document_title: Proclamation No. 216

question_text: when was the declaration of martial law in mindanao

text: Proclamation No. 216

text: History[edit]

text: Declaration[edit]

text: At 10:00 p.m. PST (UTC+08:00) on May 23, 2017, amid a Maute Group-related escalation of conflicts in Mindanao as well as recent clashes in Marawi between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Islamist group, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte placed the whole of Mindanao, including Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, under martial law.[1] The proclamation was announced during a press briefing held in Moscow, where Duterte was on an official visit; the state of martial law will be in effect for 60 days. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the declaration was possible given the "existence of rebellion," while Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano explained that the step was taken with "the safety, the lives and property of people of Mindanao" in mind.[2] Implementation is to be pursuant to the 1987 Constitution, which provides for a maximum 60 day-state of martial law without Congress approval for extension, the continuation of government functions, and the safeguard of individual freedoms. However, Duterte insisted that it will not be any different from martial law under President Ferdinand Marcos.[3]

text: While the declaration does not currently affect citizens and government units in Luzon or the Visayas, Duterte suggested that he might extend the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus to the Visayas[4] and martial law to the entire country if needed to "protect the people."[5]

text: The Congress approved of a resolution supporting the measure on May 31, 2017[6]

text: Extension[edit]

text: First extension[edit]

text: On July 23, 2017, lawmakers voted 261–18 (with no abstention among those present) in favor of the President Rodrigo Duterte's request to give extension to Proclamation Order No. 216 during a special joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. This extension was valid until December 31, 2017.[7][8][9]

text: The majority number required for the approval of martial law is at 158 of the 314 members of Congress.[7]

text: Under the Constitution, the President can declare martial law for an initial period of 60 days and ask for its extension in case of rebellion, invasion or when public safety requires it.[10][11]

text: The incumbent Senators who voted for NO are as follows:[12]

text:
Bam Aquino
Franklin Drilon
Risa Hontiveros
Francis Pangilinan

text: The incumbent Representatives who voted for NO are as follows:[12]

text:
Gary Alejano (Magdalo)
Lito Atienza (Buhay)
Teddy Baguilat (Ifugao Lone District)
Jose Christopher Belmonte (Quezon City 6th District)
Gabriel Bordado (Camarines Sur 3rd District)
Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women's Party)
Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis)
France Castro (ACT Teachers)
Emmi de Jesus (Gabriela Women's Party)
Sarah Elago (Kabataan)
Edcel Lagman (Albay 1st District)
Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers)
Tom Villarin (Akbayan)
Carlos Isagani Zarate (Bayan Muna)

text: The incumbent Senators who were ABSENT are as follows:[13]

text:
Nancy Binay
Leila de Lima (detained)
Antonio Trillanes

text: Second extension[edit]

text: On December 13, 2017, a special joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate was held in order to respond to President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend the declaration of martial law in Mindanao until December 31, 2018. In his letter addressed to the Congress, President Duterte cited the remaining threats of ISIS-inspired terrorist groups. Congress voted 240–27 (14–4 from the Senate, 226–23 from the House) in favor of the second extension.[14]

text: Reactions[edit]

text: President Duterte's declaration of martial law in the entire Mindanao region was met with polarized views from the citizens.[15]

text: Public figures[edit]

text: Some lawmakers from Mindanao expressed their views on the president's declaration of martial law. Mindanao lawmakers led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Wednesday, May 24 that the declaration of martial law in Mindanao is justifiable, given the other security problems faced by the region. Surigao del Sur 2nd District Representative Johnny Pimentel shared the same sentiment. He said martial law will help address his province’s longstanding "insurgency problem". Davao City 1st District Representative Karlo Nograles, who called the crisis in Marawi as a “clear case of rebellion," said martial rule will help confine the fighting. Alvarez and Nograles also noted that the 1987 Constitution has safeguards against abuse in relation to martial law.[16] Senator Manny Pacquiao said “I fully support the declaration of martial law in Mindanao by President Rodrigo Duterte. I believe this is timely and necessary in the light of political turmoil perpetrated by the Moro extremists in Marawi City.” Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino, on the other hand, questioned President Duterte's declaration of a martial law in Mindanao. According to former President Fidel Ramos, "the martial law that will happen could be more harmful" (compared to Ferdinand Marcos's time).[17]

text: On May 30, 2017, the majority bloc of the Senate adopted a resolution expressing support for President Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao, saying that the proclamation is required for public safety while at the same time clarifying the operation of the 1987 Constitution. The resolution passed the Senate in a 17–5 vote. The opponents of the resolution, all minority bloc senators, filed another resolution calling for a joint session of Congress to decide on the proclamation.[18] Their resolution failed the Senate in a 12–9 vote.[19]

text: Catholic Church[edit]

text: Catholic bishops in Mindanao believe that President Duterte's declaration of martial law in the region should only be temporary. Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, the Archbishop of Cotabato, said that the Church is aware of the declaration's necessity to solve issues of peace and order and that the Church does not have "solid and sufficient" facts to protest the declaration as "morally reprehensible". He urged the Mindanaoan people to remain calm but vigilant as to ensure that the implementation of martial law would not be abused. Quevado added that the Church is prepared to fully condemn the declaration of martial law "if it goes in the way of evil."[20][21] Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad supports the declaration of martial law, but believes that there should be a "mechanism" to ensure that the implementation would not violate human rights.[22]

text: Muslim community[edit]

text: A group of lawyers from the Philippine Muslim Society is planning to oppose before the Supreme Court the president's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.[23]

text: Business sector[edit]

text: Philippine financial markets weakened in early trading on March 24, 2017 as the Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index (PSEi) was down 0.42 percent to 7,779.73, before rallying to close at 7,837.82, up by 0.33 percent or 25.68 points, which a trader attributed to investors remaining positive on the domestic market despite the developments in Mindanao.[24][25]

text: Investors are monitoring closely how Duterte will use martial law to fight the long-running extremist problem in the south, analysts said. BPI Securities research head Haj Narvaez told Cathy Yang on ANC's Market Edge that the incident caused uncertainties which made investors to be more conservative in their decisions. Narvaez projects "some downward pressure" probably in the next 1 to 2 weeks and says that investors will assess if the situation in Mindanao can be controlled. Tycoon and philanthropist Washington SyCip said the President cutting short a foreign visit due to security worries was "not the publicity that we need. I think worldwide, the word martial law is not the best thing."[25]

text: Amidst fighting in Marawi and fears of martial law, numerous overseas tourists have cancelled hotel and resort bookings in the Visayas region.[26]

text: Actions by the government[edit]

text: Armed Forces of the Philippines directive[edit]

text: The Department of National Defense issued a guidance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its attached bureaus regarding the proper implementation of martial law in Mindanao.[27] The memorandum states:

text: Please be guided that the declaration of Martial Law in the island of Mindanao does not suspend the operation of the Constitution, nor supplement the functioning of the Philippine judicial and legislative assemblies, nor authorize the conferment of jurisdiction on military courts and agencies over civilian where civil courts are able to function, nor automatically suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.[27]

text: In this connection, the AFP and all bureaus and agencies of this Department are hereby enjoined that the rule of law and human rights should prevail in the place or part of the Philippines where the Martial Law was declared and effective.[27]

text: Any arrest, search and seizure executed or implemented in the area or place where Martial Law is effective, including the filing of charges, should comply with the Revised Rules of Court and applicable jurisprudence.[27]

text: DND bureaus and agencies involved in humanitarian activities are hereby enjoined to institute appropriate action on those affected and displaced persons by providing adequate assistance in coordination with other government agencies.[27]

text: Government roundups in Davao City[edit]

text: On May 25, 2017, after authorities received information on the presence of unidentified and suspicious-looking persons, around 250 individuals have been rounded up in the barangays of Bucana and Mini-Forest in Davao City as "persons of interest" for not being able to present proof of identification. According to Davao City Police Office Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum, they were at DPCO headquarters to undergo "a verification process" and were not under arrest. He said their operation is part of their efforts to prevent the entry of terrorists in one of Mindanao's biggest cities.[28]

text: Censorship and suppression in Mindanao[edit]

text: On Friday, May 26, 2017, the Armed Forces of the Philippines stated that it would censor the press and social media to "protect national security" across Mindanao, and warned that violators would be arrested.[29] According to military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, "We'll exercise the right to censure, (sic)" and that it would be based on 3 conditions: to ensure the safety of lives, to ensure operational security and to ensure the safety of men in uniform who are fighting, and for other national security considerations.[29][30]

text: "Kaya ngayon umaapela kami maaga pa lang na i-exercise 'nyo ang common sense, na 'pag alam ninyo na ito’y nakakasama at hindi nakakatulong, ‘wag 'nyo na ‘ho i-post. Baka minsan na lang, kakatukin na lang kayo ng pulis at aarestuhin kayo,”[31] (This early, we’re appealing to the public to exercise their common sense. If you know that what you're posting does harm and does not help, don’t post it. You might just find the police knocking on your door to arrest you.) according to Padilla.[32]

text: Likewise, the Philippine National Police in Davao region (Police Regional Office 11, or PRO-11) stated that the right to form a public assembly such as protests or rallies against the government would be curtailed with the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. PRO-11 said that leaders and organizers of groups that will stage protests or rallies would be arrested if caught making a public nuisance.[33]

text: Further statements from Duterte[edit]

text: On the same Friday, Duterte expressed his intention to take responsibility for the actions of soldiers in Mindanao during the implementation of martial law. He assured soldiers that they had his full support and stated: "If you go down, I go down. But for this martial law and the consequences of martial law and the ramifications of martial law, I and I alone would be responsible. Trabaho lang kayo. Ako na ang bahala. Ako na ang magpakulong sa inyo (Just do your job. I will take care of things. I'll be the one to be imprisoned for you)".

text: He then joked that soldiers would be free to rape and that he would be the one to go to jail for it. "Pag naka-rape ka ng tatlo, aminin ko na akin iyon," (If you were to rape three, I'll admit that it was mine) according to Duterte.[34][35]

text: Amidst outrage from citizens, women's groups,[36] human rights groups,[37] and personalities like Chelsea Clinton[38] and Senator Risa Hontiveros, Malacañang Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella defended Duterte's rape joke as "heightened bravado".[39] Senator Manny Pacquiao, likewise defended Duterte by stating "Just because he is the President, he can’t crack jokes anymore?"[40]

text: On Saturday, May 27, 2017, Duterte vowed that he would ignore Congress and the Supreme Court on the duration limits of martial law. He said: "Hanggang hindi sinabi ng pulis pati Armed Forces na safe na ang Philippines, this martial law will continue. Hindi ako makinig sa iba. 'Yang Supreme Court, 'yang mga congressmen, wala naman sila dito. Bakit, sila ba ang nagpapakamatay? Sila ba ang naghirap dito? Sila ba 'yung – have they suffered the wounds of war? Sila ba 'yung nagtitiis?" (Until the police and the Armed Forces say the Philippines is already safe, this martial law will continue. I won't listen to others. The Supreme Court, the congressmen, they're not here. Why, are they the ones risking their lives? Are they the ones suffering here? Are they – have they suffered the wounds of war? Are they the ones enduring this battle?)[41][42][43]

text: Martial law cartoon[edit]

text: On May 31, 2017, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) released a cartoon video with the hashtag #DefendRepublic promoting Martial Law on the Internet via its official Twitter and Facebook accounts.[44][45] In it, a fearful boy is seen holding a shield with the words "Martial Law" inscribed on it, as silhouettes of professional-looking soldiers labeled "Extremist" march upon him, while a voiceover narrates:[46]

text: In the free society, there are groups who don't want to give independence. They are adamant on detaining peaceful spirits. They are distressing feelings with fears. Let us not allow them to terrify us. We will all fight in unity. Martial law should be the rule of the land. Martial law, Now.[47][48]

text: The video was derided by netizens[49] and senators due to its content, grammar and poor graphics and message that Martial Law should be treated as "the new normal", as well as for being a waste of taxpayer money.[50] The video was deleted by the PCOO shortly thereafter[51] and disowned by the palace.[52]

text: Relation to the CPP-NDF-NPA rebellion[edit]

text: On May 25, 2017, the Communist Party of the Philippines called on its armed wing, the New People's Army, to "plan and carry out more tactical offensives across Mindanao and the entire archipelago" in response to the Philippine government's declaration of martial law.[53] The party said that the "martial law imposition was made on narrow pretext of armed clashes in Marawi City between the AFP and Maute group," which the party referred to as a bandit group whose leaders, the party claim, "have known links with military officials." The CPP also called on Filipinos to fight the imposition of martial law in Mindanao and demand its immediate lifting.[53]

text: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana warned the New People's Army not to get involved with the Marawi crisis as he reiterated that the implementation of martial law in Mindanao will not target local communists.[54] Lorenzana said that martial law was declared to address radical Islamic terrorism and narco-terrorism in Mindanao according to the directives of the President and that they will fully comply with them. He urged the communists not to force the government's hand and to immediately stop all illegal activities and abide by the true spirit of the peace process.[54]

text: Peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front in the Netherlands were suspended following these developments.[55] It was the second time that it was put on hold since the Duterte administration started negotiations with the communist rebels in 2016, with Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza saying the administration "will not proceed to participate in the scheduled fifth round of peace negotiations until such time as there are clear indications that an enabling environment conducive to achieving just and sustainable peace in the land shall prevail." Dureza cited the continuing attacks by the NPA and the communist leadership's order for its armed wing to "accelerate and intensify attacks against the government in the face of martial law in Mindanao."[55]

text: Allegations of human rights violations[edit]

text: Lumads, or the non-Muslim indigenous peoples of Mindanao, have been vocally against the imposition of martial rule due to the past experience of martial law during the Marcos dictatorship. After 3 months since the imposition of martial rule, numerous human rights violations were recorded by independent human rights organizations[which?].[citation needed] Among these violations caused by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police were the bombing of Lumad schools, the food blockade against Lumad communities which forced Lumads to go hungry and move away from their ancestral lands, the capturing of ancestral lands from indigenous Lumads, the killing of suspected Lumads who are reportedly part of the NPA despite no concrete investigation, the censorship of various media outlets in Lumad communities, and the killing of numerous Lumad leaders, which has led to a blow in Lumad morale.[citation needed] Since the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, there was a heightened presence of government security forces which discouraged Lumad children from going to schools.[56] Linking Lumad schools to communist rebels, President Rodrigo Duterte in a public speech threatened to bomb the schools which he says are promoting "subversion" and communism ideology.[57]

text: Reports also surfaced during and after the Battle of Marawi, stating that six soldiers looted stole jewelries and cash from houses in the city. [58]


document_title: Acadians

question_text: where did the acadians first settle in louisiana

root

text: Acadians

text: Pre-deportation history[edit]

text: During the seventeenth century,[when?] about sixty French families were established in Acadia. They developed friendly relations with the Wabanaki Confederacy (particularly the Mi'kmaq), learning their hunting and fishing techniques. The Acadians lived mainly in the coastal regions of the Bay of Fundy; farming land reclaimed from the sea through diking. Living in a contested borderland region between French Quebec and British territories, the Acadians often became entangled in the conflict between the powers. Over a period of seventy-four years, six wars took place in Acadia and Nova Scotia in which the Confederacy and some Acadians fought to keep the British from taking over the region (See the four French and Indian Wars as well as Father Rale's War and Father Le Loutre's War).

tag: p

text: While France lost political control of Acadia in 1713, the Mí'kmaq did not concede land to the British. Along with some Acadians, the Mi'kmaq from time to time used military force to resist the British. This was particularly evident in the early 1720s during Dummer's War but hostilities were brought to a close by a treaty signed in 1726.

text: The British Conquest of Acadia happened in 1710. Over the next forty-five years the Acadians refused to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britain. Many were influenced by Father Jean-Louis Le Loutre, who from his arrival in 1738 until his capture in 1755 preached against the 'English devils'.[9] During this time period Acadians participated in various militia operations against the British and maintained vital supply lines to the French Fortress of Louisbourg and Fort Beausejour.[10] During the French and Indian War, the British sought to neutralize any military threat Acadians posed and to interrupt the vital supply lines Acadians provided to Louisbourg by deporting Acadians from Acadia.[11][12]

text: With the founding of Halifax in 1749 the Mi'kmaq resisted British (Protestant) settlements by making numerous raids on Halifax, Dartmouth, Lawrencetown and Lunenburg. During the French and Indian War, the Mi'kmaq assisted the Acadians in resisting the British during the Expulsion of the Acadians.[13]

text: Many Acadians might have signed an unconditional oath to the British monarchy had the circumstances been better, while other Acadians did not sign because they were clearly anti-British.[14] For the Acadians who might have signed an unconditional oath, there were numerous reasons why they did not. The difficulty was partly religious, in that the British monarch was the head of the (Protestant) Church of England. Another significant issue was that an oath might commit male Acadians to fight against France during wartime. A related concern was whether their Mi'kmaq neighbours might perceive this as acknowledging the British claim to Acadia rather than the Mi'kmaq. As a result, signing an unconditional oath might have put Acadian villages in dangers of attack from Mi'kmaq.[15]

text: Deportation[edit]

text: In the Great Expulsion (le Grand Dérangement), after the Battle of Fort Beauséjour beginning in August 1755 under Lieutenant Governor Lawrence, approximately 11,500 Acadians (three-quarters of the Acadian population in Nova Scotia) were expelled, their lands and property confiscated, and in some cases their homes burned. The Acadians were deported throughout the British eastern seaboard colonies from New England to Georgia. Although measures were taken during the embarkation of the Acadians to the transport ship, some families became split up. After 1758, thousands were transported to France. Most of the Acadians who went to Louisiana were transported there from France on five Spanish ships provided by the Spanish Crown to populate their Louisiana colony and provide farmers to supply New Orleans. The Spanish had hired agents to seek out the dispossessed Acadians in Brittany and the effort was kept secret so as not to anger the French King. These new arrivals from France joined the earlier wave expelled from Acadia, creating the Cajun population and culture.

text: The Spanish forced the Acadians they had transported to settle along the Mississippi River, to block British expansion, rather than Western Louisiana where many of them had family and friends and where it was much easier to farm. Rebels among them marched to New Orleans and ousted the Spanish governor. The Spanish later sent infantry from other colonies to put down the rebellion and execute the leaders. After the rebellion in December 1769 the Spanish Governor O'Reilly permitted the Acadians who had settled across the river from Natchez to resettle on the Iberville or Amite river closer to New Orleans.[16]

text: A second and smaller expulsion occurred when the British took control of the North Shore of what is now New Brunswick. After the fall of Quebec the British lost interest and many Acadians returned to British North America, settling in coastal villages not occupied by American colonists. A few of these had evaded the British for several years but the brutal winter weather eventually forced them to surrender. Some returnees settled in the region of Fort Sainte-Anne, now Fredericton, but were later displaced by the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution.

text: In 2003, at the request of Acadian representatives, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada issued a Royal Proclamation acknowledging the deportation and establishing July 28 as an annual day of commemoration, beginning in 2005. The day is called the "Great Upheaval" on some English-language calendars.

text: Geography[edit]

text: The Acadians today live predominantly in the Canadian Maritime provinces, as well as parts of Quebec, Louisiana and Maine. In New Brunswick, Acadians inhabit the northern and eastern shores of New Brunswick, from Miscou Island (French: Île Miscou) Île Lamèque including Caraquet in the center, all the way to Neguac in the southern part, Grande-Anse in the eastern part and Campbellton through to Saint-Quentin in the northern part. Other groups of Acadians can be found in the Magdalen Islands and throughout other parts of Quebec. Many Acadians still live in and around the area of Madawaska, Maine where the Acadians first landed and settled in what is now known as the St. John Valley. There are also Acadians in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia such as Chéticamp, Isle Madame, and Clare. East and West Pubnico, located at the end of the province, are the oldest regions still Acadian.

text: The Acadians settled on the land before the deportation and returned to some of the same exact land after the deportation. Still others can be found in the southern and western regions of New Brunswick, Western Newfoundland and in New England. Many of these latter communities have faced varying degrees of assimilation. For many families in predominantly Anglophone communities, French-language attrition has occurred, particularly in younger generations.

text: The Acadians who settled in Louisiana after 1764, known as Cajuns, have had a dominant cultural influence in many parishes, particularly in the southwestern area of the state known as Acadiana.

text: Culture[edit]

text: Today Acadians are a vibrant minority, particularly in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Louisiana (Cajuns), and northern Maine. Since 1994, Le Congrès Mondial Acadien has united Acadians of the Maritimes, New England, and Louisiana.

text: August 15, the feast of the Assumption, was adopted as the national feast day of the Acadians at the First Acadian National Convention, held in Memramcook, New Brunswick in 1881. On that day, the Acadians celebrate by having the tintamarre which consists mainly of a big parade where people can dress up with the colours of Acadia and make a lot of noise.

text: The national anthem of the Acadians is "Ave, maris stella", adopted at Miscouche, Prince Edward Island in 1884. The anthem was revised at the 1992 meeting of the Société Nationale de l'Acadie, where the second, third and fourth verses were changed to French, with the first and last kept in the original Latin.

text: The Federation des Associations de Familles Acadiennes of New Brunswick and the Société Saint-Thomas d'Aquin of Prince Edward Island has resolved that December 13 each year shall be commemorated as "Acadian Remembrance Day" to commemorate the sinking of the Duke William and the nearly 2000 Acadians deported from Ile-Saint Jean who perished in the North Atlantic from hunger, disease and drowning in 1758.[17] The event has been commemorated annually since 2004 and participants mark the event by wearing a black star.

text: Today, there are cartoons featuring Acadian characters and an Acadian show named Acadieman.

text: Artistic commemorations of The Expulsion[edit]

text: In 1847, American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published Evangeline, an epic poem loosely based on the events surrounding the 1755 deportation. The poem became an American classic, and contributed to a rebirth of Acadian identity in both Maritime Canada and in Louisiana.

text: In the early 20th century, two statues were made of Evangeline, one in St. Martinville, Louisiana and the other in Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia, which both commemorate the Expulsion. Robbie Robertson wrote a popular song based on the Acadian Expulsion titled Acadian Driftwood, which appeared on The Band's 1975 album, Northern Lights – Southern Cross.

text: Antonine Maillet's Pélagie-la-charette concerns the return voyage to Acadia of several deported families starting 15 years after the Great Expulsion.

text: The Acadian Memorial (Monument Acadien)[18] honors those 3,000 who settled in Louisiana.

text: Throughout the Canadian Maritime Provinces there are Acadian Monuments to the Expulsion, such as the one at Georges Island (Nova Scotia) and Beaubears Island.

text: Flags[edit]

text: The flag of the Acadians is the French tricolour with a golden star in the blue field (see above), which symbolizes the Saint Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of the Acadians and the "Star of the Sea". This flag was adopted in 1884 at the Second Acadian National Convention, held in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island.

text: Acadians in the diaspora have adopted other symbols. The flag of Acadians in Louisiana, known as Cajuns, was designed by Thomas J. Arceneaux of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and adopted by the Louisiana legislature as the official emblem of the Acadiana region in 1974.[19]

text: A group of New England Acadians attending Le Congrès Mondial Acadien in Nova Scotia in 2004, endorsed a design for a New England Acadian flag[20] by William Cork, and are advocating for its wider acceptance.

text: Prominent Acadians[edit]

text: Notable Acadians in the 18th century include Noel Doiron (1684–1758). Noel was one of more than 350 Acadians that perished on the Duke William on December 13, 1758.[21] Noel was described by the Captain of the Duke William as the "father of the whole island", a reference to Noel's place of prominence among the Acadian residents of Isle St. Jean (Prince Edward Island).[22] For his "noble resignation" and self-sacrifice aboard the Duke William, Noel was celebrated in popular print throughout the 19th century in England and America.[23][24][25] Noel also is the namesake of the village Noel, Nova Scotia.

text: Another prominent Acadian from the 18th century was militia leader Joseph Broussard who joined French priest Jean-Louis Le Loutre in resisting the British occupation of Acadia.

text: More recent notable Acadians include singers Angèle Arsenault and Edith Butler, singer Jean-François Breau, writer Antonine Maillet; film director Phil Comeau; singer-songwriter Julie Doiron; artist Phoebe Legere, boxers Yvon Durelle and Jacques LeBlanc; pitcher Rheal Cormier; former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc; former premier of Prince Edward Island Aubin-Edmond Arsenault, the first Acadian premier of any province and the first Acadian appointed to a provincial supreme court; Aubin-Edmond Arsenault's father, Joseph-Octave Arsenault, the first Acadian appointed to the Canadian Senate from Prince Edward Island; Peter John Veniot, first Acadian Premier of New Brunswick; and former New Brunswick premier Louis Robichaud, who was responsible for modernizing education and the government of New Brunswick in the mid-20th century.

text: Prominent Louisiana Acadians include Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc, Singer-Songwriter Zachary Richard, Attorney-cultural activist Warren Perrin, and historian and President of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) William Arceneaux.


document_title: Hole in My Shoe

question_text: who sang the hole in my shoe is letting in water

text: Hole in My Shoe

text:
"Hole in My Shoe"

Single by Traffic

B-side
"Smiling Phases" (Capaldi, Winwood, Wood)

Released
August 1967

Format
7", 45rpm

Length
2:52

Label
Island WIP 6017
United Artists UA 50218

Songwriter(s)
Dave Mason

Producer(s)
Jimmy Miller

Traffic singles chronology

"Paper Sun"
(1967)
"Hole in My Shoe"
(1967)
"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"
(1967)

"Paper Sun"
(1967)
"Hole in My Shoe"
(1967)
"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"
(1967)

tag: table

text: "Hole in My Shoe" is a song by English rock band Traffic which as a single release reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart[1] and number 22 in the German charts, in 1967.[2] Composed by guitarist Dave Mason, it was disliked by the other three members of the group who felt that it did not represent the band's musical or lyrical style.[3]

text: The brief monologue, over the mellotron passage, is spoken by Francine Heimann, the stepdaughter of Island Records' owner Chris Blackwell.

text: Cover version[edit]

text: In the BBC sitcom The Young Ones, 'Neil', one of the principal characters, often sang a line from the song. Eventually, in July 1984, Nigel Planer, who played Neil, recorded a cover version of the song, which reached the same number 2 peak as the original.[4] His version featured Barbara Gaskin on backing vocals and was produced by Dave Stewart, former keyboardist of Egg, National Health and Hatfield and the North (not to be confused with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics). [5]


document_title: Who's Lovin' You

question_text: when did michael jackson sing who's loving you

question_tokens: when did michael jackson sing who 's loving you

text: Who's Lovin' You

text: The Miracles original version[edit]

text: The song was written by Smokey Robinson for his group The Miracles, who recorded the song in 1960 for their first Motown album, Hi... We're the Miracles.[1] The song is a lamentation about an ex-lover, reminiscing on how their relationship went sour and wondering who's loving them now. A showcase for vocal runs, "Who's Lovin' You" was issued as a b-side to their first Motown hit, "Shop Around" (the label's first million-selling hit single),[2] and remained one of their most popular songs (becoming a strong regional hit in many areas of the country). During the 1960s, virtually every major Motown act, from The Supremes to the Temptations to Brenda Holloway, recorded a remake of the song.

text: Brenda & the Tabulations version[edit]

text: Though today this version is relatively obscure compared to others like those of The Miracles and The Jackson 5, it is to date the only one to place on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in 1967 on Dionn 501, Brenda & the Tabulations took this song to position #66. It was also a #19 hit on Billboard's R&B chart.[3] The gender of the lyrics was amended to fit the female vocalist.

text: Chart history[edit]

text:
Chart (1966)
Peak
position

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart
66

U.S. Billboard Top Selling R&B Singles
19

text: Jackson 5 version[edit]

text:
"Who's Lovin' You"

1992 promo single

Single by The Jackson 5

from the album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons: An American Dream

A-side
"I Want You Back"

Released
October 7, 1969

Recorded
Hitsville USA (Studio A); July 29 and August 7, 1969

Genre
Soul

Length

4:01 (album version)
4:20 (single version)

Label
Motown
M1157

Songwriter(s)
William "Smokey" Robinson

Producer(s)
Bobby Taylor

The Jackson 5 singles chronology

"Big Boy"
(1968)
"I Want You Back" / "Who's Lovin' You"
(1969)
"ABC"
(1970)

"Big Boy"
(1968)
"I Want You Back"/"Who's Lovin' You"
(1969)
"ABC"
(1970)

text: The most famous cover of "Who's Lovin' You", and the one most future covers were based upon, was recorded on August 7, 1969 by The Jackson 5. Michael Jackson was the lead singer on this recording, with his brothers Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie on background vocals; Bobby Taylor of The Vancouvers served as producer. The Jackson 5 version of "Who's Lovin' You" was one of a number of early recordings the group made at the Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit, Michigan, with the Funk Brothers on instrumentation. Just after recording this song, Berry Gordy moved the entire Jackson family to Los Angeles, California to record the hit pop songs he would co-write for the group with The Corporation.

text: The song was issued as the b-side to The Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back", which went to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts. A shortened version was included on the first Jackson 5 LP, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5. The original single version was twenty seconds longer, with fewer backing vocals and sparser instrumentation than the album version. The mono single mix was released on Michael's Love Songs compilation release in 2002.

text: The Jackson 5 performed this on their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance.[4]

text: When the group performed the song during their concerts and live performances, Michael usually gave an intro about being really young but knowing about the blues, usually stating how he met the girl during sandbox and sharing cookies, and ended in "I stepped up to her and i said..." the song started from there. In their first concert in Philadelphia, it (along with "I Want You Back") caused the show to be stopped for several minutes because of such a huge response from the audience. It was a regularly performed/popular song in their set-list from 1970 to early 1972, presumably dropped from the set because of more hits being released and Michael's voice beginning to change in 1972.

text: Chart performance[edit]

text: On May 2, 2009, the song debuted at No. 54 in UK Official Singles Chart, and peaked at No.36 in July 2009.[5]

text: Lauryn Hill version[edit]

text: In 1988, 13-year-old Lauryn Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". As she began the song, the crowd began to 'boo' at Hill. A nervous Hill sang with the microphone far away from her mouth and was heckled at first; but she persisted and finished her song to standing applause, though she did not win.[6]

text: En Vogue version[edit]

text: En Vogue's cover of "Who's Lovin' You" was attached to the beginning of their first single, "Hold On" (1990), which was written as an answer song to Robinson's composition. The idea was born when, while the ladies were practicing the song in producer Denzil Foster's car, when he accidentally turned on a drum machine, creating an interesting juxtaposition of old school hip hop and new jack swing.

text: The opening section of "Hold On", released as the group's first single, was an a cappella version of the song's first verse. Once the ladies reach the line "and I wonder/who's lovin' you", a drum machine kicks in and starts a new jack swing beat, over which "Hold On" is delivered. "Hold On" was the anchor of En Vogue's first album, Born to Sing, which eventually went platinum.

text: Terence Trent D'Arby version[edit]

text: Terence Trent D'Arby ended his 1987 debut album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby with a cover of "Who's Lovin' You". The album earned D'Arby a Grammy award the following year.

text: Performing personnel[edit]

text: The Miracles version*[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers Robinson (on fade).
Background vocals by Claudette Rogers Robinson. Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers.
Guitar by Marv Tarplin

tag: ul

text: The Supremes version*[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Diane Ross
Background vocals by Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Barbara Martin

text: The Temptations version*[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by David Ruffin
Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams

text: Brenda & the Tabulations version[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Brenda Payton
Background vocals by Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones

text: The Jackson 5 version*[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
Background vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson

text: En Vogue version (intro to Hold On)[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Terry Ellis
Background vocals by Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson

text: A Tribute to Michael Jackson version*[edit]

text:
Lead vocals by Dawn Robinson
Background vocals by Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Marlon Jackson, and Randy Jackson

text: (*) Instrumentation on these versions performed by The Funk Brothers.


document_title: Monty Python's Life of Brian

question_text: where was the movie life of brian filmed

text: Monty Python's Life of Brian

text: Plot[edit]

text: Brian Cohen is born in a stable next door to the one in which Jesus is born, which initially confuses the three wise men who come to praise the future King of the Jews. Brian grows up an idealistic young man who resents the continuing Roman occupation of Judea. While attending Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Brian becomes infatuated with an attractive young rebel, Judith. His desire for her and hatred for the Romans lead him to join the "People's Front of Judea", one of many fractious and bickering independence movements, who spend more time fighting each other than the Romans.

text: After several misadventures, and escaping from Pontius Pilate, Brian winds up in a line-up of would-be mystics and prophets who harangue the passing crowd in a plaza. Forced to come up with something plausible in order to blend in and keep the guards off his back, Brian repeats some of what he had heard Jesus say, and quickly attracts a small but intrigued audience. Once the guards have left, Brian tries to put the episode behind him, but he has unintentionally inspired a movement. He grows frantic when he finds that some people have started to follow him around, with even the slightest unusual occurrence being hailed as a miracle. Their responses grow in fervour and intensity, making it harder and harder for him to get away from them, yet because of the mob's excitement over the 'miracles' they discover, they ultimately end up completely ignoring Brian himself. Judith is the only one that doesn't leave; Brian and Judith then spend the night together. In the morning, Brian, completely naked, opens the curtains to discover an enormous crowd outside his mother's house which proclaims him to be the Messiah. Brian's mother protests, telling the crowd that "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy" and, "There's no Messiah in here. There's a mess, all right, but no Messiah." All of her attempts at dispersing the crowd are rebuffed. Furthermore, once Brian addresses them, he also finds that he is unable to change their minds. His followers are completely committed to their belief in Brian's divinity. They immediately seize upon everything he says and does as points of doctrine.

text: The hapless Brian is unable to escape his unwanted 'disciples'; even his mother's house is surrounded by an enormous, enraptured crowd. They fling their afflicted bodies at him, demanding miracle cures and divine secrets. After sneaking out the back, Brian is then finally captured and scheduled to be crucified. Meanwhile, yet another huge crowd has assembled outside the palace. Pontius Pilate (together with the visiting Biggus Dickus) tries to quell the feeling of revolution by granting them the choice of one person to be pardoned. The crowd, however, shouts out names containing the letter "r", mocking Pilate's rhotacistic speech impediment. Eventually, Judith appears in the crowd and calls for the release of Brian, which the crowd echoes since the name also contains an "r". Pilate agrees to "welease Bwian".

text: His order is eventually relayed to the guards, but in a scene that parodies the climax of the film Spartacus, various crucified people all claim to be "Brian of Nazareth" and the wrong man is released. Various other opportunities for a reprieve for Brian are denied as, one by one, his "allies" (including Judith and his mother) step forward to explain why they are leaving the "noble freedom fighter" hanging in the hot sun. Hope is renewed when a crack suicide squad from the "Judean People's Front" (not to be confused with the People's Front of Judea) come charging towards the Romans, but rather than fighting to release Brian or the other prisoners, they commit mass suicide as a political protest. Condemned to a long and painful death, Brian finds his spirits lifted by his fellow sufferers, who break into song with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."[7]

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Graham Chapman as Brian, Biggus Dickus, 2nd wise man
John Cleese as Reg, High priest, Centurion of the Yard, Deadly Dirk, Arthur, 1st wise man
Terry Gilliam as Another person further forward (at Mount – "Do you hear that? 'Blessed are the Greek'!"), Blood and Thunder prophet, Geoffrey, Gaoler, Frank
Eric Idle as Mr Cheeky, Stan/Loretta, Harry the Haggler, Culprit woman who casts first stone, Intensely dull youth, Otto, Gaoler's assistant, Mr Frisbee III
Terry Jones as Brian Cohen's mother (Mandy), Colin, Simon the Holy Man, Saintly passer-by
Michael Palin as Mr Big-Nose, Francis, Mrs A, Ex-leper, Ben, Pontius Pilate, Boring Prophet, Eddie, Nisus Wettus, 3rd wise man
Terence Bayler as Gregory
Carol Cleveland as Mrs. Gregory
Kenneth Colley as Jesus Christ
Neil Innes as A Weedy Samaritan
John Young as Matthias
Gwen Taylor as Mrs. Big-Nose
Sue Jones-Davies as Judith Iscariot

text: Several characters remained unnamed during the film but do have names that are used in the soundtrack album track listing and elsewhere. There is no mention in the film of the fact that Eric Idle's ever-cheerful joker is called 'Mr Cheeky', or that the Roman guard played by Michael Palin is named 'Nisus Wettus'.

text: Spike Milligan plays a prophet, ignored because his acolytes are chasing after Brian. By coincidence he was visiting his old World War II battlefields in Tunisia where the film was being made. The Pythons were alerted to this one morning and he was promptly included in the scene that just happened to be being filmed. He disappeared again in the afternoon before he could be included in any of the close-up or publicity shots for the film.[8]

text: Production[edit]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: There are various stories about the origins of Life of Brian. Shortly after the release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Eric Idle flippantly suggested that the title of the Pythons' forthcoming feature would be Jesus Christ – Lust for Glory (a play on the UK title for the 1970 American film Patton).[9] This was after he had become frustrated at repeatedly being asked what it would be called, despite the troupe not having given the matter of a third film any consideration. However, they shared a distrust of organised religion, and, after witnessing the critically acclaimed Holy Grail's enormous financial turnover, confirming an appetite among the fans for more cinematic endeavours, they began to seriously consider a film lampooning the New Testament era in the same way that Holy Grail had lampooned Arthurian legend. All they needed was an idea for a plot. Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam, while promoting Holy Grail in Amsterdam, had come up with a sketch in which Jesus' cross is falling apart because of the idiotic carpenters who built it and he angrily tells them how to do it correctly. However, after an early brainstorming stage, and despite being non-believers, they agreed that Jesus was "definitely a good guy" and found nothing to mock in his actual teachings: "He's not particularly funny, what he's saying isn't mockable, it's very decent stuff", said Idle later.[10] After settling on the name Brian for their new protagonist, one idea considered was that of "the 13th disciple".[9] The focus eventually shifted to a separate individual born at a similar time and location who would be mistaken for the Messiah, but had no desire to be followed as such.

text: Writing[edit]

text: The script was started in December 1976, with a first draft completed by mid-1977. The final pre-production draft was ready in January 1978, following "a concentrated two-week writing and water-skiing period in Barbados".[11] The film would not have been made without Python fan former Beatle George Harrison, who set up HandMade Films to help fund it at a cost of £3 million. Harrison put up the money for it as he "wanted to see the movie" (this was later described by Terry Jones as the "world's most expensive cinema ticket"[12]). The original backers, EMI Films, had been scared off at the last minute by the subject matter, particularly Bernard Delfont.[9] The very last words in the film are: "I said to him, 'Bernie, they'll never make their money back on this one'", teasing Delfont for his lack of faith in the project. Terry Gilliam later said, "They pulled out on the Thursday. The crew was supposed to be leaving on the Saturday. Disastrous. It was because they read the script ... finally."[13] As a reward for his help, Harrison appears in a cameo appearance as Mr. Papadopoulos, "owner of the Mount", who briefly shakes hands with Brian in a crowd scene (at 1:09 in the film). His one word of dialogue (a cheery but out of place Scouse "'ullo") had to be dubbed in later.[citation needed]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Terry Jones was solely responsible for directing, having amicably agreed with Gilliam (who co-directed Holy Grail) that Jones' approach to film-making was better suited for Python's general performing style.[citation needed] Holy Grail's production had often been stilted by their differences behind the camera. Gilliam again contributed two animated sequences (one being the opening credits) and took charge of set design. However, this did not put an absolute end to their feuding. On the DVD commentary, Gilliam expresses pride in one set in particular, the main hall of Pilate's fortress, which had been designed so that it looked like an old Judean temple that the Romans had converted by dumping their structural artifacts (such as marble floors and columns) on top. He reveals his consternation at Jones for not paying enough attention to it in the cinematography. Gilliam also worked on the matte paintings, useful in particular for the very first shot of the three wise men against a star-scape and in giving the illusion of the whole of the outside of the fortress being covered in graffiti. Perhaps the most significant contribution from Gilliam was the scene in which Brian accidentally leaps off a high building and lands inside a starship about to engage in an interstellar war. This was done "in camera" using a hand-built model starship and miniature pyrotechnics, likely influenced by the then recently released Star Wars. Afterwards, George Lucas met Terry Gilliam in San Francisco and praised him for his work.

text: The film was shot on location in Monastir, Tunisia, which allowed the production to reuse sets from Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977).[14] The Tunisian shoot was documented by Iain Johnstone for his BBC film The Pythons. Many locals were employed as extras on Life of Brian. Director Jones noted, "They were all very knowing because they'd all worked for Franco Zeffirelli on Jesus of Nazareth, so I had these elderly Tunisians telling me, 'Well, Mr Zeffirelli wouldn't have done it like that, you know.'"[13] Further location shooting took place in Sousse (Jerusalem outer walls and gateway), Carthage (Roman amphitheatre) and Matmata, Tunisia (Sermon on the Mount and Crucifixion).[15] Graham Chapman, suffering from alcoholism, was so determined to play the lead role – at one point coveted by Cleese – that he dried out in time for filming, so much so that he also acted as the on-set doctor.[8] Following shooting between 16 September and 12 November 1978,[11] a two-hour rough cut of the film was put together for its first private showing in January 1979. Over the next few months Life of Brian was re-edited and re-screened a number of times for different preview audiences, losing a number of entire filmed sequences.[9]

text: Editing[edit]

text: A number of scenes were cut during the editing process. Five deleted scenes, a total of 13 minutes, including the controversial "Otto", were first made available in 1997 on the Criterion Collection Laserdisc.[16] An unknown amount of raw footage was destroyed in 1998 by the company that bought Handmade Films. However, a number of them (of varying quality) were shown the following year on the Paramount Comedy Channel in the UK; it has not been disclosed how these scenes were saved or where they came from; possibly the source was the Criterion laserdisc.[citation needed] The scenes shown included three shepherds discussing sheep and completely missing the arrival of the angel heralding Jesus's birth, which would have been at the very start of the film; a segment showing the attempted kidnap of Pilate's wife (a large woman played by John Case) whose escape results in a fistfight; a scene introducing hardline Zionist Otto, leader of the Judean People's Front (played by Eric Idle) and his men who practise a suicide run in the courtyard; and a brief scene in which Judith releases some birds into the air in an attempt to summon help. The shepherds' scene has badly distorted sound, and the kidnap scene has poor colour quality.[17] The same scenes that were on the Criterion laserdisc can now be found on the Criterion Collection DVD.

text: The most controversial cuts were the scenes involving Otto, initially a recurring character, who had a thin Adolf Hitler moustache and spoke with a German accent, shouting accusations of "racial impurity" at people whose conceptions were similar to Brian's (Roman centurion rape of native Judean women), and other Nazi phrases. The logo of the Judean People's Front, designed by Terry Gilliam,[18] was a Star of David with a small line added to each point so it resembled a swastika, most familiar in the West as the symbol of the anti-Semitic Nazi movement. The rest of this faction also all had the same thin moustaches, and wore a spike on their helmets, similar to those on Imperial German helmets. The official reason for the cutting was that Otto's dialogue slowed down the narrative. However, Gilliam, writing in The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons, said he thought it should have stayed, saying "Listen, we've alienated the Christians, let's get the Jews now". Idle himself was said to have been uncomfortable with the character; "It's essentially a pretty savage attack on rabid Zionism, suggesting it's rather akin to Nazism, which is a bit strong to take, but certainly a point of view".[10] Michael Palin's personal journal entries from the period when various edits of Brian were being test-screened consistently reference the Pythons' and filmmakers' concerns that the Otto scenes were slowing the story down and thus were top of the list to be chopped from the final cut of the film.[15] However, Oxford Brookes University historian David Nash says the removal of the scene represented "a form of self-censorship" and the Otto sequence "which involved a character representative of extreme forms of Zionism" was cut "in the interests of smoothing the way for the film's distribution in America."[19]

text: The only scene with Otto that remains in the film is during the crucifixion sequence. Otto arrives with his "crack suicide squad", sending the Roman soldiers fleeing in terror. Instead of doing anything useful, they "attack" by committing mass suicide in front of the cross ("Zat showed 'em, huh?" says the dying Otto, to which Brian despondently replies "You silly sods!"), ending Brian's hope of rescue (they do however show some signs of life during the famous rendition of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" when they are seen waving their toes in unison in time to the music). Terry Jones once mentioned that the only reason this excerpt was not cut too was due to continuity reasons, as their dead bodies were very prominently placed throughout the rest of the scene. He acknowledged that some of the humour of this sole remaining contribution was lost through the earlier edits, but felt they were necessary to the overall pacing.

text: Otto's scenes, and those with Pilate's wife, were cut from the film after the script had gone to the publishers, and so they can be found in the published version of the script. Also present is a scene where, after Brian has led the Fifth Legion to the headquarters of the People's Front of Judea, Reg (John Cleese) says "You cunt!! You stupid, bird-brained, flat-headed..."[20] The profanity was overdubbed to "you klutz" before the film was released. Cleese approved of this editing as he felt the reaction to the four-letter word would "get in the way of the comedy".[10]

text: An early listing of the sequence of sketches reprinted in Monty Python: The Case Against by Robert Hewison reveals that the film was to have begun with a set of sketches at an English public school. Much of this material was first printed in the Monty Python's The Life of Brian / Monty Python Scrapbook that accompanied the original script publication of The Life of Brian and then subsequently reused. The song "All Things Dull and Ugly" and the parody scripture reading "Martyrdom of St. Victor" were performed on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (1980). The idea of a violent rugby match between school masters and small boys was filmed in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983). A sketch about a boy who dies at school appeared on the unreleased The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album (1981).

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: An album was also released by Monty Python in 1979 in conjunction with the film. In addition to the "Brian Song" and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", it contains scenes from the film with brief linking sections performed by Eric Idle and Graham Chapman. The album opens with a brief rendition of "Hava Nagila" on Scottish bagpipes. A CD version was released in 1997.

text: An album of the songs sung in Monty Python's Life of Brian was released on the Disky label. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was later re-released with great success, after being sung by British football fans. Its popularity became truly evident in 1982 during the Falklands War when sailors aboard the destroyer HMS Sheffield, severely damaged in an Argentinean Exocet missile attack on 4 May, started singing it while awaiting rescue.[21][22] Many people have come to see the song as a life-affirming ode to optimism. One of its more famous renditions was by the dignitaries of Manchester's bid to host the 2000 Olympic Games, just after they were awarded to Sydney. Idle later performed the song as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is also featured in Eric Idle's Spamalot, a Broadway musical based upon Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and was sung by the rest of the Monty Python group at Graham Chapman's memorial service and at the Monty Python Live At Aspen special. The song is a staple at Iron Maiden concerts, where the recording is played after the final encore.

text: Release[edit]

text: For the original British and Australian releases, a spoof travelogue narrated by John Cleese, Away From It All, was shown before the film itself. It consisted mostly of stock travelogue footage and featured arch comments from Cleese. For instance, a shot of Bulgarian girls in ceremonial dresses was accompanied by the comment "Hard to believe, isn't it, that these simple happy folk are dedicated to the destruction of Western Civilisation as we know it!", Communist Bulgaria being a member of the Warsaw Pact at the time. Not only was this a spoof of travelogues per se, it was a protest against the then common practice in Britain of showing cheaply made banal short features before a main feature.

text: Life of Brian opened on 17 August 1979 in five North American theatres and grossed US$140,034 ($28,007 per screen) in its opening weekend. Its total gross was $19,398,164. It was the highest grossing British film in North America that year. Released on 8 November 1979 in the UK,[23] the film was the fourth highest-grossing film in Britain in 1979.

text: On 30 April 2004, Life of Brian was re-released on five North American screens to "cash in" (as Terry Jones put it)[24] on the box office success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. It grossed $26,376 ($5,275 per screen) in its opening weekend. It ran until October 2004, playing at 28 screens at its widest point, eventually grossing $646,124 during its re-release. By comparison, a re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail had earned $1.8 million three years earlier. A DVD of the film was also released that year.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Life of Brian has regularly been cited as a significant contender for the title "greatest comedy film of all time", and has been named as such in polls conducted by Total Film magazine in 2000,[25] the British TV network Channel 4 in 2006[26] and The Guardian newspaper in 2007.[27] Rotten Tomatoes lists it as one of the best reviewed comedies, with a 96% approval rating from 44 published reviews. A 2011 poll by Time Out magazine ranked it as the third greatest comedy film ever made,[28] behind Airplane! and This is Spinal Tap.

text: The BFI declared Life of Brian to be the 28th best British film of all time, in their equivalent of the original AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. It was the seventh highest ranking comedy on this list (four of the better placed efforts were classic Ealing Films).[29] Another Channel 4 poll in 2001 named it the 23rd greatest film of all time (the only comedy that came higher on this occasion was Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, which was ranked 5th).[30]

text: A poll on Bol.com voted "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" (spoken by Brian's mother Mandy to the crowd assembled outside her house) the funniest line in film history.[31] This poll also featured two of the film's other famous lines ("What have the Romans ever done for us?" and "I'm Brian and so's my wife") in the top 10.

text: Reaction[edit]

text: Religious satire and blasphemy[edit]

text: Richard Webster comments in A Brief History of Blasphemy (1990) that "internalised censorship played a significant role in the handling" of Monty Python's Life of Brian. In his view, "As a satire on religion, this film might well be considered a rather slight production. As blasphemy it was, even in its original version, extremely mild. Yet the film was surrounded from its inception by intense anxiety, in some quarters of the Establishment, about the offence it might cause. As a result it gained a certificate for general release only after some cuts had been made. Perhaps more importantly still, the film was shunned by the BBC and ITV, who declined to show it for fear of offending Christians in the UK. Once again a blasphemy was restrained – or its circulation effectively curtailed – not by the force of law but by the internalisation of this law."[32] On its initial release in the UK, the film was banned by several town councils – some of which had no cinemas within their boundaries, or had not even seen the film. A member of Harrogate council, one of those that banned the film, revealed during a television interview that the council had not seen the film, and had based their opinion on what they had been told by the Nationwide Festival of Light, a grouping with an evangelical Christian base, of which they knew nothing.[8]

text: Some bans continued into the 21st century. In 2008, Torbay Council finally permitted the film to be shown after it won an online vote for the English Riviera International Comedy Film Festival.[33] In 2009, it was announced that a thirty-year-old ban of the film in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth had finally been lifted, and the subsequent showing was attended by Terry Jones and Michael Palin alongside mayor Sue Jones-Davies (who portrayed Judith Iscariot in the film).[34][35] However, before the showing, an Aberystwyth University student discovered that a ban had only been discussed by the council and in fact that it had been shown (or scheduled to be shown) at a cinema in the town in 1981.[36][37] In 2013, a German official in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia considered the film to be possibly offensive to Christians and hence subject to a local regulation prohibiting its public screening on Good Friday, despite protests by local atheists.[38][39]

text: In New York (the film's release in the US preceded British distribution), screenings were picketed by both rabbis and nuns ("Nuns with banners!" observed Michael Palin).[10] It was also banned for eight years in Ireland and for a year in Norway (it was marketed in Sweden as "The film so funny that it was banned in Norway").[24] During the film's theatrical run in Finland, a text explaining that the film was a parody of Hollywood historical epics was added to the opening credits.[40]

text: In the UK, Mary Whitehouse, and other traditionalist Christians, pamphleteered and picketed locations where the local cinema was screening the film, a campaign that was felt to have boosted publicity.[41] Leaflets arguing against the film's representation of the New Testament (for example, suggesting that the Wise Men would not have approached the wrong stable as they do in the opening of the film) were documented in Robert Hewison's book Monty Python: The Case Against.

text: One of the most controversial scenes was the film's ending: Brian's crucifixion. Many Christian protesters said that it was mocking Jesus' suffering by turning it into a "Jolly Boys Outing" (such as when Mr Cheeky turns to Brian and says: "See, not so bad once you're up!"), capped by Brian's fellow sufferers suddenly bursting into song. This is also reinforced by the fact that several characters throughout the film claim crucifixion is not as bad as it seems, such as when Brian asks his cellmate in prison what will happen to him, and he replies: "Oh, you'll probably get away with crucifixion", and when Matthias, the old man who works with the PFJ, dismisses crucifixion as "a doddle" and says being stabbed would be worse. The director, Terry Jones, issued the following riposte to this criticism: "Any religion that makes a form of torture into an icon that they worship seems to me a pretty sick sort of religion quite honestly."[8] Religious figures[who?] later responded by saying that Jones did not seem to understand the meaning of the crucifix symbol or its significance to Christians as a reminder of the suffering and death Christ endured for their sake.[citation needed] The Pythons also argued that crucifixion was a standard form of execution in ancient times and not just one especially reserved for Jesus.[42]

text: The Pythons prided themselves on the depths of the historical research they had undertaken before writing the script. They all believe that, as a consequence, the film portrays 1st-century Judea more accurately than actual Biblical epics, with its focus centred more on the average person of the era.[citation needed]

text: Shortly after the film was released, Cleese and Palin engaged in debate on the BBC2 discussion programme Friday Night, Saturday Morning with Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, the Bishop of Southwark, who put forward arguments against the film. Muggeridge and the Bishop, it was later claimed, had arrived 15 minutes late to see a screening of the picture prior to the debate, missing the establishing scenes demonstrating that Brian and Jesus were two different characters, and hence contended that it was a send-up of Christ himself.[10] Both Pythons later felt that there had been a strange role reversal in the manner of the debate, with two young upstart comedians attempting to make serious, well-researched points, while the Establishment figures engaged in cheap jibes and point scoring. They also expressed disappointment in Muggeridge, whom all in Python had previously respected as a satirist (he had recently converted to Christianity after meeting Mother Teresa and experiencing what he described as a miracle). Cleese expressed that his reputation had "plummeted" in his eyes, while Palin commented that, "He was just being Muggeridge, preferring to have a very strong contrary opinion as opposed to none at all."[10] Muggeridge's verdict on the film was that it was "Such a tenth-rate film that it couldn't possibly destroy anyone's genuine faith."

text: The Pythons unanimously deny that they were ever out to destroy people's faith. On the DVD audio commentary, they contend that the film is heretical because it lampoons the practices of modern organised religion, but that it does not blasphemously lampoon the God that Christians and Jews worship. When Jesus does appear in the film (on the Mount, speaking the Beatitudes), he is played straight (by actor Kenneth Colley) and portrayed with respect. The music and lighting make it clear that there is a genuine aura around him. The comedy begins when members of the crowd mishear his statements of peace, love and tolerance ("I think he said, 'blessed are the cheese makers'"). Importantly, he is distinct from the character of Brian, which is also evident in the scene where an annoying and ungrateful ex-leper pesters Brian for money, while moaning that since Jesus cured him, he has lost his source of income in the begging trade (referring to Jesus as a "bloody do-gooder").

text: James Crossley, however, has argued that the film makes the distinction between Jesus and the character of Brian to make a contrast between the traditional Christ of both faith and cinema and the historical figure of Jesus in critical scholarship and how critical scholars have argued that ideas later got attributed to Jesus by his followers. Crossley points out that the film uses a number of potentially controversial scholarly theories about Jesus but now with reference to Brian, such as the Messianic Secret, the Jewishness of Jesus, Jesus the revolutionary, and having a single mother.[43]

text: Not all the Pythons agree on the definition of the movie's tone. There was a brief exchange that occurred when the surviving members reunited in Aspen, Colorado, in 1998.[citation needed] In the section where Life of Brian is discussed, Terry Jones says, "I think the film is heretical, but it's not blasphemous." Eric Idle can be heard to concur, adding, "It's a heresy." However, John Cleese, disagreeing, counters, "I don’t think it's a heresy. It's making fun of the way that people misunderstand the teaching." Jones responds, "Of course it's a heresy, John! It's attacking the Church! And that has to be heretical." Cleese replies, "No, it's not attacking the Church, necessarily. It's about people who cannot agree with each other."

text: In a later interview, Jones said the film "isn't blasphemous because it doesn’t touch on belief at all. It is heretical, because it touches on dogma and the interpretation of belief, rather than belief itself."[44]

text: The film continues to cause controversy; in February 2007, the Church of St Thomas the Martyr in Newcastle upon Tyne held a public screening in the church itself, with song-sheets, organ accompaniment, stewards in costume and false beards for female members of the audience (alluding to an early scene where a group of women disguise themselves as men so that they are able to take part in a stoning). Although the screening was a sell-out, some Christian groups, notably the conservative Christian Voice, were highly critical of the decision to allow the screening to go ahead. Stephen Green, the head of Christian Voice, insisted that "You don't promote Christ to the community by taking the mick out of him." The Reverend Jonathan Adams, one of the church's clergy, defended his taste in comedy, saying that it did not mock Jesus, and that it raised important issues about the hypocrisy and stupidity that can affect religion.[45] Again on the film's DVD commentary, Cleese also spoke up for religious people who have come forward and congratulated him and his colleagues on the film's highlighting of double standards among purported followers of their own faith.[10]

text: Political satire[edit]

text: The film pokes fun at revolutionary groups and 1970s British left-wing politics. "What the film does do is place modern stereotypes in a historical setting, which enables it to indulge in a number of sharp digs, particularly at trade unionists and guerilla organisations".[46] The groups in the film all oppose the Roman occupation of Judea, but fall into the familiar pattern of intense competition among factions that appears, to an outsider, to be over ideological distinctions so small as to be invisible, thus portraying the phenomenon of the narcissism of small differences.[47] Michael Palin says that the various separatist movements were modelled on "modern resistance groups, all with obscure acronyms which they can never remember and their conflicting agendas".[48]

text: The People's Front of Judea, composed of the Pythons' characters, harangue their "rivals" with cries of "splitters" and stand vehemently opposed to the Judean People's Front, the Campaign for a Free Galilee, and the Judean Popular People's Front (the last composed of a single old man,[49] mocking the size of real revolutionary Trotskyist factions). The infighting among revolutionary organisations is demonstrated most dramatically when the PFJ attempts to kidnap Pontius Pilate's wife, but encounters agents of the Campaign for a Free Galilee, and the two factions begin a violent brawl over which of them conceived of the plan first. When Brian exhorts them to cease their fighting to struggle "against the common enemy," the revolutionaries stop and cry in unison, "the Judean People's Front!" However, they soon resume their fighting and, with two Roman legionaries watching bemusedly, continue until Brian is left the only survivor, at which point he is captured.

text: Other scenes have the freedom fighters wasting time in debate, with one of the debated items being that they should not waste their time debating so much. There is also a famous scene in which Reg gives a revolutionary speech asking, "What have the Romans ever done for us?" at which point the listeners outline all forms of positive aspects of the Roman occupation such as sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, public health and peace, followed by "what have the Romans ever done for us except sanitation, medicine, education...". Python biographer George Perry notes, "The People's Liberation Front of Judea conducts its meetings as though they have been convened by a group of shop stewards".[50]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: Literature[edit]

text: Spin-offs include a script-book The Life of Brian of Nazareth, which was printed back-to-back with MONTYPYTHONSCRAPBOOK as a single book. The printing of this book also caused problems, due to rarely used laws in the United Kingdom against blasphemy, dictating what can and cannot be written about religion. The publisher refused to print both halves of the book, and original prints were by two companies.[51]

text: Julian Doyle, the film's editor, wrote The Life of Brian/Jesus, a book which not only describes the filmmaking and editing process but argues that it is the most accurate Biblical film ever made. In October 2008, a memoir by Kim "Howard" Johnson titled Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian was released. Johnson became friendly with the Pythons during the filming of Life of Brian and his notes and memories of the behind-the-scenes filming and make-up.[52]

text: Music[edit]

text: With the success of Eric Idle's musical retelling of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, called Spamalot, Idle announced that he would be giving Life of Brian a similar treatment. The oratorio, called Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy), was commissioned to be part of the festival called Luminato in Toronto in June 2007, and was written/scored by Idle and John Du Prez, who also worked with Idle on Spamalot. Not the Messiah is a spoof of Handel's Messiah. It runs approximately 50 minutes, and was conducted at its world premiere by Toronto Symphony Orchestra music director Peter Oundjian, who is Idle's cousin.[53] Not the Messiah received its US premiere at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, New York. Oundjian and Idle joined forces once again for a double performance of the oratorio in July 2007.[54]

text: Other media[edit]

text: In October 2011, BBC Four premiered the made-for-television comedy film Holy Flying Circus, written by Tony Roche and directed by Owen Harris. The "Pythonesque" film explores the events surrounding the 1979 television debate on talk show Friday Night, Saturday Morning between John Cleese and Michael Palin and Malcolm Muggeridge and Mervyn Stockwood, then Bishop of Southwark.[55]

text: In a Not the Nine O'Clock News sketch, a bishop who has made a scandalous film called The Life of Christ is hauled over the coals by a representative of the "Church of Python", claiming that the film is an attack on "Our Lord, John Cleese" and on the members of Python, who, in the sketch, are the objects of Britain's true religious faith. This was a parody of the infamous Friday Night, Saturday Morning programme, broadcast a week previously. The director of the film (played by Rowan Atkinson) claims that the reaction to the film has surprised him, as he "didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition."

text: Radio host John Williams of Chicago's WGN 720 AM has used "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" in a segment of his Friday shows. The segment is used to highlight good events from the past week in listeners' lives and to generally celebrate the end of the work week.[citation needed] In the 1997 film As Good as It Gets, the misanthropic character played by Jack Nicholson sings "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" as evidence of the character's change in attitude.[56]

text: A BBC history series What the Romans Did for Us, written and presented by Adam Hart-Davis and first broadcast in 2000, takes its title from John Cleese's rhetorical question "What have the Romans ever done for us?" in one of the film's scenes. (Cleese himself parodied this line in a 1986 BBC advert defending the Television Licence Fee: "What has the BBC ever given us?")[57]

text: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in his Prime Minister's Questions of 3 May 2006 made a shorthand reference to the types of political groups, "Judean People's Front" or "People's Front of Judea", lampooned in Life of Brian.[58][59] This was in response to a question from the MP David Clelland, asking "What has the Labour government ever done for us?" – itself a parody of John Cleese's "What have the Romans ever done for us?"

text: On New Year's Day 2007, and again on New Year's Eve, UK television station Channel 4 dedicated an entire evening to the Monty Python phenomenon, during which an hour-long documentary was broadcast called The Secret Life of Brian about the making of The Life of Brian and the controversy that was caused by its release. The Pythons featured in the documentary and reflected upon the events that surrounded the film. This was followed by a screening of the film itself.[8] The documentary (in a slightly extended form) was one of the special features on the 2007 DVD re-release – the "Immaculate Edition", also the first Python release on Blu-ray.

text: Most recently, in June 2014 King's College London, UK, hosted an academic conference[60] on the film, in which internationally renowned Biblical scholars and historians discussed the film and its reception, looking both at how the Pythons had made use of scholarship and texts, and how the film can be used creatively within modern scholarship on the Historical Jesus. In a panel discussion[61] including Terry Jones and Richard Burridge, John Cleese described the event as "the most interesting thing to come out of Monty Python". The papers from the conference have gone on to prompt the publication of a book, edited by Joan E. Taylor, the conference organiser, Jesus and Brian: Exploring the Historical Jesus and His Times via Monty Python's Life of Brian, published by Bloomsbury in 2015.[62]