Editing Monty Python's Life of Brian (section)

==Production==
===Pre-production===
There are various stories about the origins of ''Life of Brian''. Shortly after the release of ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'' (1975), Eric Idle flippantly suggested that the title of the Pythons' forthcoming feature would be ''Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory'' (a play on the UK title for the 1970 American film ''[[Patton (film)|Patton]], Patton: Ordeal and Triumph'').<ref name="From Fringe to Flying Circus">{{cite book |author=Wilmut, Roger |date=1980 |title=From Fringe to Flying Circus |location= London |publisher=Eyre Methuen Ltd |isbn=0-413-46950-6 |pages=247–250}}</ref> This was after he had become frustrated at repeatedly being asked what it would be called, despite the troupe not having given the matter of a third film any consideration. However, they shared a distrust of organised religion, and, after witnessing the critically acclaimed ''Holy Grail''{{'}}s enormous financial turnover, confirming an appetite among the fans for more cinematic endeavours, they began to seriously consider a film lampooning the [[Christianity in the 1st century|New Testament era]] in the same way that ''Holy Grail'' had lampooned [[Arthurian legend]]. All they needed was an idea for a plot. Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam, while promoting ''Holy Grail'' in [[Amsterdam]], had come up with a sketch in which Jesus' cross is falling apart because of the idiotic carpenters who built it and he angrily tells them how to do it correctly. However, after an early [[brainstorming]] stage, and despite being non-believers, they agreed that Jesus was "definitely a good guy" and found nothing to mock in his actual teachings: "He's not particularly funny, what he's saying isn't mockable, it's very decent stuff", said Idle later.<ref name="autobiography">{{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=349–387}}</ref> After settling on the name Brian for their new protagonist, one idea considered was that of "the 13th disciple".<ref name="From Fringe to Flying Circus" /> The focus eventually shifted to a separate individual born at a similar time and location who would be mistaken for the Messiah, but had no desire to be followed as such.<ref name="Bevan">{{cite news |first=Nathan |last=Bevan |date=5 March 2011 |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/the-life-times-monty-pythons-1843865 |title=The life and times of Monty Python's Terry Jones |publisher=Western Mail |newspaper=Wales Online |access-date=19 August 2019 }}</ref>

The first draft of the screenplay, provisionally titled ''The Gospel According to St. Brian'', was ready by Christmas 1976.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dark Knights & Holy Fools|last=McCabe|first=Bob|publisher=Universe Publishing|year=1999|isbn=0-7893-0265-9|location=New York|pages=77|lccn=98-75217}}</ref> The final pre-production draft was ready in January 1978, following "a concentrated two-week writing and water-skiing period in [[Barbados]]".<ref name="MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK">{{cite book |author=Chapman, Graham |display-authors=etal |date=1979 |title=''Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK'' |pages=scrapbook p. 4 |no-pp=true|title-link=Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK }}</ref>

Python fan and former Beatle [[George Harrison]] set up [[HandMade Films]] along with [[Denis O'Brien (producer)|Denis O'Brien]] to help fund the film at a cost of £3&nbsp;million.<ref name="grdn">{{cite news |last1=Barber |first1=Nicholas |title=How George Harrison – and a very naughty boy – saved British cinema |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/03/george-harrison-beatle-monty-python-life-of-brian-handmade-studios |access-date=3 April 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=3 April 2019}}</ref> Harrison put up the money for it as he "wanted to see the movie"—later described by Terry Jones as the "world's most expensive cinema ticket".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/oct/30/george-harrison-little-malcolm-handmade|title=Eunarchy in the UK: George Harrison's first movie|first=John|last=Patterson|date=30 October 2011|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The original backers—[[EMI Films]] and, particularly, [[Bernard Delfont]]—had been scared off at the last minute by the subject matter.<ref name="From Fringe to Flying Circus" /><ref name="grdn"/> The very last words in the film are: "I said to him, 'Bernie, they'll never make their money back on this one'", teasing Delfont for his lack of faith in the project. Terry Gilliam later said, "They pulled out on the Thursday. The crew was supposed to be leaving on the Saturday. Disastrous. It was because they read the script ... finally."<ref name="Welease Bwian">
{{cite news |title=Welease Bwian |first=Robert |last=Sellers |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,12102,922904,00.html#article_continue |date=28 March 2003 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=6 November 2006}}</ref> As a reward for his help, Harrison appears in a [[cameo appearance]] as Mr. Papadopoulos, "owner of the Mount", who briefly shakes hands with Brian in a crowd scene (at 1:08:50 in the film). His one word of dialogue (a cheery but out of place [[Scouse]] "'ullo") had to be dubbed in later by Michael Palin.<ref>Palin, Michael (2006). ''[[Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years]]'', p. 563, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:TUNISIE MONASTIR RIBAT 02.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ribat of Monastir]], Tunisia. According to Michael Palin, the first scene filmed was the stoning scene along the outside wall.]]
Terry Jones was solely responsible for directing, having amicably agreed with Gilliam (who co-directed ''Holy Grail'') to do so, with Gilliam concentrating on the look of the film.<ref>{{cite news |title=How we made Monty Python's Life of Brian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/16/how-we-made-monty-python-life-of-brian-michael-palin-terry-gilliam |access-date=25 August 2019 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> ''Holy Grail''{{'}}s production had often been stilted by their differences behind the camera. Gilliam again contributed two animated sequences (one being the opening credits) and took charge of [[set design]]. However, this did not put an absolute end to their feuding. On the DVD commentary, Gilliam expresses pride in one set in particular, the main hall of [[Antonia Fortress|Pilate's fortress]], which had been designed so that it looked like an ancient synagogue that the Romans had converted by dumping [[Roman architecture|their structural artefacts]] (such as marble floors and columns) on top. He reveals his consternation at Jones for not paying enough attention to it in the [[cinematography]]. Gilliam also worked on the [[Matte (filmmaking)|matte]] paintings, useful in particular for the very first shot of the three wise men against a star-scape and in giving the illusion of the whole of the outside of the fortress being covered in graffiti. Perhaps the most significant contribution from Gilliam was the scene in which Brian accidentally leaps off a high building and lands inside a starship about to engage in an interstellar war. This was done "in camera" using a hand-built model starship and miniature pyrotechnics. Gilliam recounted in an interview: "Well, we didn't know what to do with Brian. He got himself to the top of the tower and we had to rescue him somehow, so I said, 'OK, spaceship for that.' That was purely it. It was funny, because this was at the time when ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' had just come out."<ref>{{cite news |title=Terry Gilliam on making 'Don Quixote,' defending Johnny Depp and making fun of Donald Trump |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/terry-gilliam-on-making-don-quixote-defending-johnny-depp-and-making-fun-of-donald-trump-192028341.html |access-date=10 December 2021 |agency=Yahoo}}</ref>

The film was shot on location in [[Monastir, Tunisia|Monastir]], [[Tunisia]], which allowed the production to reuse sets from [[Franco Zeffirelli]]'s ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (film)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' (1977).<ref>{{cite news |author=Ebert, Roger|date=18 June 2004 |title=Monty Python's Life of Brian|publisher=Digital Chicago |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-2004 |access-date=6 November 2006}}</ref> The Tunisian shoot was documented by [[Iain Johnstone]] for his BBC film ''[[The Pythons (film)|The Pythons]]''. Many locals were employed as extras on ''Life of Brian''. Director Jones noted, "They were all very knowing because they'd all worked for Franco Zeffirelli on ''Jesus of Nazareth'', so I had these elderly Tunisians telling me, 'Well, Mr Zeffirelli wouldn't have done it like that, you know.'"<ref name="Welease Bwian" /> Further location shooting also took place in Tunisia, at [[Sousse]] (Jerusalem outer walls and gateway), [[Carthage]] ([[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatre]]) and [[Matmata, Tunisia|Matmata]] ([[Sermon on the Mount]] and [[Crucifixion]]).<ref name="autogenerated1969">Palin, Michael. ''Diaries: The Python Years, 1969–1979''.</ref>

Graham Chapman, suffering from [[alcoholism]], was so determined to play the lead role&mdash;at one point coveted by Cleese&mdash;that he sobered up in time for filming, so much so that he also acted as the on-set doctor.<ref name="Channel 4">[[Channel 4]] (1 January 2007). ''The Secret Life of Brian''.</ref>

===Rough cut and pre-screenings===
Following shooting between 16 September and 12 November 1978,<ref name="MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK" /> a two-hour [[rough cut]] of the film was put together for its first private showing in January 1979. Over the next few months ''Life of Brian'' was re-edited and re-screened a number of times for different preview audiences, losing a number of entire filmed sequences.<ref name="From Fringe to Flying Circus" />

===Editing===
A number of scenes were cut during the editing process. Five [[deleted scene]]s, a total of 13 minutes, including the controversial "Otto", were first made available in 1997 on the [[Criterion Collection]] [[Laserdisc]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Laserdisc Database|title=Criterion Life of Brian|url=http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/08009/CC1504L/Monty-Python:-Life-of-Brian:-Special-Edition-(1979)|access-date=13 December 2011}}</ref> An unknown amount of raw footage was destroyed in 1998 by the company that bought Handmade Films. However, a number of them (of varying quality) were shown the following year on the [[Paramount Comedy Channel]] in the UK. The scenes shown included three shepherds discussing sheep and completely missing the arrival of the angel heralding Jesus's birth, which would have been at the very start of the film; a segment showing the attempted kidnap of Pilate's wife (a large woman played by John Case<!--Please don't change "Case" to "Cleese"; it's not a typo-->) whose escape results in a fistfight; a scene introducing hardline [[Zionist]] Otto, leader of the Judean People's Front (played by Eric Idle), and his men who practise a suicide run in the courtyard; and a brief scene in which Judith releases some birds into the air in an attempt to summon help. The shepherds' scene has badly distorted sound, and the kidnap scene has poor colour quality.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|author=SOTCAA|date=2004|title=Monty Python – Films|publisher=[[UK Online]]|url=http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?/sotcaa/pythonpages/python_films02.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323234524/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?%2Fsotcaa%2Fpythonpages%2Fpython_films02.html|archive-date=23 March 2007|access-date=6 November 2006|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The same scenes that were on the Criterion [[laserdisc]] can now be found on the [[Criterion Collection]] DVD.

The most controversial cuts were the scenes involving Otto, initially a recurring character, who had a thin [[Adolf Hitler]] moustache and spoke with a German accent, shouting accusations of "racial impurity" at Judeans who were conceived (as Brian was) when their mothers were raped by Roman [[centurion]]s, as well as other Nazi phrases. The logo of the Judean People's Front, designed by Terry Gilliam,<ref name="immaculate">{{cite video |date=2007 |title=The Story of Brian |medium=Monty Python's Life of Brian: The Immaculate Edition DVD |publisher= [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> was a [[Star of David]] with a small line added to each point so it resembled a [[swastika]], most familiar in the West as the symbol of the anti-Semitic Nazi movement. The rest of this faction also all had the same thin moustaches, and wore a spike on their helmets, similar to those on [[Pickelhaube|Imperial German helmets]]. The official reason for the cutting was that Otto's dialogue slowed down the narrative. However, Gilliam, writing in ''The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons'', said he thought it should have stayed, saying "Listen, we've alienated the Christians, let's get the Jews now." Idle himself was said to have been uncomfortable with the character; "It's essentially a pretty savage attack on rabid Zionism, suggesting it's rather akin to Nazism, which is a bit strong to take, but certainly a point of view."<ref name="autobiography" /> [[Michael Palin]]'s personal journal entries from the period when various edits of ''Brian'' were being test-screened consistently reference the Pythons' and filmmakers' concerns that the Otto scenes were slowing the story down and thus were top of the list to be chopped from the final cut of the film.<ref name="autogenerated1969" /> However, [[Oxford Brookes University]] historian David Nash says the removal of the scene represented "a form of self-censorship" and the Otto sequence "which involved a character representative of extreme forms of [[Zionism]]" was cut "in the interests of smoothing the way for the film's distribution in America."<ref>{{cite book |last=Nash |first=David |title=Blasphemy in the Christian World: A History |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2007 |page=214 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OIA_i8jviucC&pg=PA214 |access-date=18 May 2010 |isbn=978-0-19-925516-0}}</ref>

The only scene with Otto that remains in the film is during the [[crucifixion]] sequence. Otto arrives with his "crack suicide squad", sending the Roman soldiers fleeing in terror. Instead of doing anything useful, the squad stab themselves to death as Brian watches. Terry Jones once mentioned that the only reason this excerpt was not cut too was due to [[continuity (fiction)|continuity]] reasons, as their dead bodies were very prominently placed throughout the rest of the scene. He acknowledged that some of the humour of this sole remaining contribution was lost through the earlier edits, but felt they were necessary to the overall pacing.

Otto's scenes, and those with Pilate's wife, were cut from the film after the script had gone to the publishers, and so they can be found in the published version of the script. Also present is a scene where, after Brian has led the [[Legio V Macedonica|Fifth Legion]] to the headquarters of the People's Front of Judea, Reg ([[John Cleese]]) says "You cunt!! You stupid, bird-brained, flat-headed..."<ref>{{cite book |author=Chapman, Graham |display-authors=etal |date=1979 |title=Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK |pages=script p.34 |no-pp=true|title-link=Monty Python's The Life of Brian/MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK }}</ref> The profanity was overdubbed to "you klutz" before the film was released. Cleese approved of this editing as he felt the reaction to the profanity would "get in the way of the comedy."<ref name="autobiography" />

An early listing of the sequence of sketches reprinted in ''Monty Python: The Case Against'' by Robert Hewison reveals that the film was to have begun with a set of sketches at an English public school. Much of this material was first printed in the ''[[Monty Python's The Life of Brian / Monty Python Scrapbook]]'' that accompanied the original script publication of ''The Life of Brian'' and then subsequently reused. The song "[[All Things Dull and Ugly]]" and the parody scripture reading "Martyrdom of St. Victor" were performed on ''[[Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album]]'' (1980). The idea of a violent rugby match between school masters and small boys was filmed in ''[[Monty Python's The Meaning of Life]]'' (1983). A sketch about a boy who dies at school appeared on the unreleased ''[[The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album]]'' (1981).