13 Scandalous Movies That Sparked Religious Controversy

3. The Life of Brian (1979)

Comedy buffs are no stranger to Monty Python, a British comedy group made up of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Graham Chapman. Their comedy film The Life of Brian (1979), didn’t leave religious stalwarts laughing very much though, as on its release in the UK the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and Jewish groups including the Council of Syria and Near Eastern Sephardic Communities, Rabbinical Alliance of America, and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis were all up-in-arms about its content. Calling it a “crime against religion” and “a vicious attack on Judaism and the Bible” one can’t help but wonder if Monty Python was laughing at all by the end. Directed by Kenneth Colley, the movie is about a regular Roman Judea citizen who is identified as the Messiah by mistake.