# Life of Brian - offensive to Jews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831 "2004-04-07T22:05:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/1 "2004-04-07T22:05:09Z")
I know some Christians got pretty upset, but what about Jews? I’m particularly thinking about the scene where John Cleese’s character eats a pigs snout. Also Brian describes himself as a kike and a yid. I’ve never actually heard any complaints, but I can see this as potentially offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/2 "2004-04-07T22:07:03Z")
Offending religion is one of Monty Python’s mainstays. After 25 years, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/3 "2004-04-07T23:20:42Z")
Well, I would hope it would be offensive to Jews. And Romans, too, for that matter. And modern-day Palestinians. Being offensive to Christians was just one of a wonderful multi-cultural stew of offensiveness in that movie! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/4 "2004-04-07T23:58:06Z")
It was offensive to Jews, and anyone who says otherwise is just a lousy splitter! ---
**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:** [April 8, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/5 "2004-04-08T00:29:11Z")
When did John Cleese eat a pig snout in that movie? And Graham Chapman, who played Brian, was Jewish himself, IIRC. Don’t really see how anyone can claim this movie is legitimatly offensive towards any specific race or religion. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/6 "2004-04-08T00:47:04Z")
John Cleese had the otter’s noses as did Michael Palin. Other items offered included larks tongues, ocelot’s spleen, wrens livers, badgers spleens, chaffinch brains, jaguar’s earlobes, and wolf nipple chips. [http://arago4.tn.utwente.nl/stonedead/movies/life-of-brian/scene-08.html](http://arago4.tn.utwente.nl/stonedead/movies/life-of-brian/scene-08.html) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/7 "2004-04-08T00:51:57Z")
I remember the brouhaha when the film came out. The one complaint from Jewish groups I recall was the scene where the man was stoned for saying “Jehovah,” a reference to the Jewish tradition of never saying God’s name. But the pickets at the opening performance I went to were Christian. I wondered how they could protest if they hadn’t seen the film. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/8 "2004-04-08T01:08:24Z")
I’ve always thought of Monty Python as equal opportunity offenders. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/9 "2004-04-08T01:11:36Z")
The full “kike and yid” quote in context is as follows: Brian’s mother, Mandy, tells him that his father was actually a Roman centurion who raped her. (Well, at first.) MANDY: Yeah. So, next time you go on about the ‘bloody Romans’, don’t forget you’re one of them. BRIAN: I’m not a Roman, Mum, and I never will be! I’m a Kike! A Yid! A Hebe! A Hook-nose! I’m Kosher, Mum! I’m a Red Sea Pedestrian, and proud of it! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/10 "2004-04-08T01:16:26Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > And Graham Chapman, who played Brian, was Jewish himself, IIRC. > . _tries to remember details of a certain scene_ Well, I guess that wouldn’t prove anything … unless … > [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > John Cleese had the otter’s noses as did Michael Palin. Other items offered included larks tongues, ocelot’s spleen, wrens livers, badgers spleens, chaffinch brains, jaguar’s earlobes, and wolf nipple chips. > > [http://arago4.tn.utwente.nl/stonedead/movies/life-of-brian/scene-08.html](http://arago4.tn.utwente.nl/stonedead/movies/life-of-brian/scene-08.html) Is any of that kosher? ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/11 "2004-04-08T04:10:18Z")
It was even offensive to the People’s Front of Judea!!! ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/12 "2004-04-08T06:18:02Z")
Don’t forget the Judean People’s Front! ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/13 "2004-04-08T06:33:04Z")
What about the popular front? ---
**Author:** ![Star\_Was](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Star\_Was](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Star_Was)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/14 "2004-04-08T06:53:08Z")
> [@](#): > > I wondered how they could protest if they hadn’t seen the film. God told them to protest. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/15 "2004-04-08T06:56:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > But the pickets at the opening performance I went to were Christian. I wondered how they could protest if they hadn’t seen the film. 😕 What, you think they’re going to let _facts_ stop them? They did the same stunt with **The Last Temptation of Christ,** IIRC – “We haven’t seen it, but it’s blasphemous and we’re protesting it.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/16 "2004-04-08T07:09:34Z")
of course some Jews were offended! Remember the PFJ or the JPF (whatever) helmets that had the Star of David Swastikas? ---
**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:** [April 8, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/17 "2004-04-08T07:18:21Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > What, you think they’re going to let _facts_ stop them? They did the same stunt with **The Last Temptation of Christ,** IIRC – “We haven’t seen it, but it’s blasphemous and we’re protesting it.” :rolleyes: _Dogma_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/18 "2004-04-08T07:24:29Z")
Because of that movie, whenever I see the last name Cohen, I can never suppress a giggle. _“Your father’s not Mr. Cohen!”_ ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/19 "2004-04-08T09:43:22Z")
> [@jehovah68](#): > > Don’t forget the Judean People’s Front! Remember the end when you see the suicide squad. Well there was more to them than you see in the movie. In the script that I had there was a scene (and pictures of the scene) that was taken out due to worries that they would not be able to get away with it. The leader of the suicide squad was Otto who was a Jewish extremist who spoke in a German accent. He spoke of a time when they would round up all non Jews like gypsies and such and put them in camps etc. If they had of left that scene in a lot of people would have found the movie highly offensive. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/20 "2004-04-08T09:45:59Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Because of that movie, whenever I see the last name Cohen, I can never suppress a giggle. > > _“Your father’s not Mr. Cohen!”_ Can’t help myself. :- He was a Roman :- You mean you were raped?? :- Well at first 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831.md?page=2)