Life of Brian - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Life of Brian or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Life of Brian

[kristina]

Eric Idle dubbed one of his characters "Loretta" as a reference to friend Marty Feldman's wife.

[maureen]

The shots of the crowds walking toward the Mount at the beginning of this movie were accidental. The scene was shot in the late afternoon, and all of the Tunisian extras left suddenly because the women had to prepare dinner for their families. The sweeping shots at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount sequence are the extras returning to the set.

[terry]

When Sir Michael Palin as Pontius Pilate addressed the soldiers daring them to laugh, he was truly daring them. The soldier extras were ordered to stand there and not laugh, but not told what Palin was going to do. Palin, in fact, can barely stifle his own laughter when saying "Biggus Dickus" in front of the soldier asked if he finds the name "risible".

[kristina]

Stan wants to be a woman, and insists on being called "Loretta". As a member of The Beatles, executive producer George Harrison performed the song "Get Back", which included the lyrics "Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman/But she was another man."

[tom]

Opening theme song lyrics:Brian. The babe they called 'Brian', He grew,... grew, grew, and grew-- Grew up to be-- grew up to be A boy called 'Brian'-- A boy called 'Brian'. He had arms... and legs... and hands... and feet, This boy... whose name was 'Brian', And he grew,... grew, grew, and grew-- Grew up to be-- Yes, he grew up to be A teenager called 'Brian'-- A teenager called 'Brian', And his face became spotty. Yes, his face became spotty, And his voice dropped down low And things started to grow On young Brian and show He was certainly no-- No girl named 'Brian', Not a girl named 'Brian'.And he started to shave And have one off the wrist And want to see girls And go out and get pissed, A man called 'Brian'-- This man called 'Brian'-- The man they called 'Brian'-- This man called 'Brian'.

[leo]

Norway banned this movie for one year for blasphemy, then gave it an "18" rating and included a warning from the censors at the beginning. It has been marketed in Sweden as "The film that is so funny that it was banned in Norway!" Ireland banned this movie for blasphemy until 1987. Torbay Council, Devon, refused to show this movie until September 2008. Aberystwyth, Wales, lifted its local ban in 2009 after cast member Sue Jones-Davies was elected Mayor.

[jessica]

According to Sir Michael Palin's diaries, he, Graham Chapman, and Eric Idle strongly favored the title "Brian of Nazareth." It was never used, perhaps to avoid comparisons with Jesus of Nazareth (1977), whose leftover sets were used for parts of this movie. When this movie was released in Italy in the early 1990s, it was titled "Brian di Nazareth", with no mention that it was made in 1979. It was so successful, that And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) was also released theatrically.

[janice]

One original concept for this movie was having Brian be the 13th Apostle and miss all of the critical moments of Jesus' life, like the Last Supper.

[morris]

After the first take of the scene where a nude Brian addresses the crowd from his window, actor, writer, and director Terry Jones pulled Graham Chapman aside and said, "I think we can see that you're not Jewish", referring to Chapman being uncircumcised. It was corrected in subsequent takes with a rubber band.

[kristen]

Sonia Jones, singing the opening song, is often incorrectly believed by fans to be Dame Shirley Bassey. The song was done in the style of John Barry, and fans often comment how it sounds like Dame Shirley Bassey singing the Goldfinger (1964) theme song. Though she sounds mature when she sings the song, Sonia Jones was 16 years old at the time it was recorded.

[norma]

Its highly plausible, though not officially confirmed, that the television mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and the later 1979 extended version, inspired Monty Python to later create this movie. Both have a similar plot, some of the same sets were re-used, and in particular the scene with John the Baptist declaring he's not the Messiah, is obviously part inspiration for the later "he's a very naughty boy". In fact, this movie was shot on the same sets as the mini-series and with the same extras. Terry Jones recalled that some said to him, "Well, Franco Zeffirelli wouldn't have shot it like that, you know."

[russell]

Brian sells "Wolf nipple chips, get 'em while they're 'ot. They're lovely!" This is a reference to the famous myth that the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were suckled by a she-wolf when they were babies - a story commemorated by ancient statues.