Cinematic Intolerance in the late 20th Century

In 1979 my brother and I wanted to see the new Monty Python movie, “The Life of Brian”. At that time there was controversy over the depiction of Christ in the film. My father, a devoutly religious man, was concerned how this movie would influence his sons so he insisted that he accompany us to the theater.

When we arrived, there were protesters holding signs and picketing the line of people waiting to get tickets. While in line, my father engaged in conversation with some of the protesters. It turned out that none of them had seen the film nor did they know anything of its content.

The Life of Brian turned out to be a humorous satire of early Christians, Jews and Romans with the Pythons playing multiple roles. My father was amused by the film and laughed at several scenes. He did not consider it blasphemous and he felt the protests were unfounded. The experience proved to be a good lesson in self-determination.

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