Life of Brian returning to challenge The Passion

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jane_ca

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Posted: Mar 26, 2004 - 01:56 AM
Post subject: Life of Brian returning to challenge The Passion

LONDON - The New Testament satire Life of Brian will hit North American cinema screens again at the end of April, providing a stark-raving-mad contrast to Mel Gibson's sobering The Passion of the Christ.

The British comedy troupe Monty Python's spoof was first released 25 years ago, featuring a befuddled Nazarean activist named Brian who was born in the stable stall one over from that of the baby Jesus and who is mistaken for the Messiah throughout his life.

Life of Brian was a critical and popular success in 1979 and has done well on video and DVD over the years.

Now its distributor, Rainbow, is organizing a theatrical re-release, with trailers hitting movie screens on Good Friday. The film will open in New York and Los Angeles first before spreading out to the rest of North America.

Rainbow says it hopes the film will "serve as an antidote to all the hysteria about Mel's movie" and "provide some counter-programming to The Passion."

Ads will challenge viewers to choose, saying: "Mel or Monty?" and "The Passion or The Python?"

Gibson self-financed The Passion of the Christ, which chronicles the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus, after major movie studios passed on the project. The actor stands to make up to $350 million US from the venture.

Life of Brian had a similar experience, with Beatle George Harrison agreeing to finance it after EMI Films dropped the project.

The initial backers feared prοtests from groups objecting to its light-hearted tone, including a whistling musical number during the climactic crucifixion scene, and its biting commentary on biblical films and religious extremism.