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Friday, August 24th

T Gilliam arrives. He’s been writing Brazil with Alverson1 all week. He looks a bit unwell. I think he feels their writing combination is not working as well as it should. He’s also in the middle of a debilitating hassle with Warner’s over the poster. They are determined to use their own wacky in-house ads that they first showed us in LA in June, and which we all immediately and instinctively disliked. But TG and Basil have been unable to produce our own strong alternative. Basil has now given up and Denis O’B, who really doesn’t know quite why we’re making a fuss over the Warner’s poster, is trying to heal the gap.

Saturday, August 25th

Get up a little earlier than I should to buy Variety. Brian is ‘Big 65G’ in New York. There is a full-page ad extolling our opening grosses and an editorial piece headed ‘Is Holy Screed Fair Game For Hokum?’ – which is a fine example of the mid-twentieth century Variety style, and to which the answer is – all together now – if it makes money, yes!

I think that Python has actually stolen a march on the critics with this one. As one admitted, he really didn’t know how to begin a critical assessment of the movie. Similarly, trade press, though obviously liking the movie, are still a little wary – like children in a playground who’ve just found a huge, unopened box of chocolate and aren’t quite sure how much to enjoy it.

Monday, August 27th

Just musing with Helen over our supper that we have not had one phone call all day, when the instrument of terror tinkles. It’s Anne to say that some Jewish groups in the US are offended by Brian and are counselling their followers not to see the movie.

There are worse things going on in the world. Today the Provisional IRA took ‘credit’ for blowing up Lord Mountbatten’s yacht, killing Mountbatten, his fourteen-year-old grandson and another young boy, and wounding four others. Two hours later they killed fourteen soldiers in an ambush.

The Mountbatten thing makes me feel almost physically sick.

Saturday, September 1st

The hot, dry weather continues.

Helen tidies the house like a maniac as soon as she hears Uncle David1 is coming, and it gleams and sparkles by the time the Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough arrives.

A lunch for ten, then we sit around for a while. I do not bring out the copy of Variety I bought this morning, which has one entire page devoted to the condemnations of various religious groups.’Catholic Org Rap Orion For Brian’, ‘Rabbinical Alliance Pours On Condemnation of Life of Brian, ‘Lutheran Broadcast Slam at Life of Brian – Crude, Rude’. It looks as though we may become a major force for ecumenical harmony.

The next page shows that there are as many of open mind as there are of closed – we are the 21st top-grossing movie, despite playing at only three sites.

Uncle David has a habit of pointing to various domestic improvements we’ve had done at great expense and enquiring heartily ‘You’ve made this, have you, Michael?’ I plead incompetence and feel very much the flaccid aesthete in his company.

Monday, September 3rd

Up at seven and out and running down Oak Village by ten past1. A quiet, windless morning with much cloud. Straight up to the crest of Parliament Hill, then through beech and oak woods to Kenwood. A half dozen other runners and as many people again walking their dogs.

I do feel much better prepared for the day. This should be the start of the ‘new work’ season.

Wednesday, September 5th

Attack Parliament Hill in the gleaming early morning sunlight, a haze of warmth to come, through which trees and spires can be glimpsed from across broad fields. The very best morning so far – the freshness of the air and the shafts of sunlight piercing the dark ceiling of oaks and beeches are quite dazzling.

Mind you, I can only move with difficulty for the rest of the day.

George Harrison calls. He has just come back from appearing in court in his continuous saga of the fight for Allen Klein