Brazil
Don Ignacio Clazzek
Week of October 7 - October 13, 2001
Week of October 7 - October 13, 2001
Wow! What a movie! Terry Gilliam directs what is probably his greatest masterpiece (he also directed such films as "Time Bandits" (1981), "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1989), "The Fisher King" (1991), and co-directed "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975)). Released in 1985, Brazil is a must-see! It stars Jonathan Pryce as a clerk in a futuristic society who apparently works for the government. Unfortunately, the government made a grave error (hardly ever happens) and accidentally arrested a poor soul named Mr. Buttle instead of Mr. Tuttle. While Pryce tries to sort everything out, he meets a woman played by Kim Griest, who he happens to have been seeing in a recurring dream of his. (Strange!)
This is the basic gist of the story. Even though I won't get into greater detail with it (I'll leave that up to you!), I would just like to say that it is captivating, interesting, and complex.
Here is why you MUST see this movie: it works like a dream. The audience is presented with a futuristic society where the pop culture of the 40's is re-lived. This is a futuristic society with millions of gadgets that are either annoying or never seem to work. The characters within this story are kind of like us, except to the extreme of the spectrum. The audience can't help but to be intrigued by the characters. Jonathan Pryce is paranoid, Kim Griest is a tomboy, Ian Holm is a timid clerk, Michael Palin is an egotistical British-type, Robert De Niro is an adventurous outlaw, and Katherine Helmond (playing Pryce's mother) is obsessed with plastic surgery. The characters are very fun to watch.
This movie, though quite dark, is really quite an outrageous satire. It is infested with clever humor (remember that director Gilliam is a Monty Python veteran)! This certainly isn't like a Jim Carrey flick; much of the humor requires intelligence. Terry Gilliam earlier proved his magnificent ability to direct with "Time Bandits" (one of my personal favorites!) and has managed to even further master it with "Brazil."
The most amazing scenes in this movie revolve around Pryce's recurring dream sequences. He dreams he is a metallic bird, 80's style, who flies around trying to rescue Griest. He ends up having to battle some reflective mirror guy who has the ability to disappear and reappear. These scenes are also laced with great special effects (for the 80's, ya know) and are a pure treat to watch!
I enjoyed this movie fully until the end!
FINAL VERDICT: A
A magnificent film! There are no flaws worth noting. This is an absolute must-see! It's completely deserving for the exquisite graphics and to be named Don Ignacio’s first CLAZZEK!
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History:
Released: December 18, 1985
Domestic Gross: $9,929,000
Academy Awards Nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Original Screenplay
Other Awards: Best Film (LA Film Critics Association)
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Full Cast:
Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Michael Palin, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Bob Hoskins, Derrick O'Connor, Charles McKeown, Barbara Hicks, Kathryn Pogson, Jim Broadbent, Jack Purvis, Bryan Pringle, Shelia Reed
Directed by:
Terry Gillium
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1985 comedy
Rated R.
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Don Ignacio's score: A
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