The Gandia Campus hosts the presentation of “The Life of Brian”, by Professor José Pavía, about the iconic British comedy.
Professor José Pavía presented his new book at the Gandia Campus of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Life of Brian. The work offers an in-depth analysis of the film directed by Terry Jones, “one of the most brilliant comedies of the seventies, turned into a sort of classic that, with a healthy skepticism, invites to something as necessary as developing one’s own thinking”, explains its author.
Released in 1979, the film was a high point in Monty Python’s career. Beyond its humorous dimension, the film addresses issues such as the decline of the Roman and British empires or the tensions of pre-Thatcherite Britain. “It invites us to perceive reality through a sense of humor that even allows us to celebrate death as the ultimate joke of fate,” says Pavia.
Asked about the controversy that surrounded the film at the time of its release, the professor points out that “today it probably wouldn’t even find financing to be shot”.
In his book, the author gives a central role to the historical context as an essential key to understanding the film, without neglecting the formal analysis required by the collection in which the work is published (Guías para ver y analizar cine, published by Nau Llibres). It also pays special attention to the reception and validity of its message. Analyzing a comedy with academic rigor also involves a paradox: “When you try to explain why something is funny, it stops being funny”.
The presentation, also given by campus professor Germán Llorca, brought together students, faculty and staff, an audience interested in the narrative lessons offered by the film. Its script, “the result of a long process of writing and rewriting”, is, in the words of José Pavía, “an excellent learning exercise”.
On the occasion of the presentation of the book, the Gandia Campus Library has prepared a thematic selection and a small exhibition in the lobby dedicated to Monty Python, covering both their work as a comedy group and the individual productions of its members.
The book, “The Life of Brian: (Monty Python’s Life of Brian), Terry Jones (1979),” is available in the library catalog.