History Trivia / MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian

* AccidentallyAccurate - the whole shtick about the different anti-Roman groups and their infighting is clearly intended as a TakeThat against then current leftist groups in the UK, but incidentally the real live anti Roman groups at the time did more infighting than fighting against the Romans. Ultimately this meant that all three Jewish uprisings against the Romans failed precisely because of that WeAreStrugglingTogether, though the immense military strength of the Roman Empire didn't help either.

* HeyItsThatGuy
** Guess who played Jesus in this movie. It was [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Admiral Piett]].
** Creator/SpikeMilligan makes a cameo appearance (he just happened to be around when they were filming... in Tunisia).[[note]]He was revisting places he had first visited while serving in the British Army during WWII.[[/note]]
** One of the guards who finds it wisible when Pontius Pilate mentions his gweat fwiend Biggus Dickus is [[Series/TheThickOfIt Hugh Abbott MP]].
** Music/GeorgeHarrison has a brief cameo as "Mr Papadopolous", who owns "The Mount".

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The Pythons practically begged [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService George Lazenby]] to make a cameo as Jesus, for the sole purpose of advertising, "[[ActorIsTheTitleCharacter George Lazenby IS Jesus Christ!]]"

** Creator/SpikeMilligan makes a cameo appearance (he just happened to be around when they were filming... in Tunisia).

** BlessedAreTheCheesemakers

** George Harrison has a brief cameo as "Mr Papadopolous", who owns "The Mount".

* PropRecycling: The film reused the sets from Franco Zeffirelli's ''Jesus of Nazareth''.

* UnclePennybags: [[Music/TheBeatles "St. George of Harrison"]] saved ''Life of Brian'' after EMI decided it was too sacrilegious and refused to finance it. (He said he did it because he wanted to see the film.)

* BannedInChina: The film was banned in many areas when it came out. When it was banned in Norway for "blasphemy", Swedish theatres advertised it as "The film so funny they banned it in Norway."
** NeverHeardThatOneBefore: In Norway, it is quite impossible to even mention the film title "''Life of Brian''" without someone pointing this out.
*** Averted now in Norway and Ireland. The Film still remains banned in nations including but not limited to: Bhutan, Oman, Singapore, and South Africa.

* EnforcedMethodActing: The extras playing the guards in the Biggus Dickus scene were told not to laugh while filming. Thus their desperate attempts to keep a straight face are genuine.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen
** ActorIsTheTitleCharacter: The Pythons practically begged [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService George Lazenby]] to make a cameo as Jesus, for the sole purpose of advertising, [[AC: "[[Film/JamesBond George Lazenby]] ''IS'' Jesus Christ!"]]

* OffTheShelfFX: The spaceship prop's "exploding" mechanism was powered by exploding cigars and a lightbulb filament (DVD commentary).

** It's simple really -- ''Holy Grail'' is sillier, more random, more madcap and for want of a better word more "Pythonesque", which some people find simply funnier. ''Life of Brian'' is arguably the better ''film'' and its humour is much more incisively satirical than the outright looney ''Holy Grail''.

** A small one, but in the scene where the crosses are being carried up the hill, the guard (apparently named Parvus) hits Eric Idle's annoying character. It was supposed to be only a tap and not meant to hurt, but the actor was annoyed with him that day and whacked him instead. Eric's brief look of surprise is genuine. And how does this Troper know this? Because the actor - named Bernard Mckenna - ''teaches'' this Troper at university.

** Also, the lone man in the individuals scene, who plaintively comments "I'm not!"? Yeah, that was this trope. He ended up getting a pay raise to speaking actor for his improv.

** Apparently, now iconic song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" started life as something Eric Idle sang while everyone was hot and bored up on the crucifixes between takes.

** SpikeMilligan makes a cameo appearance (he just happened to be around when they were filming... in Tunisia).

** A small one, but in the scene where the crosses are being carried up the hill, the guard (apparently named Parvus) hits Eric Idle's annoying character. It was supposed to be only a tap and not meant to hurt, but the actor was annoyed with him that day and whacked him instead. Eric's brief look of surprise is genuine. And how does this Troper know this? Because the actor - named Bernard McKenna - ''teaches'' this Troper at university.

** Guess who played Jesus in this movie. It was [[Film/ANewHope Admiral Piett]].

** ActorIsTheTitleCharacter: The Pythons practically begged [[OnHerMajestysSecretService George Lazenby]] to make a cameo as Jesus, for the sole purpose of advertising, [[AC: "[[Film/JamesBond George Lazenby]] ''IS'' Jesus Christ!"]]

* BannedInChina: The film was banned in many areas when it came out. Norway banned it entirely, prompting Sweden to advertise it as "The film so funny they banned it in Norway."

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Guess who played Jesus in this movie. It was [[StarWars Admiral Piett]].

** One of the guards who finds it wisible when Pontius Pilate mentions his gweat fwiend Biggus Dickus is [[TheThickOfIt Hugh Abbott MP]].
** George Harrison has a brief cameo as "Mr Papadopolous", who owns 'The Mount'.
* {{Off the Shelf FX}}: The spaceship prop's "exploding" mechanism was powered by exploding cigars and a lightbulb filament (DVD commentary).
* ThrowItIn: The extra who plaintively comments "I'm not!"? Yeah, that was this trope.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** ActorIsTheTitleCharacter: The Pythons practically begged [[OnHerMajestysSecretService George Lazenby]] to make a cameo as Jesus, for the sole purpose of advertising, [[AC: "[[JamesBond George Lazenby]] ''IS'' Jesus Christ!"]]

* ThrowItIn: The extra who yells out "I'm not!"? Yeah, that was this trope.