Brazil (1985)

A bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers:

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

Stars:

Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

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 (Jonathan Pryce) 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 (Brian Miller), Lowry meets the woman he is always chasing in his dreams, Jill Layton (Kim Greist). Meanwhile, the bureaucracy has fingered him responsible for a rash of terrorist bombings, and Sam and Jill's lives are put in danger.

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Plot Keywords:

bureaucracy | wrongful arrest | dystopia | dream | clerical error | 

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Taglines:

It's only a state of mind.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

The creepy mask Sir Michael Palin wore in this movie was inspired by a similar mask Terry Gilliam's mother gave him once.

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Goofs

After the bombing in the mall (when Jill is holding the suspicious package), Sam Lowry gives his coat to a wounded woman and is apprehended shortly after. In the next scene in the back of the paddy-wagon, Sam is wearing the coat 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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Alternate Versions

There are at least three different versions of Brazil. The original 142 minutes European release, a shorter 132-minutes prepared by Gilliam for the American release and another different version, nicknamed the Sheinberg Edit, from Universal's then boss Sid Sheinberg, against whom Terry Gilliam had to fight to have his version released, A.K.A. the 'Love Conquers All' version.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Men (1999)

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Soundtracks

Brazil
Performed by Geoff Muldaur & Maria Muldaur
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Absurd in the best way.

One of my favorite novels of all time is George Orwell's 1984, and Brazil is very much a comedic interpretation of that. Brazil shows us a hilarious exaggeration of the monotony of machine like run bureaucracy, and man's constant voyage to avoid responsibility. "That's not my department." Everyone seems to say. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a low ranking government employee. When an error leads to the execution of engineer Archibald Buttle (Brian Miller) instead of terrorist Archibald Tuttle (Robert De Niro), Sam attempts to fix this, and inadvertently becomes an enemy of the state. Read that scenario again. This is a funny movie. It's a dark comedy/political satire, and almost every joke works. The nonchalant attitude of the government depicted in the film is where a big chunk of the humor comes from. It's a very smart comedy. Honestly if you like political satire, then Brazil is one we can all enjoy together.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brazil

Filming Locations:

Debenham House, Addison Road, Holland Park, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,099, 22 December 1985

Gross USA:

$9,929,135

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,949,953

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1