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Life Of Brian 1979 Debate

posted 5 years ago by NotoriousRio (12927)
10 replies | jump to latest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYMpObbt2rs

The full debate from "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", 9th November 1979.
On the edition of 9 November 1979, hosted by Tim Rice, a discussion was held about the then-new film Monty Python's Life of Brian, which been banned by many local councils and caused protests throughout the world with accusations that it was blasphemous. To argue in favour of this accusation were broadcaster and noted Christian Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood (the then Bishop of Southwark). In its defence were two members of the Monty Python team, John Cleese and Michael Palin.

Fascinating how this movie offended people back in 1979, thought it was great to see two Pythons defend it, then over the years, things progressed so much so that it became laughable that this was ever banned in the first place, yet now sadly in todays outraged climate of constant virtue signalling it’s easy to see a comedy like this get banned once again or never made at all.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

I'm an old leftie, and the thing I hate about modern political correctness is that it's so unfairly applied.

Nowadays, it's perfectly okay to hurt the feelings of some religious groups but not others, which is utterly wrong. It should be socially acceptable to blaphseme all religious and call their adherents idiots, whether they scream "discrimination" or not.

[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 5 years ago

I agreed with points on both sides of this debate, loved the old Bishop! But today I think if this film were made now, Python would just get cancelled with no debate.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

These days, the "cancelling" is so foolish, that the brilliant Pythons would be cancelled just because they're all white men!

Seriously, the Pythons nailed these assholes forty years before the fact, every time I see people trying to cancel each other for minor "offenses", or ripping their allies to shreds and allowing their real enemies free reign, I think "People's Front of Judea vs. Judean People's Front".

[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 5 years ago

Splitters!

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

"We'll fight for your RIGHT to have babies!"

[–] Ace_Spade (9659) 2 years ago

I love watching Cleese's face go from neutral - game for a discussion - to barely-contained, seething rage at the Bishop's and Muggeridge's remarks. Palin is trying to make peace almost the whole time (he does snap a bit at the end, but it's still a very congenial snap) but Cleese goes spare. You know, I think the real moment is when somebody starts treading on Palin a bit, and I think Cleese gets very upset at that.

I do think it's a shame that the non-Pythons seemed to come in very dismissive and unwilling to really discuss the film.

[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 2 years ago

Have you ever seen John Cleese and Michael Palin reflecting upon it in 2013?
https://youtu.be/Od2ni3okcww
After the debate the Bishop said to Palin 'I though that went rather well!'

[–] Ace_Spade (9659) 2 years ago

I hadn't heard that, although I had heard other interviews of them reflecting on it. Thank you for sharing that.

John Cleese sums up my frustration listening to the bishop and Muggeridge so well, that it was a shame there wasn't an interesting, good faith (so to speak) discussion, but just the anti-Brian people making snide remarks. Having a discussion would have been interesting.

It reminded me of Stephen Fry's complaint about the Munk Debate he was a part of where they were ostensibly debating political correctness and poor Fry was the only one actually talking about it instead of getting side-tracked by other forms of politics.

[–] MikeCable (1918) 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing, I loved that interview, especially when John revealed his experiences in school and what he thought of the unclear origins of the religion and the bible.

[–] javie (2225) 2 years ago

We have to go back to some of these wonderful movies, about horses and ponies!