Brazil (1985)

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

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers:

Terry Gilliam (screenplay), Tom Stoppard (screenplay),

Stars:

Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Pryce	...	Sam Lowry
Robert De Niro	...	Harry Tuttle
Katherine Helmond	...	Mrs. Ida Lowry
Ian Holm	...	Mr. Kurtzmann
Bob Hoskins	...	Spoor
Michael Palin	...	Jack Lint
Ian Richardson	...	Mr. Warrenn
Peter Vaughan	...	Mr. Helpmann
Kim Greist	...	Jill Layton
Jim Broadbent	...	Dr. Jaffe
Barbara Hicks	...	Mrs. Terrain
Charles McKeown	...	Lime
Derrick O'Connor	...	Dowser
Kathryn Pogson	...	Shirley
Bryan Pringle	...	Spiro

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.

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Plot Keywords:

bureaucracy | terrorist | dream | bureaucrat | arrest | 

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Taglines:

Have a laugh at the horror of things to come.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

1984 and 1/2

Filming Locations:

Croydon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$9,929,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min 94 min (edited) 142 min (director's cut) 142 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite a 20 week shooting schedule, it took nine months to finish filming. The film just about came in under budget.

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Goofs

When the inept Mr. Kurtzman (Ian Holm) is trying to find information about Buttle/Tuttle on his computer, he removes his glasses and sets them on his desk. He then punches a key to spy on his workers. A shot of the employees shows they are watching movies rather than tending to their work. The next shot shows Kurtzman with his glasses back on his face as he angrily takes them off again.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Sidney Sheinberg's name is listed in the credits next to Worst Boy. Terry Gilliam and Sheinberg fought notoriously over the content and release of the film.

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Connections

References M (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Brazil"
Performed by Geoff Muldaur and Maria Muldaur
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc
by Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Orwell with a Python twist

This movie did not leave me with a happy feeling when I was done viewing it, but I definitely found it well worth the time. It posits a dark future world where the government has become a gigantic bureaucratic beast. The simplest exchange requires mountains of paperwork and a strict adherence to procedures has replaced anyone's ability to critically think about what they are doing or stand up to the brutality they know lurks around them. Sam Lowry is a man who seems more than happy to live as a cog in the giant machine. When he sleeps, however, he flies through beautiful blue skies towards the woman of his dreams. As he attempts to correct an "oversight" by the Ministry Of Information for whom he works (one of the more obvious nods to Orwell) which has resulted in an innocent man's death, he finds a woman who appears to be the one in his dreams. The line between his dreams and his reality blur ever further as he goes deeper and deeper into the government machine to find out who she is.

Terry Gilliam once again seems to have spared no expense in making sure every visual element of the world adds up to a cohesive whole which makes you feel as if you're really experiencing the characters' surroundings. And, of course, it is a world rendered realistically enough to feel feasible, and yet surrealistically enough to leave an unforgettable impression on you.

Despite the simplicity of the main plot, the movie is full of subtexts and images which carry a message even though you may not see them on the first viewing. In one scene, a man is buying "clean air" from a vending machine along the street. The sides of the highways are walls of billboards which hide the barren environment beyond. A group of people carry a banner that announces "Consumers for Christ" in a store decorated for the holidays as a small child tells Santa she wants a credit card for Christmas. Actually, therein lies one of the things that may turn some people off to this movie. It seems Gilliam had so many things to say about the state of society today that some people may find the movie lacks a coherent message once it's done. The ending will no doubt come as a shock to many people as well, but it was refreshing to me to see something well outside the Hollywood conventions for a change.

My only real complaint was that Robert De Niro's character was so enjoyable, but saw so little use. Other than that, however, I thought it was a film which presents some compelling things which deserve serious thought, even though most people probably won't be able to get past the trademark Gilliam visual quirkiness to see what he is saying. Eight and a half out of ten from me.