51 - Brazil

[criterionmaster]

- All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary by Gilliam
- Optional English subtitles
- An essay by Jack Mathews
- 30-minute on-set documentary, "What Is Brazil?"
- "The Battle of Brazil: A Video History"
- Storyboards, drawings, and publicity and production stills
- Raw and behind-the-scenes footage
- Video interviews with the production team
- Theatrical trailer
- 94-minute "Love Conquers All" version
- Audio essay by journalist David Morgan

[agentknight]

One of my favourites. Great stuff.

[ie]

So, Brazil.

I gave it a 7/10, and honestly, I have no interest in ever seeing it again.


I respect Brazil; I don't hate it nor does it hate me. It had some really interesting ideas and pulled them off fairly well.

I just didn't really enjoy the movie myself, partially because I do not enjoy Orwellian stories, and partially because the movie just didn't do it for me. Oh well, it happens. At least I saw it.

SPOILER: Click to show

Did anyone notice that the papers that cover Tuttle at the end of the movie was cleverly referenced for the posters for Office Space?



Good catch, eh?

edit: Cman told me, before I viewed the movie, that I would hate the ending. Since I'm here, I'll tell you what I thought. I had no idea what the hell happened, actually. It was a bit of a curveball, to bring it back to the Orwellian story that Gilliam lifted so carefully, but it just didn't make too much sense to me. So, I didn't hate the ending, maybe it was a bit of a botch, but those things happen.

[kiddo]

I fell quite the same way about Brazil. While it has many clever elements, ideas and points, I never was amazed, nor completely satisfied. I think some of what it tries to say, is very good, so I'm sad that it doesn't hold up to it's greater parts. In addition to other things, I love how it makes fun of societies 'obsession' with papers and documents.

I also think the scene where the two (or three, I don't remember) old ladies talk about their looks, while terrorists blow up the restaurant (seriously, no spoiler). It's a genuis scene, and maybe the best in the whole film.

And not to mention this picture, which says a whole lot:

[criterionmaster]

I really like Brazil but my love for it is dying off. At first it was good, then I thought about it and it became great, now I am realizing I don't like it that much. It is a good film, and like you guys stated it has many great elements but some things just don't work that well. And it tries a little to hard. I do want to hear what others think of the film, because I know there are people on here who love it (Agentknight, Andruini, ptahole).

[ie]

No comment on the Brazil reference with the Office Space posters? I think it's pretty spot-on, but I'm not sure if someone else did it first, or if the people behind Office Space got it from a different source.


Oh yeah, there a couple points where I just groaned at how fucking stupid they were. The one I remember most is the singing telegram lady that you knew was meant to be funny but wasn't, although the singing response was kind of witty.


Overall, you other people who love it, post why you love it and there will be great discussion, for great justice!

[captainofbeef]

It swirling, its beautiful, its black, its a masterwork. Also, I think its is the best depiction of one of my favorite books, 1984. Every performance is spot on and every shot is well timed and perfectly executed. I don't think there is a better description of sci-fi perfection on screen.

[ie]

andruini said:

I wish they would just let him make a film like he wants to make it.

I don't think the world would care for a quadzillion dollar budget for a movie by some guy who was in Monty Python.


I honestly don't think of Brazil as much of a masterpiece. Sure, it's got some great ideas as I've mentioned earlier, and I don't have the hate towards it, I just think the title of "masterpiece" should be suited for more even works.



I haven't really looked around much, but could someone tell me what happened in the ending? (Which I did see but was quite close to being baffled over.) I had no idea what the hell happened, and I think it might help if someone explained it for me.

[kiddo]

ie said:

I honestly don't think of Brazil as much of a masterpiece. Sure, it's got some great ideas as I've mentioned earlier, and I don't have the hate towards it, I just think the title of "masterpiece" should be suited for more even works.

That is a banal thing to say. I can see why people call this a masterpiece, it has so much great in it. But in my view, it mess it all up because of it's inability to stop when it should stop. The message is fantastic, and in some scenes Gilliam manage to convey it nearly geniously.

To say "I just think the title 'masterpiece' should be suited for more even works" is somewhat a pretentious thing to say.

[captainofbeef]

ie said:

andruini said:

I wish they would just let him make a film like he wants to make it.

I don't think the world would care for a quadzillion dollar budget for a movie by some guy who was in Monty Python.

That is a remark that comes from someone who has no idea about Terry Gilliam's films. He is one of the most talented directors working today and his films are excellent 85% of the time. I would personally love to see a big budgeted film directed by him. It would be excellent because Gilliam is a genious. His Python career has nothing to do with his visions as a director.

[ie]

That is partially true.

However, as I am not an obsessed fanboy that wildly attacks anyone whose opinion is even slightly negative (not saying that you are, BeeD, but considering how harsh you were, it would not be unreasonable), saying that he is a "guy who was in Monty Python" would be a reasonable because not everyone has heard of Brazil (I told a friend of mine who likes movies that I saw Brazil and he was like "that's probably not about Brazil...") or some of his other non-Python work. They may have seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but were more interested in the original writer, Hunter S. Thompson, than the director.

I also know that Brazil had a budget that almost boarded on excess, so as a joke, the movie Gilliam would make if he were given unlimited access to anything would be an even bigger budget movie, thus the quadzillion dollar budget.


That was just suppose to be a witty joke about Gilliam, not a personal attack against you BeeD. Jeez.

[ie]

kiddo said:

ie said:

I honestly don't think of Brazil as much of a masterpiece. Sure, it's got some great ideas as I've mentioned earlier, and I don't have the hate towards it, I just think the title of "masterpiece" should be suited for more even works.

That is a banal thing to say. I can see why people call this a masterpiece, it has so much great in it. But in my view, it mess it all up because of it's inability to stop when it should stop. The message is fantastic, and in some scenes Gilliam manage to convey it nearly geniously.

To say "I just think the title 'masterpiece' should be suited for more even works" is somewhat a pretentious thing to say.

Perhaps. I just don't think a masterpiece is a movie that is all messed up. For example, Game of Death would have been an epic masterpiece that could have changed the world, had Bruce Lee been able to finish it. Now, it's just a movie to check out if you want to know some cultural references and maybe see part of Lee's vision.

Similarly, you may consider Brazil a masterpiece and that's fine. I just don't consider it to be a masterpiece.

[kiddo]

I don't think it's a masterpiece. But I can see why people think it is exactly that. It has so much good in it, as I have said many times, but ultimately the film doesn't work as a whole - for me.

[ie]

Okay, so we're on the same page. This is good.



...Anyone want to try explaining the ending?

[captainofbeef]

I would not be a Gilliam fan boy thank you very much. I don't like everything he puts out and none of his films are in my top 25 favorites but he deserves respect.

[ie]

Okay. And like I've said before, I respect the man and his work, but I'd be lying to myself if I were to call Brazil a masterpiece, because I don't see it as such.

I respect Brazil, and it's good that other people like it, but as I've mentioned before, I just don't care for the Orwellian stories. I can understand how they're meant to stir people to action, but most tend to leave me feeling the exact opposite.

[criterionmaster]

ie said:

That is partially true.

However, as I am not an obsessed fanboy that wildly attacks anyone whose opinion is even slightly negative (not saying that you are, BeeD, but considering how harsh you were, it would not be unreasonable), saying that he is a "guy who was in Monty Python" would be a reasonable because not everyone has heard of Brazil (I told a friend of mine who likes movies that I saw Brazil and he was like "that's probably not about Brazil...") or some of his other non-Python work. They may have seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but were more interested in the original writer, Hunter S. Thompson, than the director.

I also know that Brazil had a budget that almost boarded on excess, so as a joke, the movie Gilliam would make if he were given unlimited access to anything would be an even bigger budget movie, thus the quadzillion dollar budget.


That was just suppose to be a witty joke about Gilliam, not a personal attack against you BeeD. Jeez.

People who don't know who Gilliam is outside of Monty Python should be kicked in the balls (just kidding, or am I?). I would have come and backed up Gilliam if beed hadn't. Why? Because he is an excellent filmmaker who has a vision of making original films, with a unique style, unlike almost everyone working today. He has many other great films too, so don’t look at this film only and then not see any of his others.

Not sure if you know the story behind the film but the studio took his film away from him and edited a new copy of the film and Gilliam had to go through hell to get his vision out. (You can see both versions in the Criterion box set) To be able to do what he did with his budget is a testament to great filmmaking, like I said before he has originality, a style like no one else.

As for the ending, can't help you. I now the images that are shown but as for the exact meaning I think it is up to the viewer. But…

SPOILER: Click to show

It is a down ending, he dies for it but those images are either happening or not, we only know that he is killed. You can believe what you want to.

[PTAhole]

I will defend Gilliam by saying that he has made at least three masterworks (Brazil, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys) and has co-directed another (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) Brazil is maybe the greatest example of single-minded, brilliant filmmaking to come along in the past fifty or sixty years. The Fisher King is a comedic masterwork, and 12 Monkeys is the best time travel film ever made. No matter that you LIKE his films or not, when you walk into a Gilliam film, you know you'll get something completely original, and while not always brilliant, something that will stick with you.
Plus Monty Python kicks ass, and you know it, Dan.