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Comparisons of Other Toga Films
Brian vs the Roman Epic
Life of Brian mocks overused tropes in toga films, pointing out common trends in almost every epic. An example is the use of nudity, and how it is expected for women to bare their chest to the screen, wear scandalous clothing, and be sex objects for the male gaze. The Pythons decided to put their own spin on it, giving a surprise full frontal shot of Brian instead. When they do show a naked woman, instead of showing her breasts they show her triangle. They managed to keep her chest covered the entire time by using her hair as her modesty. Even Mandy is visibly shocked by the scene. A humorous way to point out the inequality of film nudity.
The cinematic toga films of the time tend to give Rome a shiny prestige, glorifying the appearance and grandeur of the upper class at the time. In reality, the ancient world was not so nice for the average citizen. The Life of Brian takes the A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum approach and gives the perspective of a middle class citizen in ancient Rome. The people are dirty and have poor hygiene. They live in small shanties, where the floor is just dirt and the furniture is nonexistent. People’s teeth are crooked and stained and they wear rags for clothes. The ancient world is not as pretty as cinema would like to portray them to be.
The Roman armies are portrayed as absolute evils within a multitude of classic films. Directors intentionally draw parallels to Nazi Germany and their legions of soldiers to instantly add threat and dismay towards them. They are supposed to be heartless beings executing orders of their commanders. Monty Python instead made them nonthreatening and aloof. While raiding the house of the People’s Front of Judea, they are unable to locate the members while they are hiding in plain sight. The soldiers are like Storm Troopers in terms of helpfulness enabling a multitude of gags due to their obliviousness.
The Pythons make references to multiple Roman classics as well. While Brian is being escorted through a crowd of obsessive followers by Reg, people are lining up and begging him to perform miracles. When one lady shoves her child in front of Brian, Reg replies by saying, “Don’t push that baby in the savior’s face! He’ll touch it later!” This is in reference to when Jesus brought a deceased infant back to life in Ben Hur (1925) while performing a sequence of miracles on the citizens. Another Ben Hur reference is a surprising replacement of the infamous chariot race. There is a scene where Brian is fleeing the grasp of the Roman soldiers; a spot where an intense chariot escape would typically take place. Instead, Brian is swooped away in a UFO. A twist on the iconic scene, but not at all surprising for Monty Python.
Another reference is to the film Spartacus, and the evocative “I am Spartacus” declarations. Life of Brian, however, spoofs this scene when a Roman centurion arrives to free Brian from crucifixion and asks which one of them is the lucky man. Of course, everyone exclaims in an attempt at freedom that they are in fact Brian. One man screams, “I’m Brian and so is my wife!” Brian, unfortunately, does not get his escape.