Retrospective Film Review

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) • 45 Years Later — the insanity of humanity in the smartest comedy

Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.

It was called obscene. It was labelled as blasphemous, causing it to be banned in several countries. Yet Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which easily represents the zenith of the infamous comedy troupe’s output, is perhaps the smartest comedy ever made.

The plot, much like the title suggests, follows the life and times of Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), who was born on the same day as (and immediately next door to) Jesus Christ. After discovering his Roman ancestry and socialising with a group of Jewish revolutionaries, Brian is mistakenly identified as the Messiah, developing a cult following in a matter of days.

What other story satirizes religious institutions, bureaucratic obsession, political groups, and the failings of human cognition all in one fell swoop? Few…