Category: Movie Nights 101

The second film to come out of our 101 movies poster, was the Monty Python film, Life Of Brian.

Seriously controversial on its release, the film deals with Brian, a regular guy in Judah around the time of Jesus. Due to a serious of misunderstandings, Brian is mistaken for the Messiah. Quickly gaining a massive following wanting to hear his teachings.

Unfortunately after being arrested, he is sentenced to crucifixion. The film ends with him on the cross, and one of his fellow sufferers singing “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”! Famously the sailors on HMS Sheffield sang this during the Falklands War whilst awaiting rescue.

The film has the usual farcical Python jokes, such as a crack suicide squad turning up as Brian is suffering on the cross. Just as Brian thinks they have come to rescue him, they all commit suicide.

Controversy

The film on its release was quickly banned in various places. This included Norway (leading to the sales pitch in Sweden of come and see the film Norway banned). Additionally some councils banned it being shown in the cinema, even though they didn’t have a cinema! I remember the BBC’s Friday Night, Saturday Morning debate. John Cleese and Michael Palin appeared to debate the film with the Bishop Of Southwark. What stood out was the farcical argument put up by the Church side. Especially seeing as they hadn’t even seen the entire film.

Truth be told, this isn’t going to go down as one of our most popular movies. I don’t think the younger generation get the humour of Pythons satire, in fact I think many struggle with the subtlety of satire. To be honest, the older generation find it a bit tired too. It does however have 2 of my favourite comedy lines. Brian’s mother exclaiming to the assembled multitude, that “Brian is not the Messiah, he’s just a very naughty boy”. The other when Brian is on the cross, and Pontius Pilot has agreed to pardon someone called Brian. When the centurions turn up and ask who is Brian, everyone starts shouting I am Brian. This includes one well spoken man who shouts “I am Brian and so is my wife!”

So overall “Life of Brian” probably more of a miss than a hit.

Anyway the next panel has been rubbed off, and the next movie night will see us watching Everest. The true story of 2 groups of climbers caught in a massive storm whilst ascending Everest.

To lighten up things in the office, we have occasional movie nights using our in house AV kit. The way it goes is this, someone suggests a film, everyone else refuses to watch that. Everyone else suggests alternative films. First suggester refuses to watch any of them on principle. After much arguing a film is finally agreed upon for us to watch. Usually one that half of the office have already seen.

Well now, we have a new system. We have purchased from the mighty Amazon, a poster, entitled 101 movies to see before you die. This contains 101 (that’s a surprise) scratch off panels, with a movie hidden behind each one. We use a random number generator to choose a panel, and everyone has agreed that we watch whatever comes up.

A Beautiful Mind Movie 27

Well, the first number came out as 27. Cue the excitement as we scratched the panel off. Cue the groans as the title “A Beautiful Mind” appeared. Evidently a film about a mathematician with mental health problems!

John Forbes Nash was a mathematician at Princeton University in the 1940’s. Besides being a genius, it gradually becomes apparent during the film, that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Despite his condition, he not only won a Nobel prize, but also the Abel prize, the only person ever to have done so. Tragically, both Mr Nash and his wife were killed when the taxi they were travelling in crashed whilst returning from receiving the Abel prize.

Truth be told, everyone enjoyed the film, and would recommend it. The beauty of doing it with this random method, is that we are going to watch movies that in normal circumstances, we would never have bothered with.

Next up is number 72, Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, a review of that and our other movie nights will appear as we watch them, popcorn in hand!