The Fashion of the Christ
BBC News Entertainment item about a certain Python film which is wending its way to a cinema near you in response to Mel Gibson’s multi-million dollar epic. You can say this is a sensible counterbalance, or you can say it’s shameless exploitation. I say who cares? Life of Brian is arguably the Python’s best film (it certainly is their favorite), and in my opinion, one of the best statements on religion in general.
When the Monty Python team had the idea that they wanted to do a biblical parody, each went away and read the bible. What they found is that they didn’t really want to ridicule Jesus, because if you look at what he’s written to have said, there’s not much to argue with. But as for those around him…
And so they made Life Of Brian, a funny and potent film about the dangers of mindlessly following. And ooh, did it piss some of the christians off…
Thanks again to Ian, who’s worth his weight in links, for this one, and for the headline.
ETA: On the other side of the aisle, there’s a group that thinks “The Passion” is causing miracles, and are making a “documentary” of same. Now, again, I haven’t seen the film. I don’t know whether the charges of anti-semitism are true. But I do know that one of the so-called “miracles” they cite is “a Jew who now accepts Jesus as Messiah.”
Things that make you go, “Hmmm.”
