
| editing        = [[Julian Doyle (filmmaker)|Julian Doyle]]
| music          = [[Geoffrey Burgon]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[HandMade Films]]
* [[Python (Monty) Pictures]]
}}
| distributor = <!--Per WP:FilmDist, do not add Orion Pictures or Warner Bros. here--> [[Cinema International Corporation]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1979|08|17|United States|1979|11|08|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 94 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 93:37--><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/monty-pythons-life-brian-1970-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201222207/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/monty-pythons-life-brian-1970-4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2014 |title=''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (AA) |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |date=24 August 1979 |access-date=21 July 2013}}</ref>
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = $4 million<ref>{{cite web |title=Life of Brian (1979) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Life-of-Brian-(UK)-(1979) |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref>
| gross          = $20.7 million<ref>{{cite web |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0079470/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref>
}}
'''''Monty Python's Life of Brian''''' (also known as '''''Life of Brian''''') is a 1979 British [[Biblical film|biblical]] [[black comedy film]] starring and written by the comedy group [[Monty Python]] ([[Graham Chapman]], [[John Cleese]], [[Terry Gilliam]], [[Eric Idle]], [[Terry Jones]] and [[Michael Palin]]). It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen (played by Chapman), a young [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaean]] man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—[[Jesus]], and is subsequently mistaken for the [[Messiah]].

Following the withdrawal of funding by [[EMI Films]] just days before production was scheduled to begin, musician and former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]] and his business partner [[Denis O'Brien (producer)|Denis O'Brien]] arranged financing for ''Life of Brian'' through the formation of their [[HandMade Films]] company.<ref name="rolling stone">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-things-you-didnt-know-george-harrison-did-w452593|title=10 Things You Didn't Know George Harrison Did|author= Runtagh, Jordan|date=26 November 2016|access-date=25 February 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=26 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226050247/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-things-you-didnt-know-george-harrison-did-w452593|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The film's themes of religious satire were controversial at the time of its release, drawing accusations of [[blasphemy]] and protests from some religious groups. In the United Kingdom, the film was given a AA (14) rating by the [[British Board of Film Classification]] (BBFC) in August 1978. The BBFC (based in England) classify films on behalf of local councils (across the UK), though each local council ultimately has the power over the classification of any film screened in their jurisdiction. As a result of this, 11 councils outright banned the film, while a further 28 raised the rating from AA to X across their jurisdictions. (The certificate issued by the BBFC would later be amended, from AA to 15 in 1988, and from 15 to 12A in 2019).<ref>{{cite news |title=Monty Python's Life Of Brian |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotc5odc |access-date=7 March 2019 |agency=[[British Board of Film Classification|BBFC]]}}</ref> Some countries, including [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Norway]], banned its showing; and, in a few of these, such as Italy, bans lasted over a decade.<ref>{{cite news |title=Life of Brian is 40 years old, but is it still controversial? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/life-of-brian-by-monty-python-is-40/11004394 |access-date=21 July 2023 |agency=ABC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian |url=https://www.fiff.ch/en/monty-pythons-life-brian |access-date=21 July 2023 |agency=Festival International de Films de Fribourg}}</ref> The filmmakers used the notoriety to promote the film, with posters in Sweden reading, "So funny it was banned in Norway!"<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhaskar |first=Sanjeev |title=What did 'Life of Brian' ever do for us? |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=29 November 2009 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/6679546/What-did-Life-of-Brian-ever-do-for-us.html |access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref>

The film was a box office success.  It was the fourth highest-grossing film in the United Kingdom in 1979 and the highest-grossing of any British film in the United States that year. It has remained popular and has been named as the [[List of films considered the best#Comedy|greatest comedy film of all time]] by several magazines and television networks, and it later received a 96% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] with the consensus reading, "One of the more cutting-edge films of the 1970s, this religious farce from the classic comedy troupe is as poignant as it is funny and satirical."<ref name="RT">{{cite web |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian Movie Reviews |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monty_pythons_life_of_brian/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620052720/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monty_pythons_life_of_brian |archive-date=20 June 2022 |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> In a 2006 [[Channel 4]] poll, ''Life of Brian'' was ranked first on their list of the [[100 Greatest (TV series)|50 Greatest Comedy Films]].<ref name="Channel4 Comedy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/G/greatest-comedyfilms/results/10-6.html|title=50 Greatest Comedy Films|year=2005|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415140210/http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/G/greatest-comedyfilms/results/10-6.html|archive-date=15 April 2006|url-status=dead|access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref>