 Sony // Buy from Amazon.comSet in 33 A.D. Judea where the exasperated Romans try to impose order, it is a time of chaos and change with no shortage of messiahs and followers willing to believe in them. At its centre is Brian Cohen, born in Bethlehem, who, by a series of absurd circumstances is caught up in the new religion and reluctantly mistaken for the promised messiah, providing ample opportunity for the entire ensemble (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) to shine in multiple roles as they question everyone and everything from ex-lepers, Pontius Pilate and haggling to revolutionaries, crazy prophets, religious fanaticism, Roman centurions and crucifixion, forever changing our biblical view. While I was very much a child of the 80s - loving my "Ice Pirates," "Last Starfighter," "Disorderlies" and "Transylvania 6-5000," I also had a good friend who loved British comedy, and he was the one who introduced me to the very original lunacy that was Monthy Python. While admittedly I probably watched "Meaning of Life" 10 or 15 times growing up, the other films in the Python cannon didn't get anywhere near as much viewing in my trusty Betamax (save for perhaps "Holy Grail.") As such, I'd be willing to bet that I'd only seen "Life of Brian" perhaps once or maybe twice prior to sitting down to watch for this review... Well, now that I'm a thirtysomething adult (although still with sensibilities planted firmly in the 80s), I have no doubts that I'm in a much better mindset to appreciate, let alone get, the full range of overt and sublte humor that the Python clan deliver in this classic. Riffing off organized religion - Christianity in particular, as the entire story revolves around a guy who happened to be born in the manger next to Jesus - the Pythons spare no one the sword as they skewer with their acerbic wit and intelligent, lofty brand of comedy. While not as rip-roaring funny as "Holy Grail," "Life of Brian" is still a very funny film, and perhaps more intelligent and/or "mature" (shudder at the thought) and, as such, may not have you rip-roaring with laughter, but will be a very solid evening's entertainment. Video This classic film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and while it's definitely not THX quality, that's no fault of the transfer itself, and no doubt the film looks as good as is possible given the original quality of the production (and its age.) Audio The included Dolby 5.1 surround mix is decent all around, with only a bit of muffled dialogue due to the (very) active surround mix. Extras Closing Thoughts Funny funny funny + very impressive extras = definitive edition of this beloved Python film Labels: review |
