http://www.cinematical.com/2007/08/30/b ... culate-edi

For Python fans, Life of Brian, the Immaculate Edition is coming out soon. There are a few new things on this one that might be fun. Too bad they just couldn't have done it all at once on the Criterion collection, but I'll still buy it (again). This always ranks as one of my favorite films for some reason.

---

Amazon.com essential video
"Blessed are the cheesemakers," a wise man once said. Or maybe not. But the point is Monty Python's Life of Brian is a religious satire that does not target specific religions or religious leaders (like, say, Jesus of Nazareth). Instead, it pokes fun at the mindless and fanatical among their followers--it's an attack on religious zealotry and hypocrisy--things that that fellow from Nazareth didn't particularly care for either. Nevertheless, at the time of its release in 1979, those who hadn't seen it considered it to be quite "controversial." Life of Brian, you see, is about a chap named Brian (Graham Chapman) born December 25 in a hovel not far from a soon-to-be-famous Bethlehem manger. Brian is mistaken for the messiah and therefore manipulated, abused, and exploited by various religious and political factions. And it's really, really funny. Particularly memorable bits include the brassy Shirley Bassey/James Bond-like title song; the bitter rivalry between the anti-Roman resistance groups, the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea; Michael Palin's turn as a lisping, risible Pontius Pilate; Brian urging a throng of false-idol worshippers to think for themselves--to which they reply en masse "Yes, we must think for ourselves!"; the fact that everything Brian does, including losing his sandal in an attempt to flee these wackos, is interpreted as "a sign." Life of Brian is not only one of Monty Python's funniest achievements, it's also the group's sharpest and smartest sustained satire. Blessed are the Pythons.

Product Description
On a Midnight Clear 2000 years ago, three wise men enter a manger where a babe is wrapped in swaddling clothes. It is an infant called Brian...and the three wise men are in the wrong manger. For the rest of his life, Brian (Graham Chapman) finds himself regarded as something of a Messiah, yet he's always in the shadow of this Other Guy from Galilee. Brian is witness to the Sermon of the Mount, but his seat is in such a bad location that he can't hear any of it ("Blessed are the cheesemakers?"). Ultimately he is brought before Pontius Pilate and sentenced to crucifixion, which takes place at that crowded, non-exclusive execution site a few blocks shy of Calvary. Rather than utter the Last Six Words, Brian leads his fellow crucifixees in a spirited rendition of a British music hall cheer-up song "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life." The whole Monty Python gang (Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam) are on hand in multiple roles, playing such sacred characters as Stan Called Loretta, Deadly Dirk, Casts the First Stone, and Intensely Dull Youth; also showing up are Goon Show veteran Spike Milligan and a Liverpool musician named George Harrison.

Product Description
In addition to the main feature (which is just as hilarious today as it ever was), we'll also get TWO Python commentaries (one with Gilliam, Idle and Jones; the other with Cleese and Palin; unfortunately Chapman is still dead), a two-hour animated original script "readthrough" (!), an all-new 60-minute behind-the-scenes documentary (and I'm sure they'll cover the original controversy surrounding the film), five deleted scenes, some goofy old radio ads, and (as they say) more!

DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VE439Y/?tag=imwan-20

Blu-ray:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VECAC6/?tag=imwan-20

The scene with the two aliens always cracks me up ("You lucky bastard!").

There's so much in that film -- which is why it remains one of my favorites, Python or otherwise. The jail cell scene -- "What I wouldn't give to be spat at in the face". That comes to mind offhand. Great stuff. I think I'll have to get that out tonight and watch it through again.

animated original script readthrough? weird.

Wonder why the pythons split up their commentary?

Damn, how many times do I have to buy these things? Just take my money and give me the DVD!

Picked up this "Immaculate Edition" release of "Life of Brian" over the weekend (but not the Blu-ray), and it was really good as far as the actual movie, with excellent picture quality. I sampled quickly a few of the bonus features, and they looked promising enough to check out more fully when I can find some time. I was slightly disappointed that there was no option to change the audio track, and also by the absence of a booklet inside.


I double-checked my "Extraordinarily Deluxe" version of the Holy Grail DVD, and found it to have no booklet either, and fairly cheap and flimsy packaging for the three disc holders. Looks like I will need to keep my 2001 Grail "Special Edition" DVD as well, mostly for the informative booklet that came with it and different aspect ratio