Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2026

Terry Jones' "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle; audio commentary by John Cleese and Michael Palin; archival documentaries; deleted scenes; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If one concedes that Monty Python’s Life of Brian is simply a giant piece of mockery, it becomes very easy to gauge properly what its characters do and why, and how effective it is. In scene after scene, its characters demean at will, and some of these scenes are pretty funny. However, profiling Monty Python’s Life of Brian as a comedy makes as much sense as doing the same to The Big Feast.

The other important clarification one must make when addressing Monty Python’s Life of Brian is that it is very much a product of its time. This is good and bad. It is good because when it was made, the Monty Python gang were at their peak, fearlessly targeting everything and everyone its members thought were legitimate marks. This is what gives Monty Python’s Life of Brian its notable energy and makes some of the rougher material in it acceptable. It is what makes Monty Python’s Life of Brian amusing to watch. It is bad because the random material, which is plenty, looks and sounds awful now. It is fair to point out that demeaning an entire religion is and always will be a very tricky exercise doomed to disappoint in more than a few ways. However, in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, some of the material is so off that it seems like it has aged and deteriorated many times faster than the rest. (The “Biggus Dickus" scene, for example, was bad in the past and looks atrocious now).

Virtually all of the madness that produces the demeaning is very much an acquired taste, too. This is not to imply that Monty Python’s Life of Brian was conceived to have a limited appeal, or that a substantial portion of its demeaning material would have been easily misinterpreted by anyone unfamiliar with the Monty Python gang and its work. After all, a lot of the demeaning material is too basic and too universal to get wrong. However, being on the same wavelength as the Monty Python gang unquestionably helps get more out of the demeaning material, especially in areas where certain things are only implied, or innuendo quickly redirects the mind elsewhere. (For reference, Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges’ most demeaning films, which are arguably their best, avoided this development completely by channeling great wit that could never be an acquired taste).

Perhaps somewhat ironically, Monty Python’s Life of Brian produces a lot of contrasts that can be legitimately thought-provoking. After Brian is mistaken for Jesus and his journey begins, some of the gags offer a counterpoint of sorts, which, as silly as it may be, absolutely forces the mind to ponder the validity of certain cliches and perceptions. It is where the humor is most effective, too. Unfortunately, the crude routinely defeats the wit, so it is not long before all of this becomes repetitive and underwhelming.

The period mise-en-scène is rather surprisingly excellent. Considering how easily a lot could have been done to look cheaper yet remain functional, many of the grand visuals certainly leave a lasting impression. Terry Jones shot Monty Python’s Life of Brian with cinematographer Peter Biziou.

*Criterion's release presents a new 4K restoration, sourced from the original 35mm camera negative and, for some sections, a 35mm interpositive. The 4K restoration was supervised by Terry Gilliam.

Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. However, the film is presented only on the 4K Blu-ray, while the Blu-ray is used for various bonus features.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Supervised by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative and, for some sections, a 35mm interpositibel. The original 2.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm 3-track magnetic track and a 1/4 magnetic track. Please be sure to enable Dolby Pro Logic decoding on your receiver to play the 2.0 soundtrack.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: James Slattery/Company 3, London.
Image restoration: Silver Salt Restoration, London.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray, including its actual color values.

In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision.

I would describe the new 4K restoration as very good and convincing. It gives the entire film a stable organic and accurate period appearance, making it easy to produce gorgeous visuals during brighter daylight and darker indoor footage. Also, despite coming from different locations, these visuals always retain stable density levels, so on a large screen, they look great. Color reproduction and balance are convincing. The current color grade is very similar to that on Criterion's old DVD release of the film. (The first Blu-ray release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents the film with a notably cooler color grade). So, the desert footage, for instance, has an appropriately warmer appearance. I did not observe any anomalies to report in our review. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections, like degraining, sharpening, contrast boosting, etc. Image stability is excellent. I thought that the Dolby Vision grade was effective. In some areas of the film, it is a tad too prominent for my taste, so I suspect that the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration would look more pleasing to my eyes, but I still liked what I saw a lot. The surface of all visuals is impeccable.

Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I chose to view the film with the newly restored 2.0 track, but it was not too long before I switched to the 5.1 track. I think that both are appropriately active tracks, bringing plenty of dynamic variety. In some areas, even seemingly ordinary scenes -- like the one where the large group of guards enters the tiny home -- can create quite an impression. In my opinion, it is difficult to recommend one of the tracks over the other for any legitimately good reasons. I did not encounter any issues to report in our review.

Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by John Cleese and Michael Palin.

BLU-RAY DISC

• The Story of Brian - this archival documentary, also known as The Secret Life of Brian, takes a closer look at the conception of Monty Python's Life of Brian and the religious controversy that surrounded it. Included in it are clips from interviews with Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Terry Jones, amongst others. The documentary was produced in 2007. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (60 min).

• The Pythons - this archival documentary was shot on location during the production of Monty Python's Life of Brian. Included in it are clips from interviews with various cast members, as well as raw footage from the shooting process. The documentary was produced by Iain Johnstone. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (50 min).

• Michael Palin's Super 8 Film - Michael Palin narrates this footage, which he shot in Barbados, where the Pythons worked on the screenplay for their film, and on location in Tunisia, where it was made. A teaser is included as well. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (14 min).

• Screenplay Read-Through - presented here is an audio recording in which the Pythons read through an early draft of the screenplay for their film, illustrated with storyboards and script pages. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (111 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. 1. Sheel (with Idle and Jones).
  2. Pilate's Wife (with Idle and Jones).
  3. Otto (with Gilliam and Idle).
  4. The Sign That is the Sign (with Jones).
  5. Souvenir Salesman (with Idle).

• Radio Ads - presented here are four radio ads, produced for the original British release of Monty Python's Life of Brian. 1. Mrs. Cleese.
  2. Mrs. Gilliam.
  3. Mrs. Idle.
  4. Michael Palin's Dentist.

• Animated Stills Gallery - presented with music. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Monty Python's Life of Brian. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (3 min).

• Leflaet - an illustrated leaflet with critic Bilge Ebiri's essay "The Wrong Messiah" and technical credits.

Monty Python's Life of Brian 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of all the major religions, Christianity has always been the easiest to mock, which is why there are no other films like Monty Python's Life of Brian targeting any of the other major religions. However, Monty Python's Life of Brian has frequently been defended as a comedy, which is as disingenuous as claiming that all it does is mock. The truth is that it is a giant piece of mockery, and some of it is pretty funny. Unfortunately, much more of it is not, and now, virtually all of it looks awfully dated. For my money, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a vastly superior film, which also happens to be a genuine comedy. Criterion's combo pack introduces a great new 4K restoration. However, the 4K restoration can be viewed only on 4K Blu-ray, because the Blu-ray in the combo pack hosts just a large selection of bonus features. To view the new 4K restoration on Blu-ray, you need to pick up this two-disc Blu-ray set. RECOMMENDED.