Brazil

Directed by	Terry Gilliam
Written by	Terry Gilliam Tom Stoppard Charles McKeown
Starring	Jonathan Pryce Robert De Niro Kim Greist Michael Palin Katherine Helmond Bob Hoskins Ian Holm
Produced by	Arnon Milchan
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	February 20, 1985
Runtime	131 min.
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
IMDb page

Brazil (first released on February 20, 1985) is a dystopic comedy film directed by Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. It was written by Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard. It stars Jonathan Pryce, and features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm. DVD box art for the movie Brazil This is a DVD cover. ... Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American film director and a member of the Monty Python comedy group. ... Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American film director and a member of the Monty Python comedy group. ... Sir Tom Stoppard OM (born July 3, 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright, famous for plays such as The Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and for the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love. ... Jonathan Pryce (b. ... Robert De Niro Robert De Niro, Jr. ... Michael Edward Palin (born May 5, 1943 in Sheffield, Yorkshire) is a British comedian and television presenter. ... Katherine Helmond (born July 5, 1934 as Catherine Marie Helmond in Galveston, Texas) is an American film and television actress. ... Robert William Bob Hoskins (born October 26, 1942) is a British actor who specialises in playing Cockney rough diamonds and/or gangsters and in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). ... Sir Ian Holm CBE (born September 12, 1931) is a British actor. ... Arnon Milchan (1945-) is movie producer and businessman. ... Universal Studios logo Universal Studios is a famous Hollywood movie studio located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, which is in the San Fernando Valley. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A dystopia (alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia or anti-utopia) is the antithesis of a utopian society. ... A comedy film is a film laced with humor or that may seek to provoke laughter from the audience. ... The Monty Python troupe in 1970. ... Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American film director and a member of the Monty Python comedy group. ... Terry Gilliam Terence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American film director and a member of the Monty Python comedy group. ... Sir Tom Stoppard OM (born July 3, 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright, famous for plays such as The Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and for the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love. ... Jonathan Pryce (b. ... Robert De Niro Robert De Niro, Jr. ... Michael Edward Palin (born May 5, 1943 in Sheffield, Yorkshire) is a British comedian and television presenter. ... Katherine Helmond (born July 5, 1934 as Catherine Marie Helmond in Galveston, Texas) is an American film and television actress. ... Robert William Bob Hoskins (born October 26, 1942) is a British actor who specialises in playing Cockney rough diamonds and/or gangsters and in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). ... Sir Ian Holm CBE (born September 12, 1931) is a British actor. ...

Synopsis

Set "somewhere in the 20th century", the retro-futuristic world of Brazil is a gritty urban hellhole patched over with cosmetic surgery and "designer ducts for your discriminating taste". Automation pervades every facet of life from the toaster and coffee machine to doorways, but paperwork, inefficiency, and mechanical failure are the rule. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... An example in Shanghai of a retro-futuristic design in architecture Retro-futurism describes the return to the fanciful depictions of the future produced many years ago called futurology. ... A dystopia (alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia or anti-utopia) is the antithesis of a utopian society. ... Plastic surgery is a general term for operative manual and instrumental treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons. ... Automation (ancient Greek: = self dictated) or Industrial Automation is the use of computers to control industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operators. ... A toaster is a machine for toasting food such as sliced bread and bagels. ... Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ...

The story begins with Sam Lowry (Pryce), a low-level bureaucrat whose primary interests in life are his vivid dream fantasies to the tune of a 1940s big-band hit "Brazil", inadvertently getting involved with terrorist intrigue when his dream woman (Greist) turns up as the neighbor of a man ("Buttle") arrested as a terrorist instead of another man ("Tuttle") on account of a typographical error. Other people in Sam's life include the real Harry Tuttle (De Niro), the terrorist who is actually a renegade heating technician and the intended target of Buttle's arrest order; Jack (Palin), a family man and childhood friend of Sam's whose actual occupation is a government torturer; and Sam's mother (Helmond). It also features his nervous boss played by Ian Holm and a friend of his mother who undergoes a series of disturbing cosmetic surgeries. A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government. ... Dreaming is the subjective experience of imaginary images, sounds/voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep, usually involuntarily. ... See fantasy for an account of the literary genre involving the development of common or popular fantasies. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... Terrorism is a controversial term with multiple definitions. ... Terrorism is a controversial term with multiple definitions. ... Aspects of torture Incrimination of innocent people One well documented effect of torture is that with rare exceptions people will say or do anything to escape the situation, including untrue confessions and implication of others without genuine knowledge, who may well then be tortured in turn. ... Mother with her child (Sculpture) A mother is typically the biological or social female parent of a child or offspring while the male parent is the father. ...

A mysterious wave of terrorist bombings is met by an increasingly powerful Ministry of Information (MOI), whose jackbooted thugs never admit to arresting and torturing the wrong man. Sam's simultaneous pursuit of the truth and the woman draws him into the higher echelons of the Ministry, despite Jack's repeated efforts to warn him that his quest will inevitably bring Sam into more danger than he can cope with. Massive ordinance air-burst bomb. ... A ministry is a department of a government, led by a minister. ... Information is a term with many meanings depending on context, but is as a rule closely related to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... Thuggee (or tuggee) (from the Sanskrit root sthag (Pali, thak), to conceal, mainly applied to fraudulent concealment) was an Indian cult worshipping Kali whose members were known as Thugs. ...

Analysis

Gilliam refers to this film as the second of a trilogy of movies, including Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989). He notes that the three films share a related theme of the struggle for imagination and free thinking in a world constantly suppressing such ideas. A trilogy is a set of three works of art, usually literature or film, that develop a single theme even though they are generally created at different times. ... Time Bandits (first released on July 13, 1981) is a fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam (who created animations for Monty Pythons Flying Circus), produced by George Harrisons Handmade Films. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville (as the Baron), Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Robin Williams and a great many more. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Imagination is, in general, the power or process of producing mental images and ideas. ... Freethought is the idea and practice of forming ones opinions independent of tradition, authority and established belief. ...

The plot has some confusing points, the most notable being the instant hate-to-love transition made by the female lead for the hero Sam. It is also packed with visual detail. The film incorporates many references to the final episode of The Prisoner. Hate or hatred is an emotion of intense revulsion, distaste, enmity, or antipathy for a person, thing, or phenomenon; a desire to avoid, restrict, remove, or destroy its object. ... A heart, a symbol of love Love has many meanings in English, from something that gives a little pleasure (I loved that food) to something one would die for (patriotism, pairbonding). ... Sir Galahad, a hero of Arthurian legend In many myths and folk tales, a hero is a man or woman (the latter often called a heroine), traditionally the protagonist of a story, legend or saga, who commonly possesses abilities or character far greater than that of a typical person, which... The Prisoner was a controversial 1967 UK television series, starring Patrick McGoohan, created by McGoohan and George Markstein. ...

In further analysis of the film's core ideas it can become quite difficult to come to concrete conclusions. Where exactly does Sam slip from reality into fantasy? Do terrorists actually exist, or is it simply the MOI staging bombings to give reason for its existence? Analysts from the political left also raise the question whether parallels are meant to be made between the world of Brazil and either the societies of the United Kingdom under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1979 - 1990) or the United States under President Ronald Reagan (1981 - 1989) both contemporary to the film's production, while analysts from the political right draw parallels between Brazil's government bureaucracy with communism, social-democracy and socialism, in analogy to Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (though Orwell was himself a Democratic socialist). The movie can thus be interpreted from a civil libertarian perspective from either the political left or right. The term Parallel has a number of important meanings: Parallel (geometry) occurs in geometry. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925), born Margaret Hilda Roberts, is a British stateswoman and was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the only woman as of 2005 to serve in that position, and the... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 40th President Vice President: George H.W. Bush Term of office: 20 January 1981 – 20 January 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: 6 February 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: 5 June 2004 Place of death: Bel-Air... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about communism as a form of society built around a gift economy, as an ideology that advocates that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... A red carnation held in a closed fist is the international symbol of social democracy. ... The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Orwell (or Orwellian) can refer to: The writer Eric Blairs pen name, George Orwell and his books The River Orwell in Suffolk, England The village of Orwell in Cambridgeshire, England A number of places in the United States: Orwell Township, Minnesota Orwell, New York Orwell, Ohio Orwell Township, Pennsylvania... A centennial printing of Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (often 1984) is a political novel written by George Orwell. ... Democratic socialism is a political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. ... Civil libertarian refers to one who is actively concerned with the protection of individual liberty. ...

Cinematically, the film has been viewed as a dark parody of science fiction adventure films (the film has been specifically referred to as lampooning Star Wars, but the same sentiment could also apply to similar themed works that came after, such as The Matrix). Such films often feature a reluctant, ordinary citizen being transformed into a hero against a faceless, omnipresent dictatorship. Brazil lampoons many features of the genre. The government's evil troops are portrayed as regular Joes whose deaths at the hands of the hero are as much murder as the deaths of their own victims. The government is not made up of malevolent minions, but merely ordinary men and women who are only doing their jobs, oblivious to the resulting suffering. The hero's attempts to save his love only culminate in her death, and ultimately his resistance to the state's all-powerful authority only leads to his own ruination. For the film originally released under the name Star Wars, see Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... The Matrix is a film first released in the USA on March 31, 1999, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (Andy and Larry). ...

Controversy over the ending

As with Blade Runner, a version of the film was created by the movie studio with a more consumer-friendly "happy ending". Blade Runner is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1982, depicting a dark, dystopic vision of Los Angeles in November 2019. ... A movie studio is a company which develops, equips and maintains a controlled environment for the making of a film. ...

Gilliam's original cut of the film ended on a dark note: the protagonist's improbable defeat of the Ministry of Information, followed by his escape to the countryside with his lover, is abruptly revealed to be nothing more than a hallucination. In reality, Lowry has gone insane from his torture at the hands of the Ministry, and his dream of escape is nothing more than a flight into fantasy within his shattered mind. Presumably, this also means that Lowry's lover was executed by the Ministry's stormtroopers in an earlier scene.

Universal Studios executives thought the ending tested poorly, and wanted Gilliam to cut out the final reveal, and simply show Sam and Jill escaping to a life in the countryside, creating the so-called "love conquers all" ending. This version of the film was eventually shown on American television, much to the consternation of Gilliam. Universal Studios logo This article is about the Universal Studios movie studio and Universal Hollywood theme park. ...

Production and release history

The movie, a production of producer Arnon Milchan's company Embassy International Pictures (not to be confused with Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures), was released internationally outside of the U.S. by 20th Century Fox in Gilliam's original 142-minute version, while Universal handled U.S. distribution. Universal chairman Sid Sheinberg and Gilliam disagreed over the film; Sheinberg insisted on dramatically re-editing the film to give it a happy ending, which Gilliam resisted vigorously. Embassy Pictures Corporation (aka Embassy Film Associates) was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate and The Lion in Winter. ... 20th Century Fox logo Fox Plaza, the company headquarters. ... Universal Studios logo Universal Studios is a famous Hollywood movie studio located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, which is in the San Fernando Valley. ...

The movie was shelved by Universal as the argument continued, but Brazil, though still unreleased, was awarded the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for "Best Picture". Gilliam took out a full-page ad in the trade magazine Variety saying only, "Dear Sid Sheinberg, When are you going to release my film 'Brazil'?" Two weeks after the award, Universal was shamed into releasing a modified 131-minute version supervised by Gilliam, in 1985. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) was founded in 1975. ... See also: 1984 in film, other events of 1985, 1986 in film, list of years in film. Events Top grossing films Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson Rambo: First Blood Part II, starring Sylvester Stallone Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone The Color Purple...

Upon release, Brazil performed poorly at the box office. Audiences were confused. Nonetheless, the film remains a cult favorite, particularly among Gilliam's fans. In tone and setting, it has similarities to Gilliam's later reality-twisting Twelve Monkeys, and the controversy about the film's ending is reminiscent of Blade Runner. The term box office can refer to either: A place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue The amount of business a particular production, such as a movie or theatre show, does. ... A cult film is a movie that attracts a small but devoted group of obsessive fans or one that has remained popular over successive years amongst a small group of followers. ... Twelve Monkeys is a 1995 science fiction time travel movie directed by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam and inspired by the short film La Jetée. ... Blade Runner is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1982, depicting a dark, dystopic vision of Los Angeles in November 2019. ...

Brazil has also been compared to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four; in fact, Gilliam's working title for the movie was 1984½. Terry Gilliam claimed he had not read Nineteen Eighty-Four before making Brazil. George Orwell George Orwell was the pen name of British author Eric Arthur Blair (June 25, 1903 – January 21, 1950). ... A centennial printing of Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (often 1984) is a political novel written by George Orwell. ...

The 131-minute U.S. version was released on VHS and LaserDisc. The original European cut is currently available on DVD. Top view VHS cassette with US Quarter for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed The Video Home System, better known by its acronym VHS, is a recording and playing standard for video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by JVC (with some of its critical technology under lucrative... Pioneers LaserDisc Logo The Laserdisc (LD) was the first commercial optical disc storage medium, and was used primarily for the presentation of movies. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

Sheinberg's edit, the so-called "love conquers all" version, was shown on syndicated television, and is available as an extra on the Criterion Collection DVD release of the film. The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the mid 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on the laserdisc and DVD formats. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

In 2004 the magazine Total Film named Brazil the 20th greatest British movie of all time. This is a list of film-related events in 2004. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles on various subjects. ... Total Film, published by Future Publishing, is the United Kingdoms second best-selling film magazine, after the far longer established Empire from Emap. ...

In 2005 TIME magazine's film reviewers, Richard Corliss and Richard Schikel named Brazil in an unranked list of the 100 best films of all time. This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Trivia

• Although there is never a clear explanation within the film as to why it is called Brazil, this is in fact the name of the piece of music used as a basis for the film's score: Aquarela do Brasil by Ary Barroso.
• An alternative ending to the "love conquers all" version was proposed by the studio, finishing when the Ministry of Information is blown up; Gilliam referred to this as "the Rambo ending".
• Jack's "triplets" are played by Gilliam's daughter Holly. In one scene Jack calls her by another triplet's name, to which she replies: "My name's Holly"
• The shadowy smoking figure that stalks Sam at various points in the film is played by an uncredited Terry Gilliam.
• Jill's truck is a Scammell Commander.

Rambo is a trilogy of popular action films based on the characters created by David Morrell in his novel First Blood. ... The driver of a car transporter truck prepares to offload Skoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For further uses of the word truck, see Truck (disambiguation). ... Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of trucks, particularly specialist and military off-highway vehicles from 1921 to 1988. ...

External links

• Brazil at the Internet Movie Database
• The Terry Gilliam Files: The Saga of Brazil
• lyrics to Russell/Barroso song Brazil
• Rotten Library Brazil page
• several articles comparing "Brazil" to Bush's America