A Seasonally Appropriate Satire

Easter is coming up in a few weeks and for those of us who are practicing Catholics, that means its Lent. Fridays are for fasting, we're expected to give something enjoyable up for 40 days (plus Sundays), and we change all the prayers in mass to be far more dreary. Rather than getting down in the dumps about it, I've chosen to take a page from Monty Python's Life of Brian and look on the bright side of life.

Life of Brian is a (seasonally appropriate) parody movie made by the famous British comedy troupe Monty Python about a man named Brian who gets mistaken for Jesus, accidentally accrues a following of rebellious citizens, and is ultimately crucified for his actions. It is, without any hint of subtlety, a religious satire which pokes fun at the zealousness of some Christians. However, it can also be taken as a critique of the Western ideal of the stoic leader-turned-martyr which, while certainly present in religion, is not limited to Christianity.

One classic scene is set on Jesus' famous sermon on the mount, with the camera focusing on the attendees who are too far away to clearly hear what is being said. One man mistakenly claims that Jesus said "blessed are the cheesemakers" (the word is supposed to be 'peacemakers') and when another woman questions the reasoning behind the statement she is met with, "It's not meant to be taken literally. It refers to all manufacturers of dairy products". The scene combines parody (of the actual sermon) with dramatic irony (as the audience knows the sermon has been heard incorrectly) to comment on the way that many religious folks lose their critical thinking skills when it comes to interpretation of texts or preachings. The fact that the characters continue to argue amongst themselves about the meaning of the sermon adds another layer of irony, seeing as the whole point of the sermon was that those who are kind and peaceful will be rewarded. Again, Monty Python takes a crack at the Christians who are so caught up in debating the minutiae of their religion that they forget about the big picture of who Jesus truly wanted his followers to be.

Another famous scene is the final song (linked above). Brian has been hung on a cross while his friends and family abandoned him to be a martyr for a religion he never even wanted to start. Another man, who is also being crucified, begins to sing about the virtues of optimism and encourages Brian to " always look on the bright side of life", even as he is dying. The rest of the men on the crosses join in and the camera pans away as they bob their heads to a cheery tune while hanging to die. The irony of the situation makes a very strong statement about the way we glorify death as the 'ultimate sacrifice'. The stoic martyr, who accepts his gruesome fate for the name of a higher cause, is considered the ultimate hero across all of Western culture, not just Christianity. This song suggests that life is pretty ugly too, and dying isn't necessarily the horrible sacrifice we make it out to be. It doesn't always have to be somber and valiant. Sometimes it's just a thing that happens and we ought to make the best out of it.

Monty Python's satire Life of Brian, manages to comment on both the extreme nature of some religious fanatics and the misguided morals of Western culture (especially regarding martyrdom/heroic death) through its masterful irony and parody of Jesus' life story. It's a hilarious watch, and also serves to give those of us who are Christians a little reminder not to take ourselves too seriously.