History Film / MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian

[[caption-width-right:300:''Always Look on the Bright Side of Live (whistle)'']]

* GladiatorGames: Played for laughs: the weaker gladiator doesn't even attempts to fight, just drops his weapons and runs for it. The stronger gladiator chases him, until he abruptly drops dead from cardiac arrest.

* AcousticLicense: Averted. Jesus giving a sermon is perfectly audible to the people in the first few rows, but on the next hill over, which isn't even faraway, they're having a little trouble hearing him over that distance and the rest of the countryside noise.

'''Boring Prophet''': [''mildly''] There shall, in that time, be rumors of things going astray, erm, and there shall be a great confusion as to where things really are, and nobody will really know where lieth those little things wi-- with the sort of raffia-work base, that has an attachment. At this time, a friend shall lose his friend's hammer, and the young shall not know where lieth the things possessed by their fathers that their fathers put there, only just the night before, about eight o'clock.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The Python crew did their homework on the historical setting, though did take license for a number of things:

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: An unintentional example - Brian is supposed to be Jewish, but during his [[MaleFrontalNudity nude scene]] it becomes quite clear that Graham Chapman is not circumcised.

* HistoricalInJoke: Brian's Roman paternity is almost certainly a reference to the allegation that Jesus was the son of a Roman soldier named Pantera.

** The lead Centurion naturally assumes that the name of Brian's father, "Naughtius Maximus", is a joke name, like "Sillius Soddus" or "Biggus Dickus".

* TheCameo:
** The man who rents out the mountain for sermons is Music/GeorgeHarrison, as a reward for funding the film.
** The Pythons ran into Creator/SpikeMilligan (who had been visiting some of the places he had fought with the British Army in WWII) and gave him a brief role as a prophet.

Upon its release, this film drew a lot of controversy, mainly in the form of criticism from various religious groups and orders due to what was perceived as a disrespectful mockery of UsefulNotes/JesusChrist (which in turn was frequently based on the erroneous belief that Brian was intended to be/actually was Jesus, rather than just someone whose life paralleled him in several ways). Rather than mocking Jesus, however, the film actually treats the source material [[JesusWasWayCool with a lot of respect]]. It just points out that UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} may have missed the point on some of what Jesus taught. It is not unheard of for the movie to be regarded as an AffectionateParody by actual ministers.

* BeYourself: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. While the film is clearly in favor of not blindly following dogma, the Pythons were savvy enough to both recognize this could be a LostAesop in all the silliness, and that the trope itself is a built-in BrokenAesop. Therefore, it takes a more bitter interpretation of "Don't blindly following dogma ''you made up yourself'' because a guy ''really really'' seems like the messiah to you": Brian explicitly states the message, and people still screw it up because they've convinced themselves ''that much'' that he's a messiah.

* GallowsHumor: The ending on the cross is rendered funny when everyone starts singing "Always look on the Bright Side of Life".
* GenreDeconstruction: Though it portrays Jesus in a favorable light, the movie is a pretty harsh deconstruction of society's romanticized view of life in the time of Christ, and of Biblical stories in general. As it points out, the Romans weren't just cruel oppressors with ZeroPercentApprovalRating (though that's not to say they couldn't be) -- they did more to improve the Judean people's lives than anyone before them. Conversely, "God's chosen people" had criminal justice that could be just as brutal and unfair as the Romans', and they were never a noble LaResistance -- they spent more time getting involved in petty squabbling amongst themselves than they did resisting the Romans. And in any case, having a cult of devoted followers who expect you to solve all of their problems isn't nearly as cool as you would think. And having your friends betray you in the name of martyrdom? It's only inspiring '''''when it's not happening to you!'''''

* HypocriticalHumor:

** In as much as a Creator/MontyPython movie can be said to have a "sane" man, Brian usually fulfills this role. Of the Romans, the centurion played by John Cleese seems to be the only one with his head screwed on straight.

* CampGay: Pontius Pilate is rather... flamboyant, what with his lisp, his mannerisms, and his "vewwy good fwiend" Biggus Dickus.

* MessianicArchetype: PlayedForLaughs. Brian only ends up as the messianic archetype due to sheer bad luck and saying the wrong things while hiding.

%%* AcousticLicense: Averted.
%%-->Did he say "Blessed are the cheesemakers"?

%%* AgeProgressionSong: "Brian, the babe they called Brian..."

%%* AnimatedCreditsOpening

%%* BigBad: Pontius Pilate, HangingJudge governor of Judea.

%%* CampGay: Pontius Pilate, and his "vewwy good fwiend" Biggus Dickus.

%%* TheCatCameBack: Brian's followers.

%%* MessianicArchetype: {{Discussed}}.

%%* NeverSayThatAgain: Jehovah!

%%* RightOnQueue: "...Out of the door, line on the left, one cross each..."

%%* SpaceBattle: During the spaceship scene.

* BirthdaySuitSurpriseParty: Brian's girlfriend Judith Iscariot - an {{Expy}} of Mary Magdalene - tries to convince the Virgin Mandy (Brian's mum) that he is special (whilst naked, as Mandy had barged in on the two of them). It doesn't work. And earlier when after awaking, Brian opens his blinds...

* BeYourself: Not blindly following dogma is a theme of this film, but the Pythons were savvy enough to both recognize this could be a LostAesop in all the silliness, and that the trope itself is a built-in BrokenAesop. So they got around both by having a scene where Brian explicitly states the message, and people still screw the message up. At least, not blindly following dogma ''you made up yourself'' because a guy ''really really'' seems like the messiah to you.

* {{Corpsing}}: In one of the most memorable scenes of the film, Pilate speaks of his friend [[BiggerIsBetterInBed Biggus Dickus]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8_jgiNqUc as the guards desperately (and ultimately vainly)]] attempt to keep a straight face. In reality, the extras cast as the guards were [[BlatantLies told that it was a serious scene,]] and if they so much as giggled, they would be fired on the spot. {{Hilarity ensues}}.

'''Male follower''': How should we fuck off, O Lord?

DepartmentOfRedundencyDepartment: "From now on you shall be called "Brian that is called Brian"".

* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: The alien spacecraft lands right at the foot of the tower Brian fell off of, despite leaving the planet.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Pretty far on the cynical side in regards to its portrayal of modern organized religion, MoralGuardians, and society in general. That said it's notable that the film ends with a song telling you to look on the bright side of life, even if it is a joke.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The film bares more than a few resemblances to ''Film/{{Jabberwocky}}''; a Monty Python-alumni film directed by Terry Gilliam about a man who is unwittingly swept up in the politics of the ignorant or insane people around him, repeatedly victimized, lionized and all-around abused by the absurd world that they live in.

** Everyone declares themselves an individual in as much of a hive-minded crowd can... and the one individual who blurts out that he's not.

!!''Always trope on the bright side of life!''

[[caption-width-right:300:''Makes ''Film/BenHur'' look like an epic.'']]

->''[+And... Always look on the bright side of death! Just before you draw your terminal breath!+]''