Editing Monty Python's Life of Brian (section)

===Themes and motifs===
====  Bible ====

The depictions of Jesus in two short scenes at the start of the film are strongly based on Christian [[iconography]]. The resistance fighters leave the [[Sermon on the Mount]], which was a literal recital, angry because Jesus was too pacifistic for them. ("Well, blessed is just about everyone with a vested interest in the status quo…")<ref>cf. Tatum, p. 157</ref> In addition to the respectful depiction of Jesus, the film does not state that there is no God or that Jesus is not the son of God. The appearance of a leper, who says he was healed by Jesus, is in line with the [[Gospels]] and their reports about Jesus performing miracles.<ref>cf. Tatum, pp. 151–162</ref>

Any direct reference to Jesus disappears after the introductory scenes, yet his life story partially acts as a framework and subtext for the story of Brian. Brian being a bastard of a Roman centurion could refer to the [[polemic]] legend that Jesus was the son of the Roman soldier [[Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera|Panthera]]. Disguised as a prophet, Brian talks about "[[Matthew 6:28|the lilies on the field]]" and states more clearly, "[[The Mote and the Beam|Don't pass judgment on other people or else you might get judged yourself]]": Brian incoherently repeats statements he heard from Jesus.<ref>cf. Tatum, p. 158</ref>

Another significant figure in the film who is named in the Gospels is [[Pontius Pilate]], the central antagonist. Although the humour largely involves Jews, there is no sinister Jew to compare with [[Judas]] or [[Caiaphas]]. An anti-Semitic interpretation of the story is therefore excluded, according to scholars.<ref>cf. Tatum, p. 153</ref> The crucifixion scene, a central part of Christian iconography, is viewed from a historical context within the narrative style of the film. It is a historically accurate enactment of a routinely done mass crucifixion.<ref>cf. Hewison</ref>

==== Belief and dogmatism ====

The intended subject of the satire was not Jesus and his teachings but religious [[dogmatism]], according to film theorists and statements from Monty Python.<ref name=SinMPP>Shilbrack in ''Monty Python and Philosophy''. pp. 14–21.</ref><ref>cf. Tatum, pp.151–162</ref> This is made clear in the beginning of the film during the Sermon on the Mount. Not only do the poor acoustics make it more difficult to hear what Jesus says, but the audience fails to interpret what was said correctly and sensibly. When Jesus said, "blessed are the peacemakers", the audience understands the phonetically similar word "Cheesemakers" and in turn interpret it as a metaphor and [[beatification]] of those who produce dairy products.<ref>Chapter 3 on ''Immaculate Edition DVD''</ref>

''Life of Brian'' satirises, in the words of [[David Hume]], the "strong propensity of mankind to [believe in] the extraordinary and the marvellous".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hume |first1=David |title=An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding : Englisch/Deutsch (Reclams Universal-Bibliothek) |date=9 November 2016 |publisher=Reclam Verlag |isbn=9783159611884}}</ref> When Brian cuts his sermon short and turns away from the crowd, they mistake his behaviour as not wanting to share the secret to eternal life and follow him everywhere.<ref name="SinMPP"/> In their need to submit to an authority, the crowd declares him first a prophet and eventually a messiah. Even when Brian explicitly denies he is the Messiah, they still follow him, rationalizing that only the true Messiah would have the humility to deny his own divine status. The faithful gather beneath Brian's window en masse to receive God's blessing. This is when Brian utters the main message of the film "you don't need to follow anybody! You've got to think for yourselves!" Monty Python saw this central message of the satire confirmed with the protests of practising Christians after the film was released.<ref name="Morgan">{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=David |title=Monty Python speaks! |year=1999 |isbn=0380804794 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/montypythonspeak00morg/page/247 247-249] |publisher=Harper Collins |url=https://archive.org/details/montypythonspeak00morg/page/247 }}</ref><ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Kim "Howard" |title=The first 200 years of Monty Python |date=1990 |publisher=Plexus Publishing Limited |location=London |isbn=0-85965-107-X |pages=205–213}}</ref>

According to Terry Jones, ''Life of Brian'' "is not [[blasphemy]] but [[heresy]]",<ref>{{cite book |author=Chapman, Graham |display-authors=4 |author2=Cleese, John |author3=Gilliam, Terry |author4=Idle, Eric |author5=Jones, Terry |author6=Palin, Michael |author7=with McCabe, Bob |date=2003 |title=The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons |location= London |publisher=Orion Publishing Group |isbn=0-7528-5293-0 |pages=272–307}}</ref> because Brian contested the authority of the Church whereas the belief in God remained untouched. He goes on to mention that "Christ [is] saying all of these wonderful things about people living together in peace and love, and then for the next two thousand years people are putting each other to death in His name because they can't agree on how He said it, or in what order He said it."<ref name="Morgan" />  The dispute among the followers about the correct interpretation of a sandal, which Brian lost, is in the words of Terry Jones the "history of the Church in three minutes".<ref name="Morgan" /> Kevin Shilbrack shares the view that you can enjoy the movie and still be religious.<ref name="SinMPP" />
For the most part, lost in the religious controversy was the film's mockery of factional dogmatism among [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] parties. According to John Cleese, an almost unmanageable number of left-wing organisations and parties was formed back then in the United Kingdom. He said that it had been so important to each of them to have one pure doctrine that they would rather fight each other than their political opponent.<ref>John Cleese, Chapter 7 on ''Immaculate Edition DVD''</ref> In the film, rather than presenting a [[common front]] as their organisational names should imply, the leader of the People's Front of Judea makes it clear that their hate for the Judean Peoples's Front is greater than their hate for the Romans. They are so caught up in constant debates that the "rather looney bunch of revolutionaries"<ref>cf. Tatum, p.154</ref> indirectly accept the occupying forces as well as their execution methods as a fate they all have to endure. So, in the end, even though they have ample opportunity to rescue Brian, they instead leave Brian on the cross, thanking him for his sacrifice.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schwebel |first1=Florian |title=Den Blumen eine Chance |journal=Schnitt-Das Filmmagazin |date=March 2007 |issue=47 |pages=27–28}}</ref>
 
There is also a sideswipe at the [[women's movement]], which started to draw a lot of attention in the 1970s. In accordance with the language of political activists, resistance fighter Stan wants to exercise "his right as a man" to be a woman. The group accepts him from that moment on as Loretta, because the right to give birth was not theirs to take. Also as a result from that, the term sibling replaces the terms brother or sister.<ref>cf. Tatum, pp.151-162</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Inalienable Rights scene from "Monty Python's Life of Brian" |url=https://www.mit.edu/afs.new/sipb/user/ayshames/Python/LORETTA.PYTHON |access-date=25 August 2019 |work=MIT |archive-date=7 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907114254/http://www.mit.edu/afs.new/sipb/user/ayshames/Python/LORETTA.PYTHON |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Individuality and meaninglessness ====

{{quote box|width=43%|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=right|quote=Brian: "Look, you've got it all wrong. You don't need to follow me. You don't need to follow anybody. You've got to think for yourselves. You're all individuals."<br />Crowd in unison: "YES. WE'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS."<br />Brian: "You're all different."<br />Crowd in unison: "YES. WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT."<br />Single person in crowd: "I'm not..."}}
One of the most commented-upon scenes in the film is when Brian tells his followers that they are all individuals and don't need to follow anybody.<ref>{{cite news |title=49 of Monty Python's most absurdly funny jokes and quotes |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/49-of-monty-pythons-most-absurdly-funny-jokes-and-quotes/ |access-date=9 February 2020 |work=Yorkshire Post |archive-date=18 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818192829/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/49-of-monty-pythons-most-absurdly-funny-jokes-and-quotes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to Edward Slowik, this is a rare moment in which Monty Python puts a philosophical concept into words so openly and directly.<ref>Slowik in ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', p. 178</ref> ''Life of Brian'' accurately depicts the [[Existentialism|existentialist]] view that everybody needs to give meaning to their own life.<ref>Slowik in ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', p. 179</ref>

Brian can thus be called an existentialist following the tradition of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] and [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]. He is honest to himself and others and lives as authentic a life as he can. However, Brian is too naïve to be called a hero based on the ideas of [[Albert Camus]]. For Camus, the search for the meaning of one's own life takes place in a deeply meaningless and abstruse world. The "[[Absurdism|absurd]] hero" rebels against this meaninglessness and at the same time holds on to their goals, although they know their fight leaves no impact in the long run. Contrary to that, Brian isn't able to recognize the meaninglessness of his own situation and therefore can't triumph over it.<ref name="Philosophy pp.14">Shilbrack in ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', pp.14–21</ref>

In ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', Kevin Shilbrack states that the fundamental view of the film is that the world is absurd, and every life needs to be lived without a greater meaning. He points out that the second-last verse of the song the film finishes on, "[[Always Look on the Bright Side of Life]]", expresses this message clearly:

{{poemquote|For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin – give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow.}}

Shilbrack concludes that the finale shows that the executions had no purpose since the deaths were meaningless and no better world was waiting for them.<ref>Shilbrack in ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', p.20</ref> On this note, some people  would claim that the film presents a [[nihilistic]] world view which contradicts any basis of religion.<ref name="Philosophy pp.14"/> However, ''Life of Brian'' offers humour to counterbalance the nihilism, Shilbrack states in his text. He comments that "religion and humour are compatible with each other and you should laugh about the absurdity since you can't fight it."<ref>Shilbrack in ''Monty Python and Philosophy'', p.23</ref>