Python film loses its stigma with film board's new rating

Monty Python's Life of Brian - the film so controversial it was  banned from some British cinemas on its release in 1979 - has been reclassified as a 12A.

Censors at the British Board of Film Classification have today revealed that its guidelines were relaxed when the comedy was submitted for review last year.

It concluded: ‘Viewing it under current guidelines, we considered the issues raised to be permissible at a more junior category, so we rated it 12A for infrequent strong language, moderate sex references, nudity and comic violence.’

However, the new certification is perhaps not so large a climbdown as it first appears.

When the film was initially released it was given an AA certificate, meaning it was deemed suitable for over-14s.

But 39 local authorities in the UK overruled that guidance - as they are entitled to do - and either banned it or slapped an X-certificate on the movie, banning under-18s, amid protests from religious groups that it was blasphemous. 

A member of Harrogate council later revealed that councillors had even not seen the film, but refused permission for it to be screened in the town following  pressure from an evangelical Christian group. In some places, including Torbay in Devon, the ban was in place for 30 years.

Life Of Brian was also banned for eight years in Ireland and for a year in Norway (and subsequently marketed in Sweden as ‘the film so funny that it was banned in Norway’)

The film also includes swearing and a scene in which Graham Chapman’s Brian, a man mistaken for the Messiah, appears naked. When it went to video and DVD, the BBFC upped its rating to 15 because of this.

However, on reviewing the film last year, the ratings body felt its ‘six uses of strong language in a comic context’ warranted only the 12A.

In its annual report, published today, the organisation said  research found that very strong language, especially the c-bomb, can still be an issue of concern, even at 15. 

The BBFC explained that such concerns came into play when it rated Billy Connolly’s stand-up film The Sex Life of Bandages.

It noted: ‘As well as frequent use of strong language, the performance contains 10 uses of very strong language. However, these are not accompanied by aggravating factors such as aggression or the terms being directed but are instead embedded in Connolly’s trademark comic style, with which the natural audience will be familiar. We therefore classified the performance 15’.

However, it explained that drug use can sometimes earn a film or TV series a higher rating.

Netflix comedy Russian Doll was given an 18 because in one episode, Natasha Lyonne’s character Nadia is shown inhaling  a substance from a bag. 

The board said: ‘Our policy is to restrict depictions of solvent abuse to the 18 classification, unless there is a very clear indication of the dangers of such behaviour, which can lead to death. h. Given the lack of any emphasis on the dangers of substance misuse, we classified the episode 18.’

Joker generated the most complaints last year, with 20 film-goers complaining that its 15 certificate was too lenient.

Published: 17 Jul 2020