# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/21 "2004-04-08T10:18:30Z")
I think it’s a good thing that Monty Python caused offense. Religion causes wars and divisions. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/22 "2004-04-08T12:07:39Z")
> [@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: If anyone claims LoB is blasphemous, ask them “Surely it’s heretical rather than blasphemous?” and watch them try to figure it out. (heresy = questioning/insulting organised religion; blasphemy = questioning/insulting God) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/23 "2004-04-08T14:05:52Z")
I had a terrible urge to shout, “ee’s not the Messiah, 'ee’s just a very naughty boy!” during The Passion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/24 "2004-04-08T15:25:09Z")
CHRIST: “I’m not dead yet!” CENTURION: “Don’t listen to him.” CHRIST: “In fact, I’m getting better!” ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/25 "2004-04-08T17:03:36Z")
Synchronicity! We just watched Life of Brian last night, with commentary by Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle. Here’s what was said: > [@RealityChuck](#): > > 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. In that scene, one of the Terrys said that a Jewish organization was upset about John Cleese’s costume. Apparently he’s wearing a Jewish prayer shawl in an unacceptable way (on his head, I think) and they were upset about that. And as to Graham Chapman being Jewish: apparently in “that scene,” the Tunisian women extras were scandalized at seeing a naked man like that. Then somebody said something like, “Uh, Graham, it’s pretty obvious you’re not Jewish. Anybody got a rubber band?” And that’s what they used. To make at least part of him look Jewish. :eek: and **jinty** , the Terrys were saying that they thought their film was definitely heretical rather than blasphemous. And proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/26 "2004-04-08T17:59:52Z")
Re. blasphemy as meaning “blasphemy = questioning/insulting God”, no, I don’t think so. I thought it was derived from Greek words meaning “evil speech”, and a quick check with “Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology” supports this. Please, dearly beloved brethren/sistern etcetren, as this is not GQ, may I be excused for being too lazy to type the definition from above long-windedly named book? Another thing re. LoB, apparently the “City Fathers” (just a sort of nickname for city council) of Glasgow decided not to allow it to be shown in the city. I learned this, 'cos I was talking to my father on the 'phone, (me studying in the small town of St. Andrews\* at the time) and Dad mentioned having taken my young brothers to some town just outside Glasgow to see LoB. Celyn saeth unto him, but why bother to go there? Surely much more convenient cinemas nearby?" And Lo! He explaineth unto me, that, in the sight of the elders of the city, surely it is a dodgy and evil thing. I found that just SO bizarre, that the largest city in Scotland (admittedly small by U.S. standards) somehow perceived a “need” to prevent the denizens from seeing a film that was shown everywhere else. (I have no idea whether they changed their minds pretty fast, or kept that decision for a while, but _really_, how very odd.) \*and the year I went up, **John Cleese** had just finished a year of being Rector at the university. OK, so I missed his year of it, but I tell you, at least it meant that, when newly arrived, and doing all that form-filling stuff, it was one lovely blessed relief to watch a little sort of introductory/welcome here, o ye little new students sort of film, as it was a LOT funnier than such a thing might normally hve been expected to be.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/27 "2004-04-08T18:10:07Z")
IIRC, Westminster council also banned it. As they did for David Cronenberg’s _Crash_…which was probably a good thing,beacuse it stopped people wasting their time seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/28 "2004-04-08T18:10:53Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > 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. As I recall, some of this material is included on the Criterion DVD. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve looked at it, though. Thank Jehovah for Criterio— _THUD THUD THUD WHACK_ —Ow! ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/29 "2004-04-08T19:24:00Z")
> [@Star Was](#): > > God told them to protest. Actually, they _found_ the protest signs in a bicycle shop in Cairo. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831/30 "2004-04-08T19:45:40Z")
the Jewish lady in our office says her family love ‘Life Of Brian’, it’s one of their favourite films. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-of-brian-offensive-to-jews/238831.md?page=1)