Monty Python in Aberystwyth Page #3

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in terms of the lowest art.

That's where they got it

completely wrong.

We had been thoughtful about it

because we'd read up

and taken it quite seriously.

The film was based on things that

we'd read about the period.

There was Messiah fever in Judea

at the time,

so lots of people were being

mistaken for Messiahs.

I'm not the Messiah.

I say you are, Lord, and I should

know - I've followed a few.

All you've done is to make a lot of

people on a cross

singing a music hall song.

I mean, it's so disgusting,

when you think of it.

You keep making the assumption

that we are ridiculing Christ

and Christ's teaching.

And I say that we are not.

The message is...

What are the words?

"Work it out for yourself."

Don't let anyone tell you

what to do.

I thought, yes, this is what I

would've said about religion

or people's beliefs that are a bit,

to me, misguided or...

Again, there's the spirit

of what religion's about

or belief's about,

and there's these awful things

that are put on top of it that have

nothing to do with love, compassion

and treating each other well.

So I felt, yes, right on!

I kind of went with the whole of it.

But many people did not share

Sue's view of the film.

Today, it seems odd a movie could be

so contentious.

But why did The Life Of Brian

and its subject matter

rankle so many people?

It's very difficult for

a non-Christian to understand

how a Christian would respond to

a film like that.

It clearly was going to be offensive

to Christians.

A Christian has a relationship

with the Lord Jesus Christ

and it's a bit like if

you had your husband and your wife

scandalously treated in the media,

and everybody was encouraged

to laugh at that.

And more than that, you were told

you should be laughing as well,

that you were a narrow-minded bigot

if you didn't.

That gets across how Christians

would feel about it.

I don't think it's personal offence

so much as concern about

the bigger picture.

I think it crossed that line

into using the iconography.

That's very much the case.

It took the crosses on the hill,

the desert, the camels.

That's why people get upset.

Childhood images are disrupted

and made fun of them.

That's profound violation

to a lot of people.

Beyond their reasoning, almost. It's

a gut instinct that says it's wrong.

Even though you can argue

the pros and cons of the film,

you can't argue with

a genuine reaction.

In fact, so many at the time

took offence,

it forced some authorities into

taking drastic measures

to prevent The Life Of Brian

from being shown.

In extraordinary circumstances,

11 town councils across the country

chose to ban the film.

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