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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by Terry Jones
UK 1979
After slaying the Arthurian legend in their now classic
Holy Grail, the Pythons set their sights on the
Greatest Story Ever Told. Blind faith, virgin
birth, crucifixion nothing is sacred in this epic
send-up of ancient times, which draws on the cornball
biblical blockbusters of the 1950s to lampoon celebrity
culture in any era.
*** The Three Wise Men go to the wrong manger, thus foisting upon Brian Cohen a role for which he is eminently unprepared. More Carrying On than usual from the Pythons, but the use of a tried and tested storyline (Cleese: 'Yes, it has got a bit of shape, hasn't it?') results in their most sustained effort to date. Python successfully lampoon religious attitudes rather than religion itself, while the comedy relies mainly on memories of the classroom; which is apt enough, considering that most of the audience is likely to associate knowledge of the Holy Writ with schooldays too. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: August 17, 1979
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Comparison:
Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE
Big thanks to Ole Kofoed for all the Screen Caps!
(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - RIGHT)
Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Criterion Region 0 - NTSC |
Sony Pictures Region FREE |
Runtime | 1:33:45 | 1:33:43 |
Video |
1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
Audio | English Stereo Dolby Digital 2.0 |
English Uncompressed PCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) / English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.0 |
Subtitles | English, none | English SDH, English, Spanish, French, Nordic, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Polish, Chinese, Thai, Arabic and more... |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 19 |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: January
29th, 2008 Chapters 16 |
Comments |
NOTE: These Blu-ray captures are taken directly from the DVD and not all frame matches are exact. The Criterion SD release (compared HERE to the Columbia UK edition) always seemed inferior in the image department (dirty, grainy, hazy), but now we can see how telling it is in the differences against the Sony hi-def disc. Using an MPEG-4 AVC codec the 1080P resolution is a revelation (no pun intended) for Life of Brian. Detail, colors, brightness leap to life on the Sony REGION-FREE dual-layered Blu-ray edition. The screen caps tell the visual story better than words. NOTE: Skin tones are very red/dark on the newer Blu-ray. The Criterion had some stupendous supplements but these are, almost, all duplicated including the two audio commentaries: one by Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and Terry Jones; the second by John Cleese and Michael Palin as well as five deleted scenes with audio commentary by the Pythons... BUT the additional The Story of Brian featurette on the Blu-ray is quite excellent and informative in its own right. NOTE: All the Blu-ray edition extras are in SD (480 res) only. We haven't fully compared the audio but although the Criterion *may* be original the BRD bumps sound full and rich - closely matching the brilliance of the image quality. Both editions have English subtitle options but the Sony adds a stack more to satisfy many of the geographic locations it is being sold. Those debating the value of Blu-ray may wish to use this comparison as a yardstick for an encouraging kick in the pants. Of course, not every film has this level of improvement but in this particular case the differences are some of the largest we have yet seen. |
Screen Captures
(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Sony Pictures (Blu-ray) - Region FREE - BOTTOM)
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