# Holy Grail vs. Life of Brian **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524 "2006-02-01T17:33:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/81 "2006-02-05T03:19:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I did not know that, but feel incredibly smug nonetheless. šŸ˜ƒ If you ever get a chance to see it, \*\*Spam-a-Lot \*\* was great. I had to wait 6 months for the tickets and I would be happy to see it again. It is probably just a wild internet rumor but I heard Idle is thinking about a collaberative effort to Stage Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as a Broadway and London Play next. Jim ---
**Author:** ![NoneSense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@NoneSense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoneSense)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/82 "2006-02-05T03:32:29Z")
The Holy Grail was just a flesh wound. Life of Brian is better all round. Oh yeah, how much? A lot! regarding the last supperā€¦ Paul - So, youā€™re going to sit over there are you? Peter - Well I thought I might. Paul - You thought you might?! Peter - Well, we canā€™t all sit next to Jeezy Chreezy. Jesus - Donā€™t call me Jeezy Chreezy! Paul - So youā€™re just going to take up an opposite position, are you? Peter - I would neverā€“! Paul - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Peter - No, no, noā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/83 "2006-02-06T01:26:07Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > DSYoungEsq writes: > > \> And I put THAT down to the simple fact that Life of Brian was VERY controversial > \> among various parts of the country at the time, and still to this day would > \> be ā€œbannedā€ from many parts of the country, some of them right around where > \> I live in Ohio. > > Really? Where? I grew up in rural northwest Ohio and that strikes me as unlikely. Um, if you grew up in rural northwest Ohio, then you know exactly the types of places where the movie was unlikely to be shown. You know, the places where official bible study classes still exist in the high schools. The main trouble was in the Bible Belt, of course; Iā€™ll take a day soon and look up some old 1979 or 1980 newspapers to pinpoint exactly where it had the most troubles. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/84 "2006-02-06T05:39:40Z")
DSYoungEsq writes: \> Um, if you grew up in rural northwest Ohio, then you know exactly the types of \> places where the movie was unlikely to be shown. You know, the places where \> official bible study classes still exist in the high schools. Once again, I have no idea what youā€™re talking about. That doesnā€™t match with my observations at all. Have you actually been to any of these places, or are you trying to extrapolate the attitude in these places without having ever spoken to the people there. ---
**Author:** ![NoneSense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@NoneSense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoneSense)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/85 "2006-02-06T05:59:06Z")
is or was? it was banned in certain cities in the UK when it was first released. iā€™m not sure where it would stand now if it were re-released at the flicks. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/86 "2006-02-06T07:24:45Z")
Iā€™m going with the Holy Grail over Life of Brian. Holy Grail was more Python-esque, a bunch of zany sketches in a loose plot structure made for far bigger laughs, IMO. Life of Brian was great as well, but Holy Grail was just better, if just for the Knights Who Say ā€œNI!ā€, alone ("ā€¦cut down the tallest tree in the forest wiiiiiith a HERRING!") :D. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/87 "2006-02-06T21:10:31Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > DSYoungEsq writes: > > \> Um, if you grew up in rural northwest Ohio, then you know exactly the types of > \> places where the movie was unlikely to be shown. You know, the places where > \> official bible study classes still exist in the high schools. > > Once again, I have no idea what youā€™re talking about. That doesnā€™t match with my observations at all. Have you actually been to any of these places, or are you trying to extrapolate the attitude in these places without having ever spoken to the people there. Um, check where I live. And teach. And visit. And know people. :rolleyes: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/88 "2006-02-06T21:23:30Z")
> [@NoneSense](#): > > is or was? it was banned in certain cities in the UK when it was first released. iā€™m not sure where it would stand now if it were re-released at the flicks. ā€œLife of Brianā€ had a limited 25th anniversary re-release in the U.S. that more or less coincided with the release of ā€œThe Passion of The Christā€ a couple of years ago. It was really only in a few art houses, none of which were near me, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/89 "2006-02-06T21:36:08Z")
Nothing specifically about Ohio, but [this site](http://www.movienet.com/lifeofbrian.html) talks about protests in the US and UK over _Life of Brian_ā€™s release. In particular: > [@](#): > > The opening salvo in what became a heated and often surreal religious war of words arrived on August 19 from Rabbi Abraham Hecht, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, who claimed to speak for half a million Jews. Speaking in Variety, he declared, ā€œNever have we come across such a foul, disgusting, blasphemous film before.ā€ > > Hecht went on to make public his view that Brian ā€œwas produced in hellā€. > > After Hechtā€™s denunciation, outraged religious leaders queued up to vent their spleen to any hack with a microphone, in stark contrast to other more liberal churchmen who defended the filmā€™s right to be shown. > > The voice of Protestant protest belonged to Robert EA Lee of the Lutheran Council, whose tirade against Brian - ā€œcrude and rude mockery, colossal bad taste, profane parody. A disgraceful assault on religious sensitivityā€ - was broadcast across 1,000 radio stations. > > Not to be outdone, the Catholic film-monitoring office rated Brian ā€œCā€ for ā€œCondemnedā€ and implored its flock not to visit theatres where it was playing, it being a sin to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/90 "2006-02-06T22:18:51Z")
See, the stuff that **Miller** cites is what leads me to pronounce _Life of Brian_ to be superior to _Holy Grail_. I mean, pissing off Jews, Catholics, and Protestants is some kind of a Triple Crown, isnā€™t it? Seriously, I think that those of you who vote for _Grail_ on the basis of it being a superior collection of sketches are missing the point. _Grail_, due to its sketch-like structure, was essentially _And now for Something Completely Different_ tied together by a medieval theme. It basically felt likeā€“and seemed to only aspire to beā€“another episode of the TV show, up until the very end when Gilliam directed the scene with the dragon boat coming out of the fog. Only then do you realize how uncinematic the movie has been to that point. _Brian_, OTOH, was a fully-fledged movie, which skillfully balanced a serious message with massive amounts of silliness. It has both cinematic and thematic gravitas that _Grail_ lacks. I freely admit that the differences between the two movies can largely be attributed to budget. Nonetheless, nobody can deny that _Brian_ has a higher ambition that is missing in _Grail_, as if the Pythons were starting to figure out that they wanted their movies to be something more than extensions of their TV show. Itā€™s kind of sad that they couldnā€™t continue in this vein and instead made the muddled, messy _Meaning of Life_. (Although I have to say I havenā€™t seen that one in several years; I remember that Gilliamā€™s _Crimson Assurance_ segment is badly misplaced and really spoiled the entire movie. From what Iā€™ve read I should watch it again and skip that part, perhaps my opinion of the movie will improve.) ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/91 "2006-02-07T00:27:07Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > See, the stuff that **Miller** cites is what leads me to pronounce _Life of Brian_ to be superior to _Holy Grail_. Letā€™s just say this: Life of Brian is the more important and socially significant film. Holy Grail is the sillier of the two. Which one you regard as ā€œthe better Python filmā€ then depends on your point of view as to whether silliness or importance is what ultimately constitutes Python cinematic quality. My voteā€™s for silliness. But then, youā€™re talking to someone who Netflixed ā€œJackassā€ and watched all the extras. Twice. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/92 "2006-02-07T00:32:13Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > Itā€™s kind of sad that they couldnā€™t continue in this vein and instead made the muddled, messy _Meaning of Life_. (Although I have to say I havenā€™t seen that one in several years; I remember that Gilliamā€™s _Crimson Assurance_ segment is badly misplaced and really spoiled the entire movie. From what Iā€™ve read I should watch it again and skip that part, perhaps my opinion of the movie will improve.) Youā€™ll be missing out if you do. Itā€™s a brilliant short film, especially if youā€™re a fan of Gilliamā€™s directorial efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/93 "2006-02-07T01:10:17Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > Letā€™s just say this: > > Life of Brian is the more important and socially significant film. > Holy Grail is the sillier of the two. I think _Brian_ stands up quite well in the silliness department. And the Judean Peopleā€™s Front agrees with me. I just think it has an added dimension to it that _Grail_ lacks. But I love 'em both. > [@Miller](#): > > Youā€™ll be missing out if you do. Itā€™s a brilliant short film, especially if youā€™re a fan of Gilliamā€™s directorial efforts. Oh, I agree itā€™s brilliant. Iā€™m saying it is completely out of place at the front of that movie. It works fine as a short, and I suspect that if I skip that chapter of the _Meaning of Life_ DVD then the rest of the movie will make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![NoneSense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8e7dd6/32.png) [@NoneSense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoneSense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/94 "2006-02-07T02:27:18Z")
speaking of budget, from the extras on the meaning of life dvd, gilliam admitted that nobody knew just how much over budget he was going with his ā€˜littleā€™ film. the other pythons would pop on to his sound stage and marvel at how much he was achieving with the small amont of money they _thought_ he was spending! imho, i think The Meaning of Life is more episodic than The Holy Grail; this feeling isnā€™t helped by the gilliam short, however on itā€™s own itā€™s great fun. i do however think the films, when viewed as a bunch of sketches, were much more consistent than the tv shows, which were very hit and miss. still going with brian for cinematic enjoyment. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/95 "2006-02-07T02:34:02Z")
DSYoungEsq writes: \> Um, check where I live. And teach. And visit. And know people. Yes, I know that you live in northwest Ohio. The question is if you live in rural northwest Ohio. I grew up on a farm there, outside of a town of 300 people. Findlay was the big city for us. I want to know if you live in Toledo and never visit anything outside of it. I presume from your screen name that youā€™re a lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/96 "2006-02-08T05:25:17Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > DSYoungEsq writes: > > \> Um, check where I live. And teach. And visit. And know people. > > Yes, I know that you live in northwest Ohio. The question is if you live in rural northwest Ohio. I grew up on a farm there, outside of a town of 300 people. Findlay was the big city for us. I want to know if you live in Toledo and never visit anything outside of it. I presume from your screen name that youā€™re a lawyer. Do you want to have the full argument, or were you thinking of taking a course? ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/97 "2006-02-08T18:04:52Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > Seriously, I think that those of you who vote for _Grail_ on the basis of it being a superior collection of sketches are missing the point. Sorry, no. Just because you donā€™t agree with some peopleā€™s criteria for which is the better movie doesnā€™t mean they are ā€œmissing the point.ā€ Thatā€™s a pretty condescending statement to make. Personally, Iā€™d give the nod to _Life of Brian_. Both movies have some brilliantly funny scenes, both have a very literate basis underlying their silliness, but _Grail_ just fizzles out and wanders out of the theater instead of actually having a decent ending. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/98 "2006-02-08T19:19:01Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > Oh, I agree itā€™s brilliant. Iā€™m saying it is completely out of place at the front of that movie. It works fine as a short, and I suspect that if I skip that chapter of the _Meaning of Life_ DVD then the rest of the movie will make more sense. Not sure I follow you. How does the short make the rest of the movie less sensical? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/99 "2006-02-08T20:37:43Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > I think _Brian_ stands up quite well in the silliness department. And the Judean Peopleā€™s Front agrees with me. Splitter! ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524/100 "2006-02-09T00:07:21Z")
> [@mrklutz](#): > > Sorry, no. Just because you donā€™t agree with some peopleā€™s criteria for which is the better movie doesnā€™t mean they are ā€œmissing the point.ā€ Thatā€™s a pretty condescending statement to make. Iā€™m not condescending if you just accept that my opinion is and always will be correct. The correct word would then be ā€˜enlighteningā€™. Seriously, itā€™s just my opinion. Lighten up. > [@Miller](#): > > Not sure I follow you. How does the short make the rest of the movie less sensical? The short throws off the entire movie. Take it out and whatā€™s left may be more coherent. (I havenā€™t seen the whole thing in several years; Iā€™m irked that it was recently on HDNet and I didnā€™t record it.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-grail-vs-life-of-brian/342524.md?page=6)