Terry Gilliam has always been an ambitious director with wild visions for his films. Sometimes that’s worked out, sometimes it hasn’t. In the case of the follow-up to his successful film Time Bandits, Brazil didn’t work out, at least at the time. Gilliam had a very public battle with Sid Sheinberg, the president and CEO of MCA-Universal at the time, who didn’t want to release Gilliam’s film as it was presented to him. It wasn’t until 1996 when Gilliam’s director’s cut was finally released, but people could tell long before that there was a great film here. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Terry Gilliam series with Andy’s favorite movie, Brazil. We talk about the battle in more depth and how it helped and hurt the film. We chat about why Andy likes it so much and look at what Gilliam is doing in this film that does make it stand out as a great film. We touch on the various versions of the film available and what their differences are. We discuss the nature of dreams vs. reality, of bureaucracy and technology, and the importance of ducts among other things. And we chat about many of the talented people both in front of and behind the cameras. It’s a fantastic film that definitely warrants conversation, so check it out and tune in!
Film Sundries
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Art of the Title
- Flickchart
- 2014’s most influential director: John Carpenter?
- The Battle of Brazil: Terry Gilliam v. Universal Pictures in the Fight to the Final Cut
- Dark Knights & Holy Fools: The Art and Films of Terry Gilliam
