8.0/10
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527 user 229 critic

Brazil (1985)

A bureaucrat, in a retro-future world, tries to correct an administrative error, and becomes an enemy of the state.

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(screenplay), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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1,865 ( 34)

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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

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Kathryn Pogson ...
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Spiro
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Storyline

Sam Lowry is a harried technocrat in a futuristic society that is needlessly convoluted and inefficient. He dreams of a life where he can fly away from technology and overpowering bureaucracy, and spend eternity with the woman of his dreams. While trying to rectify the wrongful arrest of one Harry Buttle, Lowry meets the woman he is always chasing in his dreams, Jill Layton. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy has fingered him responsible for a rash of terrorist bombings, and both Sam and Jill's lives are put in danger. Written by Philip Brubaker <coda@nando.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

We're all in it together. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Brazil  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,099, 22 December 1985, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,929,135
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (edited) | (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jill wears a bandage on one of her hands. According to Terry Gilliam, it was added to give her "more personality". See more »

Goofs

When Sam is in Helpmann's office looking at the printer, pre-printed text can clearly be seen on the feeder roll. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Singers: [TV commercial jingle] Central Services: We do the work, you do the pleasure.
TV commercial pitchman: Hi, there. I want to talk to you about ducts.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The closing shot of Lowry incarcerated humming to himself provides the backdrop for the end credits. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mr. Murakami's Garden (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Aquarela do Brasil
Music by Ary Barroso
English Lyrics by Bob Russell
(C) 1939 by Irmaos Visale, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(C) 1939 by Southern Music Publishing Company Inc., New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
(C) obtained 1982 by Peer International Corporation, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
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Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

An extraordinary movie, original, funny and frightening. Terry Gilliam's masterpiece.
6 April 2003 | by See all my reviews

I really can't tell you how much my first viewing of this movie knocked me out. Nearly twenty years ago, before Terry Gilliam's reputation is what it is today, seeing this in a cinema without knowing ANYTHING about it, it was one of the most unforgettable movie experiences of my life! Still is. I was a Python fan since childhood and well aware of Gilliam's animation work, but nothing could prepare you for just how bizarre, funny, scary and disturbing 'Brazil' is. It's still one of the most original and inventive science fiction movies ever made, with a surreal, retro future quite unlike anything seen on a movie screen before or since. Gilliam mixes Python's anarchic, intellectual humour with Orwell, Kafka and Theatre Of The Absurd elements and comes up with something really special. John Sladek kinda sorta wrote some stories in a similar territory before this, and Dean Motter has written some comics since, but 'Brazil' is really in a world of its own! Jonathan Pryce was fairly obscure at the time and an odd choice to play the leading role, but is perfectly cast, and it's hard to think of an actor who would have been as convincing and sympathetic. The rest of the cast includes an amusing cameo from Robert De Niro, Kim Greist (only her second movie, after 'C.H.U.D.' of all things!) as Pryce's love interest, Python's Michael Palin, and a bunch of excellent Brit character actors - Bob Hoskins, Ian Richardson, Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent, etc.etc. It goes without saying that when I praise 'Brazil' I am ONLY referring to Gilliam's cut. This is still an utterly brilliant movie, one of the very best of the last twenty-five years. I can't recommend this movie highly enough, it is a masterpiece pure and simple.


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