A Formula of Absurdism

Every piece of comedic media has a formula to it that is baked into all of it’s jokes and humorous elements, and the one that Life of Brian uses is steeped in absurdism and a hint of obscenity. Many of the most well-known gags in the film take the situation that it’s created and blow it out of proportion, either by presenting it in a very unrealistic manner or by making the events that happen so absurd that they make you laugh out of sheer stupidity. One of the prime examples of this is the scene in which Brian is being chased by an thrashing mob of people who have taken him to be their new messiah, and are perceiving every little thing that happens to him as a sign, such as his shoe slipping off whilst running from the crowd with the crowd then picking up his shoe and proclaiming it to be a holy object. As he continues to run away, the things he is yelling at the crowd telling them to leave him alone and that he is not their messiah just further invigorate the crowd and increase their fervor for his “teachings.” These kinds of steady, continuous increases make ensuing events even funnier when they are blown even further out of realistic proportion, seen in this case when Brian wakes up the next day only to find an even larger mob outside his house (After opening his window fully nude, nonetheless). The ever worsening of situations through absurdism is one of the key tactics Life of Brian uses in it’s humorous writing.

In addition to escalation tactics, the film also uses absurdism in shorter bursts to exaggerate the stupidity of smaller elements. This is particularly prominent in the movie’s notorious “Biggus Dickus” scene, in which Pontius Pilate repeats the name of his friend to some centurion guards who have been ordered not to laugh at it, recognizing how idiotic it is. The straw that breaks the camels back comes when Pilate reveals the name of his friend’s wife, the equally obscene Incontinentia Buttocks, causing the guards to lose the very little bit of restraint they had left. Although Biggus Dickus eventually appears in-person later in the film, the joke is primarily contained to this one section. These kind of short bursts of incredible stupidity are key to Monty Python’s style of humor, and it shines just as well in Life of Brian as it does in many of their other works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_G2a2hL6U