Sexuality as Parody
Monty Python's Life of Brian
1979
Dir. Terry Jones
After the death of the sword-and-sandal epic in the sphere of popular culture, toga films very largely died out. Gone were the expansive sets and opulent costumes, the gladiators and the chariot races. There is one place, however, where these films maintained their place in the public consciousness: the comedy. These films revitalized the genre, satirizing and poking fun at the tropes, characters, and plot points of the grand Hollywood epics of the 50s and early 60s. From the minds behind Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British surreal comedy series, came a satire called Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). The movie, created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin (known as the “Pythons”), tells the story of Brian Cohen, a Jewish man who spends his life being mistaken for the Messiah during the time of Roman occupation in Judea.
Satirical Sex
The scene that most directly parodies the Hollywood epics is the sex scene between Judith and Brian. Judith, one of the female members of the "People's Front of Judea" (also known as the PFJ, a rebel group opposing the Romans) has had Brian's attention since he first saw her, while listening to Jesus’ sermon on the mount. The sex scene between Judith and Brian is unconventional in many ways. The filmmakers intentionally subvert the traditional, often exaggerated, portrayal of sexuality to deliver a realistic and amusing take on sex scenes in film.
Life of Brian takes many of the “sexualized” aspects usually associated with a sex scene (such as lingering on the woman’s body, focus on the passionate buildup, and the actual sex itself) away entirely. In the scene, the pair wake up after a night together—none of which was shown on camera—and Brian walks to his window naked. He flings the window open, a full frontal nudity dead center on the screen for two full seconds (thus exposing himself to the group of his devout followers who have set up camp outside his door). No other film prior has been able to show this level of nudity on screen, nor has the messages of the films aligned with this depiction of sex; this film acknowledges the conventions of its time and directly challenges them by essentially forcing viewers to look at the “real” aspects of sex.
In the same scene, the sexualization of women is also parodied. Judith, hearing the commotion outside, rushes into the room, similarly fully nude. In contrast to the typical view of a woman on film, Judith’s breasts are hidden by her long hair and her genitals, which are usually hardly (if ever) shown, are in full view of the camera. The filmmakers challenge the traditional emphasis on female anatomy for titillation. This choice simultaneously acknowledges and satirizes the disparity in how male and female nudity are typically handled in film. It provides commentary on the prevailing cultural norms of the time and uses the humor born from the ironic nature of the scene in order to deconstruct what romance and sex can and should look like.
Loretta
Loretta, a member of the People's Front of Judea, is a transgender woman. Though she is a relatively minor character, she carries a noteworthy significance in terms of inclusion within the film, as well as the broader cultural perception of trans people during the 1970s.
What the filmmakers did well
First and foremost, the fact that a trans character is in a film of this standing, during this time, is something to be commended. The portrayal of her demeanor and actions seems realistic, offering a refreshing depiction of a transgender woman who is portrayed in an authentic way. She is not depicted as predatory, “mentally unwell”, or confused, and, for the most part (towards the middle and end of the film, at least), other characters consistently call her “Loretta” and use she/her pronouns for her. At one point during the film, Reg, the leader of the PFJ, makes a remark about feminists, after which he realizes that Loretta, a woman, is in the room, and he apologizes to her. He acknowledges her gender identity and generally respects it, though not without some level of humor on behalf of the filmmakers.
What the filmmakers did poorly
Loretta is played by a cis man, Eric Idle, which is problematic in a few ways. For one, her character is usually called “Stan” or “Loretta/Stan” in movie databases, which implies that her birth name takes precedence over her chosen one, though she states multiple times that she wants to be called Loretta in the film. In addition, the decision to cast a cisgender actor in a transgender role adds another layer to the problematic representation. It highlights the industry's tendency to overlook transgender actors for transgender roles, further limiting more authentic portrayals and opportunities for transgender actors.
The scene where she comes out is similarly problematic. During this, she expresses a desire to be known as Loretta from now on, saying “I want to be a woman. … It’s my right as a man [...] I want to have babies… It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them” (Monty Python’s Life of Brian 19:32 to 20:20). After Reg calls this “ridiculous”, Loretta tells him not to oppress her. As she asserts her right "as a man" to transition and have babies, the filmmakers trivialize the real struggles that transgender people go through, play into harmful stereotypes, and contribute to a culture that excludes trans people.