Mayor wants Python film ban ended

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Ian Pegler
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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by Ian Pegler »

I found a link to the complete Life of Brian debate on YouTube:


Interestingly, some comments by offended believers have been systematically flagged as spam!

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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by Grahame »

The puritan spirit that banned 'Life of Brian' is still seemingly alive and kicking in Newtonabbey, Northern Ireland, where the 'artistic committee' of the council has just pulled the plug on the Reduced Shakespeare Company's show 'The Bible - The Complete Word of God Abridged':
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opini ... 46101.html.
I saw the show the last time it toured the UK, and far from being blasphemous it is a joyous and very educational celebration of the good book and I thoroughly recommend catching the show if you can.
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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by ledgehammer »

I enjoyed watching this clip,

as well as being a massive fan of the Python and Gilliam's other films



best

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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

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Don't know what they're complaining about...

Try this for size...



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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by Grahame »

Newtonabbey council have reversed their decision to ban 'The Bible - The Complete Word of God Abridged'. The play will go ahead as planned later this week.

"The council also voted to undertake a review of the artistic board's governance arrangements." Indeed!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25918764
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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

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Ian Pegler wrote:A belated epitaph to this whole affair...

An academic from the University of Leicester actually quoted something I posted here in one of his academic papers:
In contrast, aside from the belated report on the BBC Wales website, you have to go the Internet Forum for the British Society of Dowsers, of all places, to find someone protesting: "I distinctly remember going to see this movie in the Commodore cinema in Aberystwyth when it came out, so it's all a bit of a mystery to me. If it was banned here, how come I saw it?" Mayor wants Python film ban ended, 19 June 2008, online at: http://www.britishdowsers.org/forum/viewtopic.php, accessed 5 September 2009).

Does this suggest that moral panics have become folk devils themselves, images of irrational authoritarianism that can be invoked to liven up not just newspaper reports but also academic debate?
Indeed :|

Here are the details:
JBCTV Journal of British Cinema and Television 1743-4521 1755-1714 Edinburgh University Press

Social Fears and Moral Panics XXIII IAMHIST Conference, University of Aberystwyth 11 July 2009 Guy Barefoot

Guy Barefoot is Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Leicester, where he is currently working on a history of the Hollywood serial in the 1930s and 1940s.
I was never informed about this report, I just came across it as a Google-cached copy.

Careful what you say on the Internet !

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This year's BSD Conference will be at the University of Leicester - of all places! :lol:

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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by Geoff Stuttaford »

On the subject of objections to films, I understand that an attempt to make films of the second and third books of Philip Pullman’s trilogy “ His Dark Materials” was abandoned because of representations made by a certain religious organization who very strongly objected to the symbolism contained in the first film of the trilogy – “The Golden Compass”.

In response to Ian’s question, I get “No” for a ban on the film in Aberystwyth but a “Yes” for Swansea. (I wonder)
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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

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It took me a long time to sort out my own memories of those times. I was eventually reminded that in the Summer of 1982 I had gone to Germany with the Ceredigion Youth orchestra.

Whilst we were there the 'A' level results came out so many pupils were ringing home. On the way back we landed at Dover and the rest of us were ringing home to get our 'O' level results.

I belatedly and rather dimly recall that it was on that coach journey on the way home that a rumour began to spread that Ceredigion had changed their minds and wouldn't be allowing any more screenings. But nothing was ever reported in the local newspaper (how silly would that have looked?)

But the screenings we did have prior to that were perfectly legit.

So hurrah for Sue Jones Davies lifting the ban - again!

Yes, Swansea definitely banned it.

The Aberystwyth ban is mentioned in Julian Doyle's book: "The Life of Brian/Jesus".

"The Exorcist" and "Last Tango in Paris" were also banned and have never been shown in Aberystwyth.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" has been shown a couple of times, but rather strangely, it was advertised as a cert. "A" rather than a cert "AA" and I've got a feeling that the Black Knight scene might have been cut out.

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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by kenny_dowser »

The film of the Life of Brian (looks like the old link was changed)

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Re: Mayor wants Python film ban ended

Post by Geoff Stuttaford »

Very interesting debate. Must admit I agree with John Cleese attitude although he was born in the same town in which I am now living 😌
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