Movie Moments: #50

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983)

Comment:

My confession:  whenever I hear the words “Let us praise God” I immediately recall the scene in this movie that commences with those words.  Then, instead of praising God, I amsmiling and looking like an idiot.  This movie has so many movie moments:  the delivery room with the machine that goes bing, Every Sperm is Scared, the sex education class with Carter and his more interesting ocarina, Mr Creosote and the final wafer thin mint, the fatal mousse (“It’s a Mr Death, dear.  He’s here about the reaping.”), the birthday in the trenches  . . . all classics.  A fitting as the last Monty Python film.

Synopsis:

A collection of sketches loosely connected by a theme of the various stages of life from birth to death.

Quote:

Chaplain: Let us praise God. O Lord...

Congregation: O Lord...

Chaplain:...Ooh, You are so big...

Congregation: ...ooh, You are so big...

Chaplain::  ...So absolutely huge. Congregation: ...So absolutely huge.

Chaplain::  Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You.

Congregation: Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You.

Chaplain: Forgive us, O Lord, for this, our dreadful toadying, and...

Congregation: And barefaced flattery.

Chaplain: But You are so strong and, well, just so super.

Congregation: Fantastic.

Chaplain: Amen.

Congregation: Amen.

Trivia:

During an interview to promote the film when it was first released, one of the members of the team said the meaning of life concept was the only way they could think of to tie together a lot of unrelated sketch material.