OK, fine. I'll write a review myself. It's not as fancy or clever as your "official" reviews, but dammit, it's real.
***
Brazil is the kind of film that gives Joe Average Moviegoer nightmares. So perhaps that's why it's never been reviewed, because the Mutants are cowardly pansies. It's dystopian, satiric and very visual. What it isn't, however, is linear or coherent.
Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a complacent bureaucrat who continually turns down the promotions his rich mother (Katherine Helmond) secures for him. Sam would rather wallow in happy mediocrity than risk the uncertain. That is, until a paperwork snafu brings an innocent man in for interrogation as a terrorist. The family man dies under torture, and his neighbor Jill begins storming the Ministry of Information looking for answers. Sam sees her, and romanticizes Jill's crusade into a heroic struggle against the life he's safely led for so long.
Sam is a dreamer, and much of the movie takes place in his subconscious. Gilliam doesn't always distinguish between Sam's waking life and his dreams, although it's safe to say that when Sam's angel avatar fights the samurai warriors, he's not awake. But is Jill a terrorist, or is it all in Sam's head? Is Tuttle (Robert De Niro) a renegade hero, or just a non-union plumber? Ever felt like you were drowning in paperwork? How extreme can cosmetic plastic surgery be? At what point does the movie leave reality completely?
Director Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame, seriously forgot that his movie studio (20th Century Fox) releases movies to make money. Understandably, Fox took one look at Brazil, and called in the nearest studio hack to "fix it," thus leading to one of the larger artistic battles in cinema history. Gilliam took out antagonistic advertisements and held guerrilla screenings to force the studio to release his project as it was. Oddly enough, he won.
The TV edit (also known as the "Love Conquers All" version) is a travesty against mankind, mostly because it's dull, uneven and trite. Don't watch it unless you've seen the real thing and you like banging your head against a wall.
Brazil is packed with top-notch actors. Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Ian Richardson and Jim Broadbent, plus Python alumnus Michael Palin, all make appearances. The script was co-written by Tom Stoppard, Gilliam, and Charles McKeown (who himself has a small role). Its pedigree is impeccable. Watch this movie. Now.
Didja Notice? (some sources IMDb)
• Gilliam's daughter, Holly, plays Jack Lint's young daughter with the unusual "willy" fixation.
• Mrs. Lowry's post-surgery self looks like Jill. Can you say Oedipal?
• Mr. Helpman's password is an anagram for Jeremiah, Sam's father's name.
• An early title for the film was "1984 and a 1/2"
• The movie's title comes from the name of the theme song. The lyrics recount a romantic tryst in a distant paradise.
• Brazil is often referred to as the second movie in a trilogy including Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The characters in the three films are said to represent the stages of man.
• MRFH bites! Hell, put this up and say it's written by Gigi. I don't care.
Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?It is if you like the theme song. It's catchy.
Intermission! (source IMDb)
Sidney Sheinberg's name is listed in the credits next to Worst Boy. Gilliam and Sheinberg fought notoriously over the content and release of the film.
Official and Not-So-Official Websiteswww.faqs.org/faqs/movies/brazil-faq/Groovy QuotesGuard: Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating.
Sam Lowry: How are the twins?
Jack Lint: Triplets.
Sam Lowry: My, how time flies!
Arresting Officer: This is your receipt for your husband … and this is my receipt for your receipt.
Jill Layton: Care for a little necrophilia?
DVD ReviewThe Criterion Collection has a fabulous three-disk set, complete with a documentary on the studio battles, and the much despised "Love Conquers All" edit.
If you liked this movie, try these:• 12 Monkeys
• Time Bandits
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
• Hell, anything by Gilliam
