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Monty Python's Life of Brian (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Graham Chapman (Actor), John Cleese (Actor), Terry Jones (Director) Rated:
R
Format: DVD
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,901 ratings
IMDb8.0/10.0
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January 29, 2008
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January 1, 1979
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Format Color, DVD, Widescreen, Anamorphic, Special Edition, NTSC
Contributor Neil Innes, Peter Brett, Andrew MacLachlan, Michael Palin, Kenneth Colley, John Young, Terry Jones, Gwen Taylor, Spike Milligan, Sue Jones-Davies, John Cleese, John Case, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terence Bayler, Chris Langham, Eric Idle, Bernard McKenna, Charles McKeown, Carol Cleveland See more
Language English
Number Of Discs 1
Runtime 1 hour and 34 minutes
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)
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Monty Python's The Meaning of Life [DVD]
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Product Description

The Gospel according to Monty Python: In Judea, a boy is born in a manger a short distance from, and about the same time as, Jesus Christ. Three wise men become deceived by this proximity, but it soon becomes apparent that he is, in fact, only a hapless peasant named Brian. Digitally mastered.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.38 x 0.6 inches; 4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1554
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Terry Jones
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, DVD, Widescreen, Anamorphic, Special Edition, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 34 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1979
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1559409010
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,901 ratings

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
3,901 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Charles
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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Delant
5.0 out of 5 stars great service
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
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product as described, thank you
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james
5.0 out of 5 stars Still funny
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2023
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Got it fast and this movie is still funny
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Photoscribe
5.0 out of 5 stars The Funniest Movie Ever Made....
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2004
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....That isn't an early Mel Brooks or Richard Lester movie! This film pretty much made me a fan of the Pythons, leading me to go see a retrospective of theirs including "And Now For Something Completely Different", "Jabberwocky" and "Monty Python & The Holy Grail". By far the most ingenious and well written thing they've done since and maybe SLIGHTLY funnier than "Grail", this movie makes fun of zealotry, hypocrisy, decadence, dumb luck and history, all in one fell swoop!

The movie generally involves a case of mistaken identity that affects a Nazarene named Brian, born on the same day as, and right downstream from, you-know-who. This mistake affects Brian's life through the course of the entire movie, even after he joins a fanatic sect of Roman-hating terrorists. Though the Wise Men who mistook him for Jesus early in the film corrected themselves, Brian still has a hard time convincing the sheepish, desperate people who follow him everywhere that he isn't a messiah while trying to escape Roman capture.

Cleese, Idle and Palin especially shine in this film, playing many disparate parts...Cleese as 1) A Roman centurion, 2) Reg, the leader of a terrorist faction Brian happens onto, and 3) A high priest/Pharisee/Sadducee - whatever, holding a zany trial for someone who has said the Lord's name in vain; Idle as: 1) Stan, a terrorist with gender identity problems, 2) A crazy but extremely lucky guy who never gets crucified though he's due for it, 3) A guy who taunts a fellow at the sermon on the mount by repeatedly calling him "Bignose", 4) A stuttering gravedigger, 5) A stoning rock, false beard and gourd vendor and 6) The guy who sings "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" to Brian while hanging from a cross; Palin plays: 1) Pontius Pilate, 2) a particularly zealous member of the terrorist band Brian joins, 2)A squirrelly beggar complaining about being cured, 3) a VERY mild-mannered head counter at Brian's crucifiction, 4) The guy Idle taunts at the sermon on the mount and 5) A verbose false prophet. Even Chapman, the one playing Brian, also plays the role of Biggus Dickus, the lisping friend of Pontius Pilate as well as the hapless "Red Sea pedestrian" himself. Terry Jones plays Brian's mother and an ascetic who has his vow of silence ruined by Brian stepping on his foot.

When I first saw this movie, I didn't remember laughing so much since seeing Richard Lester's "Help!" and "Hard Day's Night" at the Circle In The Square up in Greenwich Village back in 1967. A true masterpiece of zany comedy as only the British seem able to do it.

Wouldn't it be great to see either Rowan Atkinson's or "Grant/Naylor's" take on religion? The possibilities are endless!
18 people found this helpful
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Rina
4.0 out of 5 stars A classic
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
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Classic Monty Python of course. Nice packaging.
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Sonya England
5.0 out of 5 stars DVD
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023
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Mu item arrived in great condition and was also about three days early. I couldn't be more pleased about the purchase price or merchandise.
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Craig MACKINNON
5.0 out of 5 stars This is what a DVD should be (Great movie too!)
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2000
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If you're considering buying this DVD (the Criterion Collection), chances are you already know this movie, so I don't want to belabour the plot points that others have done before me, except to echo that this is a great (and funny) movie. Instead, I will focus on the extras that the DVD offers, so you can decide if you want to spend the extra money.
There are a plethora of extras, including a couple of commentaries (the commentary with Cleese and Palin is superior to that of Jones, Gilliam, and Idle, IMHO), some cut scenes, and even the radio ads. The cut scenes even have commentaries! The scenes that were cut in the final edit probably deserve to be cut, but for different reasons. There is an opening scene with shepherds that simply drags on and isn't particularly funny. A bunch of stuff cut from the kidnapping of Pilate's wife scene, which is a little confusing and goes on too long, and the intro scene to the Suicide Squad that appears at the end of the movie. This scene is, for me, far more offensive than anything that finally appeared in the movie (a Jewish-Nazi resistance group, complete with a speech on the ethnic purity). It is also very funny, but you feel uncomfortable laughing at it.
There are also some British radio ads that are amusing, and a fairly in-depth featurette on the making of the movie. Some of the issues raised in the making-of feature are repeated in the commentary(ies), but it's still interesting.
Thus, this DVD has it all for the Monty Python fan - the movie itself, the commentaries and featurette that give the background on the story and info on how and why scenes were shot, some nifty scenes cut from the movie, and those radio ads. Good value for the price.
14 people found this helpful
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Hobbes the Great
5.0 out of 5 stars Zany, but more down to Earth
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2001
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Life of Brain is a little over the top, but for a Python movie it is along ways bellow the top. Terry Jones directs (with terry Gilliam as visual desinger) this movie about the alternate Jesus. Brain was born in the stable next to Jesus's (as explained in a hilarious oppening scence invlolving the three wise men) and goes on to become an accidental Messiah. Brain is played by Grahm, and the other Pythons make continual, skit like appearances. Life of Brian is more of a movie than any of the other Monty Python escapades, but it still doesn't flow as well as a normal movie.
If I wanted to get a freind into Monty Python, this is what I'd show them, most of the humor is something everyone will appreciate, and everyone I know (besdes me) who likes Monty Python says that this is their favorite of the movies (I like Holy grail best).
On the DVD: It has a theatrical trailer (only one, and it is basicilly just movie clips, nothing new added). It has a making of documentery (it gives nice, detailed opinions of the Pythons, by the Pythons as well as an informative look at the way Life of brian was made). It has 5 deleated scences. These are poor quality, but not overlly so. These scences all have a two of the Pythons talking (on an optional audio track). The final, special feature is four British Radio adds involving the Python's mothers telling you to go see the movie.
The chapters are well organized and placed. There are two derictor cuts, one with Eric Idle (my personal favorite), Terry Jones, and terry Gilliam. The other has John Cleese and Micheal Palin (Grahm died in 1989 from cancer). These cuts are quite nice, pleanty of info about the movie, and some of the personal feeling about the movie in general or specific scences.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Adrien Vachon
5.0 out of 5 stars Always look on the bright side of life..
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2022
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A classic Python flick! The best one in my opinion..
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Ana López
5.0 out of 5 stars Buen precio y facil de iusar en PC
Reviewed in Spain on February 10, 2024
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Excelente película de mi época para verla de nuevo.
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Antonio Giron
5.0 out of 5 stars always look on the brigh side of life
Reviewed in Mexico on December 5, 2019
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excelente película muy difícil de conseguir por medios tradicionales lastima que no esté en bluray
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Luigi A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Film divertentissimo, per chi non è permaloso.
Reviewed in Italy on October 20, 2017
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Un capolavoro se visto in lingua originale. Il ridoppiaggio italiano non è paragonabile al primo doppiaggio italiano originale (per chi se lo ricorda), che ovviamente non c'è in questa edizione... peccato.
In ogni caso i Monty Python non tradiscono mai, ironia e comicità non per tutti ma sempre di altissimo livello.
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Olly Buxton
5.0 out of 5 stars Just remember that the last laugh is on you
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2009
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If you've ever tried to compile a list of pure comedies that are also truly great examples of cinema, you'll know how hard it is. I get stuck at about three. I once flipped patiently through  Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide  to see how many four star comedies I could find (I know - I'm a sad sack, aren't I) and don't recall seeing one more recent than Betty Davis'  All About Eve ] some time in the 1950s (though, it could cogently be argued, that says more about Leonard Maltin than it does about funny cinema).

There are outstandingly brilliant funny films, like  Airplane!  and  This Is Spinal Tap , that never transcend the string of loosely-themed set pieces that was their genesis and, whilst compulsory viewing, don't pretend to operate as real motion pictures (in fairness some of Christopher Guest's later output, and in particular  Mighty Wind , does). There are wonderful films that happen to be funny, and maybe even wonderful comedies that aren't all that funny.

But Monty Python's Life of Brian, while it pulls you in with its homely premise and, true to Python form, plays out very much like a string of set pieces, effortlessly transcends its genre into timelessness and profundity. That it's still as challenging today as it was on release (for different, but not that different, reasons) is part of it, but that doesn't speak to the pure cinema of it. The closing scene, as classic a sketch as any Monty Python devised, isn't just a magical set piece, but is a bittersweet and timeless commentary on the absurdity of life and, to boot, a genuinely moving swansong for Monty Python itself (leaving aside the somewhat challenging existence, for this theory, of 1983's  The Meaning of Life ). There are some transcendent moments in the history of cinema, and the cheerily whistling, toe-tapping routine of condemned men on crosses, pulling out to a twilight wide shot, is as superb as any of them.

The sketches are of course brilliantly funny and all eminently, inevitably and annoyingly quotable by males of a certain age, but the underlying absurdities they point up, dearly held sacred cows all - the absurdity of stoning someone for saying Jehovah, the absurdity of political protesting for the principle of it, the wilful absurdity of "miraculous" explanations for innocent behaviour (says the hermit who has just accidentally broken a vow of silence, Brian having trod on his foot: "I hadn't said a word in eighteen years until he came along". The crowd: "a miracle!"), and the sum total of all of this mayhem: the absurdity of life itself - are decisively executed and keenly observed. This is by no means wacky private schoolboy humour of no consequence: this is cutting social satire, and it is to all of our discredit that, nearly thirty years on, the motivated prurience of religious groups has barely abated.

In the accompanying disk there is a terrific documentary charting the reception of this film on general release in 1979, which to us old dogs really doesn't seem that long ago, but on the strength of that documentary may as well have between before the Boer War.

Well, in one sense. But when Terry Gilliam wonders out loud whether that film could get made today, and doubts it, you have to suspect he's right: the absurd objections of the Mary Whitehouse brigade might not pass muster these days, but equally pernicious (and absurd) ones from other religions have taken their place. When we tolerate religion but don't tolerate free speech you do have to wonder. In any case, it is interesting to see footage in that documentary of the Pythons' famous BBC2 debate with Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark, if for no other reason because it's rare chance to see the permanently-genial Michael Palin so worked up as to seem visibly to be restraining himself from lamping Malcolm Muggeridge.

This "immaculate" pressing of the film didn't seem to be up to much for me - I was disappointed in the surround sound quality on the feature disk (I once owned a long player of the soundtrack, and remember the musical numbers being far crisper) and the bonus disc has little on it apart from the hour long making-of documentary, interesting though that was.

Lastly, kudos to the late George Harrison, who apparently single-handedly financed the film when no-one else would (and, presumably, made a killing!) without whom we may still be living under the dark auspices of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association.

OK, not that likely, but still.

Olly Buxton
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