# Monty Python's "Meaning of Life" question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 13, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440 "2002-04-13T15:13:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440/1 "2002-04-13T15:13:46Z")
So, I was watching **The Meaning of Life** last night, and a question was brought up. During the scene where the man gets to “choose his own method of execution” and chooses to be chased by beautiful topless women through the streets until he’s thrown off a cliff, one of my friends mentioned that this particular bit was supposed to be a parody of some other film. Anyone know what film this might have been?
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440/2 "2002-04-13T20:06:29Z")
I googled “Monty Python Meaning of Life parody cliff” and came up with an interesting article about the making of the movie. The author says one of the sequences in TMoL is a parody of the film “Zulu”. Not having seen “Zulu”, I have no idea.
That’s all I could find. Maybe that’s it. ??
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### Author:  [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440/3 "2002-04-13T22:08:11Z")
Thank you, I really appreciate that.
Now to go rub my newfound knowledge in my friends FACE!!! ROCK!
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### Author:  [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-pythons-meaning-of-life-question/103440/4 "2002-04-13T23:26:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by AuntiePam \*
> \*\*I googled “Monty Python Meaning of Life parody cliff” and came up with an interesting article about the making of the movie. The author says one of the sequences in TMoL is a parody of the film “Zulu”. Not having seen “Zulu”, I have no idea.
>
> That’s all I could find. Maybe that’s it. ?? \*\*
Before you start rubbing, **El Elvis Rojo** , this isn’t the right reference. The Zulu War paraody is the part where Eric Idle’s leg “seems to have been bitten orf during the night” by a tiger. Even that’s not a particular reference to the film _Zulu_ and it has nothing to do with Chapman being chased off the cliff. I can’t tell you what that’s a reference to.