Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The film's whole joke is here: the harder Brian denies it, the more the crowd takes the denial as proof. It turns a religious satire into a trap anyone has felt, where protesting an accusation seems to confirm it. Fans use the shout when they are wrongly given a role or a reputation they never wanted.
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In context
Spoilers for Life of BrianShow the scene
Brian has fled the Romans, hidden among the street prophets and been chased into the mountains by a crowd that has declared him the Messiah. Among them is Simon, a holy man who broke eighteen years of silence at the commotion. Brian turns on the crowd: "I'm not the Messiah!" Arthur kneels and says he has followed a few. A woman replies that only the true Messiah denies his divinity. Brian, in despair, gives up with "All right, I am the Messiah!", and the crowd cheers until he tells them to go away.
Sources (2)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikiquote)Dialogue: Simon, Arthur and the crowdReference checked
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikipedia)PlotReference checked
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