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| Image: guardian.com |
"He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
It's time for another Sunday Classic - a controversial comedy which is bound to brighten up this rainy Easter Sunday. This week I've picked Monty Python's Life of Brian.
Starring all the Pythons (Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam) Life of Brian tells the story of Brian - a Jewish man born on the same day as Jesus who continually gets mistaken for the Messiah.
The cutting edge comedy caused a fair amount of controversy, being banned in Norway and Ireland due to its blasphemy and religious satire. In the UK, 39 authorities gave an outright ban on the film being shown or gave the film an 'X' certificate to prevent people from seeing it.
John Cleese and Michael Palin appeared on BBC2 to debate with Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood, about the film. The heated debate is on YouTube - I shall link it below:
The story, and the debate, was wonderfully recreated in the BBC Four comedy drama Holy Flying Circus. I highly recommend seeking this out. Here is a short clip:
Protests, bans and debates aside, Life of Brian has been hailed as one of the greatest comedies of all time. Not only this, but it gave us one of the best loved songs to whistle along to:
What is your favourite moment in Life of Brian?
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