Brazil (1985)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.
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In short, this is one of the best looking films of all time, right up there with such classics as Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" and Terry Gilliam's "Brazil."
Some sequences are shot to recall images of Humphrey Bogart on the hunt and one character (Harvey Lime) may be named as an homage to The Third Man's Harry Lime.
(The city may remind you of Metropolis or the chaotic cityscape of Brazil.
A rendition of Orwellian dystopia with the comic cynicism of Jacques Tati’s masterpiece Playtime, Brazil is a parable of corporate dominance; it is an environment strewn in propagandistic slogans and scored with the unending rhythm of typewriter keys.
The film is at home with the two Gilliam-directed features to bookend it: 1981's Time Bandits and 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Terry Gilliam ("Jabberwocky"/"Time Bandits"/"The Fisher King") directs an imaginative satire on modern technology in the near future that blends together science-fiction (with Big Brother references to Orwell's 1984), scathing black comedy and fantasy.
Gilliam’s obsession with the potentially overwhelming and dehumanizing nature of technology and materialism (which is particularly pronounced in Brazil, the film he was trying to get off the ground when he cooked up the idea for Time Bandits) is woven throughout the adventure in clever and sometimes bizarre ways, such as the manner in which he evokes the plastic coverings of Kevin’s parents’ furniture in the plastic Evil’s minions wear over their clothes.
The choice comes down to Time Bandits or Brazil.
The colorful set pieces, imaginative design, and physical humor seems aimed at kids, while the dark satire presages Brazil, making it as much an adult film as a children’s fantasy.
This really should come as no surprise when you consider that Terry Gilliam unveiled “Brazil,” the ultimate dark, fantastical social commentary of the 80s, a few years later.
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The plot, vaguely reminiscent of Orwell's 1984, centers on Sam Lawry, a small cog working at the Ministry of Information.
It’s 1984 filtered through Gilliam’s Rube Goldberg, junk-shop vision of the world.
…albeit a spaceship designed by Terry Gilliam, perhaps, for the movie "Brazil."
But, like Terry Gilliam's Brazil , George Orwell's 1984, and other futuristic political satires, A Clockwork Orange is meant to be understood as part allegory, part black comedy, and part drama.
Terry Gilliam ("Jabberwocky"/"Time Bandits"/"The Fisher King") directs an imaginative satire on modern technology in the near future that blends together science-fiction (with Big Brother references to Orwell's 1984), scathing black comedy and fantasy.
The movie is of some interest to fans of Brazil — it’s an early example of Gilliam sharpening his claws on bureaucracy — and the sets by Millie Burns are authentically grungy.
It's a clear calling card and proof that the director had the stuff to go on and make better films like Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) and 12 Monkeys (1995).
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The final movie made by the troupe was The Meaning of Life, which hit screens in 1983.
On a technical level, it's masterful, a warm-up jog for the filmmaker before his career-crunching time with "Brazil," but it's a taxing icebreaker that washes out the Python magic, bludgeoning the viewer before subtle, silly comedy is introduced.
The film is without debate Terry Gilliam’s most ambitious work, referenced keenly in his prior efforts: Time Bandits has a fascistic game show that tempts contestants with elaborate and unnecessary home maintenance equipment; Gilliam’s prologue for The Meaning of Life involves a mutiny against a consumerist corporation.
The two Terrys, Jones and Gilliam, moved into directing with The Holy Grail (Jones would eventually helm the other two Python movies; Gilliam did Time Bandits and Brazil, amongst others).