Sue Jones-Davies, who played Judith Iscariot in Monthy Python's Life of Brian, has become mayor of the Welsh town of Aberystwyth. A town where the movie was banned upon its release 30 or so years ago.
Three weeks into the job, the first thing she is looking to do is to repeal the mid-Wales town's near 30-year ban on the film. Jones-Davies, a Plaid Cymru councillor, who teaches yoga and drama in the town, said it was time for the matter to be reconsidered. 'I think times have moved on a bit and I can't imagine people would still want it banned, although there may be a few who would,' she said.
Like many towns in Wales in the Seventies, Aberystwyth was dominated by the church and its civic leaders took a dim view of anything that mocked established religion. Aberystwyth was not the only Welsh town to ban the film.
Jones-Davies, who has lived in Aberystwyth for 20 years, was astonished to learn upon becoming mayor that the ban was still in place, but understood that it was a product of its time. 'We used to be a town with many, many chapels - it used to be a town that took religion very seriously,' she said. 'So I can imagine that, at the time, the town's elders weren't very sympathetic to the themes and messages in it.'
Ya think? I'm curious as to what the ban entails. OK, so maybe the little town theater (if there is one) can't play it. But haven't people owned VCRs and DVD players over the years? Were they not allowed to own it? How does that work? I'm sure as poorly as any government ban works. But really, how can you ban something that's available the next town over?
