10 Movies That Were Condemned On Religious Grounds

2. Monty Python's Life Of Brian

If there is one film in cinema history that everyone knew from day one there would be a storm of controversy on its release, it is without a shadow of a doubt Monty Python's Life of Brian. Arguably one of the best comedies ever made (certainly if movie rankings and fan polls are anything to go by), the central theme of the film is a parody of religious zeal and persecution - guaranteed to be met with cries of "blasphemy!" from religious groups around the world. Brian Cohen is a young Jewish man who just happened to be born next door to Jesus Christ on the same day who, later in life, becomes mistaken for the Messiah, unwittingly amasses an ever-swelling number of unwanted followers and ends up crucified by the Romans. A hilarious satire on the fickle nature of religious belief, the gullibility of the common man and the hypocritical actions of those who claim to be acting under the impulse of a higher power, Monty Python's Life of Brian is as clever and well observed as it is frequently downright hilarious. Predictably it managed to offend almost anyone and everyone who called themselves a Christian, with rabbis and nuns uniting, taking to the streets to protest the film ("Nuns with banners!" declared Python member Michael Palin). One English council banned the film without having even seen it, basing their ruling on condemnation by an evangelical Christian group. In total 39 local authorities either banned it or imposed an X rating on the movie, and it wasn't until 2008 that Torbay council lifted the ban and allowed it to be screened. Using the accusations of heresy to their advantage, the Python team plied this notoriety into the marketing campaign, releasing posters which stated, "So funny it was banned in Norway!" proving that there is some truth to the expression, "There's no such thing as bad publicity."