Monty Python's Life of Brian [DVD] [1979]

John Cleese once said that this film is what he'd most like to be remembered for, which coming from a man who wrote some of the best Python sketches and Fawlty Towers, should tell you something about how good this film is.

Hugely controversial at the time, the subject matter of 'The Life of Brian' was considered strictly taboo in 1979, and even today it can still rattle a few cages, but ultimately the Python team all shared the same conviction that they were not poking fun at religion (or Jesus) per se, but at the people who blindly follow and misunderstand. In this way, 'The Life Of Brian' became not just a comedy classic, but a ground-breaking movie that pushed the barriers of what was previously considered 'off-limits'.

Graham Chapman revels in the lead role of 'Brian of Nazareth', and the rest of the team play multiple rolls, in a very Goon Show-esque type way, with the story always revolving around Brian. The turning point comes when, in an attempt to evade the notice of the Romans, Brian pretends to be a street preacher and gathers the attention of a small crowd. Once the Romans pass by, however, he stops preaching and tries to walk away, only to find that the small crowd want to hear the rest of what he was saying. As more and more people come along to find out what is happening, his followers multiply until they are convinced that he must be some sort of messiah. They follow Brian home only to be told by his mother that "There's a mess alright, but no messiah.." (I'm paraphrasing, by the way!)

Each member of the Python team contributes immensely to the film, with Eric Idle supplying a classic Python tune as Brian is being crucified ("Always Look On The Bright Side of Life"), Terry Gilliam with some great visual gags, Terry Jones as the director of the film, Cleese and Palin turning in multiple brilliant performances (like Cleese's Reg, the leader of the PFJ, and the classic "What have the Roman's ever done for us?" sketch), not to mention Chapman as the unsuspecting hero. There are also a couple of cameo appearances (notably Spike Milligan and George Harrison) which can be spotted by the eagle-eyed viewer, but are all too brief if you ask me.

If you haven't got this film in your collection, then now is your chance to correct the error of your ways!... and as the "Not the Nine O'Clock News" team once pointed out, Britain is still ostensibly a Python-worshipping country, so do your duty and buy a copy of this classic today!

I have steadfastly resisted buying previous versions of this DVD, as the 'extras' are virtually non-existent. Where is the spoof travelogue that accompanied the cinema release (with John Cleese getting increasingly frustrated with the number of scenes including gondolas)? Where is the short Christmas card animation, without which the appearance of the cut-out stagecoach in the film itself makes no sense? Both of them together can't take up more than 15 minutes, so space can't be the issue.

But at last - 'a special edition' - surely this will have everything that was missing from the previous releases? And the package IS very nice - script book, postcards, film cell, sturdy box to house them in. But what's the point of good packaging if the DVD is the same? As far as I can make out, there is no difference at all, and for the first time I actually regret buying a DVD - I really should have read the small print.

The film itself, of course, is an absolute classic that everyone should see. Not only is it extremely funny, it has a serious sub-text about not just believing what you're told - with religious fundamentalism on the rise, it feels more relevant today than it did when it was first released. So just buy the cheapest version you can find - you'll enjoy it more without the nasty taste in your mouth.

There are arguably only two even slightly good movies featuring Jesus as a character; one is Pasolini's gritty and soulful "The Gospel According to Matthew", the only film to have been given awards by both the Vatican and the Italian Communist Party, and the other is "Monty Python's Life of Brian". Jesus turns up early on, played by the superb British character actor Kenneth Colley, giving a Sermon on the Mount with unparalleled sincerity - he gradually recedes from view (and gets fainter and fainter) until we are scuffling around the edge of the crowd with the eponymous Brian and his ratbag mother, who shouts "Speak up!" at the unheeding Christ. The whole film takes place here - on the edge of potentially great events, as its hero gets loaded by everyone around him with more and more burdens of significance and responsibility, just because that's the way it goes in Judea in AD 33.

It's maybe the best Python movie because it handles such dynamite material so brilliantly. So many priceless moments that can make you laugh out loud even when you're in a room on your own - like the intricate committee structure of the People's Front of Judea, or Pilate not being able to pronounce his "r"'s ("No, no. Spiwit! Bwavado! A touch of...dewwing-do!"), or the saintly passer-by who offers to shoulder the burden of a crucifixee, and finds himself being hung on the cross for his good heart. Brian's life mirrors that of Jesus not because he has ambitions in that direction, but because everyone around him (except his mother - "He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!") wants it to. This gives the film a truly satisfying narrative that none of the other Python movies managed to achieve. (While I love the "Holy Grail", I always get disappointed that it just stops, with no real ending.)

Okay, so if you've read this far you probably love the movie anyway. The question remains, why has it been so badly served on DVD? "Holy Grail" and "Meaning of Life" have had lavish treatment, with multiple commentaries and featurettes and all sorts of bells and whistles. Why has their masterpiece not been given the same? This "Special Edition" includes a copy of the screenplay, a few postcards and a frame from the film, mounted on a bit of card...well, thanks, guys, but I could really have used some of those deleted scenes that were included in the original edition of the screenplay AND NOT IN THIS ONE...

Whoever is responsible for this sorry-ass packaging of a great film deserves to be hung upside down for several years. Or at the very least, to be stwuck. And vewy woughly. Save your money - the cheaper version has the same disc, and unless (like me) you actually want a postcard of the boys to stick up in your office, then you'll miss nothing.