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Brazil

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
199K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,620
434
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Brazil (1985)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for Brazil
Play trailer1:32
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Sci-Fi

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

IMDb RATING
7.9/10
199K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,620
434
  • Director
    • Terry Gilliam
  • Writers
    • Terry Gilliam(screenplay by)
    • Tom Stoppard(screenplay by)
    • Charles McKeown(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Jonathan Pryce
    • Kim Greist
    • Robert De Niro
Top credits
  • Director
    • Terry Gilliam
  • Writers
    • Terry Gilliam(screenplay by)
    • Tom Stoppard(screenplay by)
    • Charles McKeown(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Jonathan Pryce
    • Kim Greist
    • Robert De Niro
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 633User reviews
    • 256Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 8 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos3

    Brazil: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:32
    Brazil: The Criterion Collection
    Brazil (1985)
    Trailer 2:35
    Brazil (1985)
    Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman Find Hope in Powerful, Eclectic Films
    Clip 8:43
    Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman Find Hope in Powerful, Eclectic Films

    Photos182

    Jonathan Pryce in Brazil (1985)
    Jim Broadbent and Katherine Helmond in Brazil (1985)
    Winston Dennis in Brazil (1985)
    Jonathan Pryce and Charles McKeown in Brazil (1985)
    Kim Greist as Jill Layton
    Jonathan Pryce in Brazil (1985)
    Jonathan Pryce and Katherine Helmond in Brazil (1985)
    Jonathan Pryce, Katherine Helmond, Barbara Hicks, and Kathryn Pogson in Brazil (1985)
    Guy Standeven in Brazil (1985)
    Jonathan Pryce and Michael Palin in Brazil (1985)
    Robert De Niro and Jonathan Pryce in Brazil (1985)
    Kim Greist in Brazil (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jonathan Pryce
    Jonathan Pryce
    • Sam Lowryas Sam Lowry
    Kim Greist
    Kim Greist
    • Jill Laytonas Jill Layton
    Robert De Niro
    Robert De Niro
    • Harry Tuttleas Harry Tuttle
    Katherine Helmond
    Katherine Helmond
    • Mrs. Ida Lowryas Mrs. Ida Lowry
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Mr. Kurtzmannas Mr. Kurtzmann
    Bob Hoskins
    Bob Hoskins
    • Spooras Spoor
    Michael Palin
    Michael Palin
    • Jack Lintas Jack Lint
    Ian Richardson
    Ian Richardson
    • Mr. Warrennas Mr. Warrenn
    Peter Vaughan
    Peter Vaughan
    • Mr. Helpmannas Mr. Helpmann
    Jim Broadbent
    Jim Broadbent
    • Dr. Jaffeas Dr. Jaffe
    Barbara Hicks
    Barbara Hicks
    • Mrs. Terrainas Mrs. Terrain
    Charles McKeown
    Charles McKeown
    • Limeas Lime
    Derrick O'Connor
    Derrick O'Connor
    • Dowseras Dowser
    Kathryn Pogson
    Kathryn Pogson
    • Shirleyas Shirley
    Bryan Pringle
    Bryan Pringle
    • Spiroas Spiro
    Sheila Reid
    Sheila Reid
    • Mrs. Buttleas Mrs. Buttle
    John Flanagan
    • T.V. Intervieweras T.V. Interviewer…
    Ray Cooper
    • Technicianas Technician
    • Director
      • Terry Gilliam
    • Writers
      • Terry Gilliam(screenplay by)
      • Tom Stoppard(screenplay by)
      • Charles McKeown(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Philip Brubaker <coda@nando.net>
    • bureaucracy
    • wrongful arrest
    • dystopia
    • dream
    • clerical error
    • 302 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • It's only a state of mind.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Terry Gilliam was asked to do a film class during the filming of this movie at the University of Southern California. Terry agreed, and took advantage of the situation by preparing to bring an "audio visual aid", which was his cut of the movie, which would have been allowed. Unfortunately, two days before the event, students advertised a free screening of the movie. When he arrived, it was announced that Universal Pictures would not allow him to show it. During his speech to the class, he was interrupted by studio executives' phone calls. They eventually allowed him to show a clip. He showed the entire movie, and repeated the screenings for over two weeks. It was during one of these screenings, that Los Angeles, California movie critics saw it, and awarded it the Best Picture of the Year award, which was responsible for getting it released the way Gilliam wanted it.
    • Goofs
      When Harry Tuttle escapes from Sam Lowry's flat, he is wearing a hood covering his head. When Harry starts to zip-line off the precipice, he is replaced by a stunt double wearing a baseball cap.
    • Quotes

      Jill Layton: Care for a little necrophilia? Hmmm?

    • 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.
    • 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 or 'Love Conquers All' version, from Universal's then boss Sid Sheinberg, against whom Terry Gilliam had to fight to have his version released.
    • Connections
      Featured in What Is Brazil? (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Brazil
      Music by Ary Barroso

      English lyrics by Bob Russell (as S.K. Russell)

      © Copyright 1939 by Irmaos Visale, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

      © Copyright 1939 by Southern Music Publishing Company Inc., New York, N.Y., U.S.A.

      © Copyright assigned 1942 to Peer International Corporation, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.

    User reviews633

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Intriguing mixture of comedy and dystopia
    One of the truest statements about originality in art comes from T.S. Eliot: "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal." Terry Gilliam is one of cinema's mature poets. His "Brazil" features homages to numerous other films, ranging from "Modern Times" to "The Empire Strikes Back," and its plot is broadly similar to "Nineteen Eighty-Four." Yet the result is intriguingly fresh and creative.

    The best adjective to describe the movie's tone is "whimsical." It's the type of sci-fi film with an almost childlike fascination with strange sights and happenings. Rarely has a film so pessimistic been this much fun. Many sci-fi films since "Brazil" have attempted a similar approach, usually with little success. The chief problem with most such films (e.g. "The Fifth Element") is that they get bogged down in plot at the expense of emotional resonance. "Brazil" avoids this fate: while the movie possesses psychological and thematic complexity, its plot is fairly simple, and the humor, quirky as it is, never relies on throwaway gags. Even the oddest moments have a certain poignance.

    The story seems to take place in a fascist alternative world. It isn't "the future" exactly. The technology is weird-looking but hardly superior to anything in our world. Money transactions are sent through pipes in what looks sort of like a crude version of ATM. (One of the film's several nods to silent movies occurs after a character tries to stuff one of these pipes with wads of paper.) The pop culture references are positively retro, from the title song to scenes from the film "Casablanca."

    The evil of the government in this film is driven not so much by cruelty as by bureaucratic incompetence, much of which is played for laughs. But some of the scenes look eerie today, in our post-9/11 world, and are good fodder for conspiracy theorists. Pay particular attention to the scene where the official boasts that the government is winning its war against "the terrorists." The movie is ambiguous as to whether there are any real terrorists, and we have a sneaking suspicion that the explosions are caused by the government itself. The plot is set in motion by a typographical error leading an innocent man to be arrested instead of a suspected terrorist. The movie is not about this man but about a meek government worker, Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), who's observing from the sidelines. Robert De Niro has a cameo as the wanted "terrorist" whose crime, from what we see, consists of doing home repairs without the proper paperwork.

    I have noticed that most of the classic dystopian tales are fundamentally similar to one another. But "Brazil" approaches the genre in a uniquely psychological way. Sam Lowry is different from the standard protagonist who rebels against the government due to noble motives. He doesn't seem to have any larger goals than his own personal ones. He isn't trying to make the world a better place. He's only longing for a better life for himself, one more exciting and romantic than the humdrum existence he currently occupies, where he's beset by an overbearing mother, a pitiful boss, and a dull job. In the midst of this bureaucratic nightmare state, he cares only about such matters as getting his air conditioning fixed and stalking a female stranger who physically resembles his fantasy woman--or so he perceives. The woman, as played by Kim Greist, appears in his fantasies as a helpless damsel with long, flowing hair and a silky dress who sits in a cage while he battles a giant Samurai warrior. The real-life woman he pursues, also played by Greist, sports a butch haircut, drives a large truck, and has a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth.

    It's a testament to Pryce's performance that he commands our total sympathy the whole time. We feel for him and go along with the romantic adventure he attempts to create for himself. His nervous, stammering personality is one that would have been easy to overdo, yet Pryce strikes just the right note, especially as we begin questioning the character's sanity. At one point, another character tells him that "You're paranoid; you've got no sense of reality." But who wouldn't be paranoid in such a setting? The scene brings to mind the old joke that goes "You're not paranoid. Everyone really is out to get you." The movie inhabits such a whacky, surreal world full of strange people and sights that Sam Lowry almost seems sensible by comparison. Creating a character like this was a fresh, innovative twist on a genre that normally loses sight of human personalities.
    helpful•158
    72
    • kylopod
    • Sep 25, 2006

    FAQ5

    • Why is the film called "Brazil"?
    • What is the significance of the ducts and air conditioning?
    • What did the giant samurai represent?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1985 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Brasil
    • Filming locations
      • Mentmore Towers, Mentmore, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Embassy International Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $9,929,135
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $30,099
      • Dec 22, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $9,949,953
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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