The director of “Life of Brian” said he regrets cutting a “Nazi Jews” scene due to its current relevance in Israel.
The scene in the Monty Python film has been restored to a new DVD edition of the 1979 satire of the life of Jesus. The “Otto” scene depicts a mustachioed first century Jewish fascist whose followers sport symbols combining the Star of David with swastikas.
Terry Jones, the director and an alumnus of the comedy troupe, told the Daily Telegraph in an interview published Monday that he did not cut the scene for taste reasons.
“It was a very funny scene, but it wasn’t relevant, it wasn’t part of the story,” Jones said. “When I took it out, the film just flowed so much better.”
Jones now regrets cutting the scene.
“I think what it addressed is extremely relevant today with what’s going on in Israel,” he said.
Eric Idle, a fellow Python who wrote the scene, “put his finger on something; it was quite prophetic.” Jones said.
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