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Distills and refines the themes of Brazil... and puts them into context. A plot with momentum and purpose that drives the film along nicely. And great acting, too.Cheers
Both of whom give typically atrocious performance. Twelve Monkeys is insufferable bad, even putting aside the bad acting.
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No offense, but you're unambiguously a Conservative ideologue. Brazil's bleak cautionary vision of bureaucratic Big Brother erroding individuality through a New World Order's demanding blind obedience to society's "values" is offensive to NeoCons; it apparently strikes a little too close to home. Terry Gilliam effectively lampoons blind patriotism to a corporate society that increasingly insists on individuals sacrificing their personal identity.Brazil's biting satire skewers the systematic manipulation of personal behavior by corporate ideology, which is very much like what our overpopulated melting pot world has become. Those who resist assimilation into this bureaucratic society are deemed radical or terrorists, a threat to be dealt with, but in the end, it's the complacent society which condones the torture of those who don't submit to the unyeilding system, fantasy being the only escape.
AuPh
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My response was for the benefit of those who might care to read an informed opinion, not those who think you have a clue! ;^)Regards,
AuPh
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;^)
There's a big difference in quality between the original theatrical version and the director's cut. The director's cut comes off as a far more thoughtful and clear message than the vapid original release. The story behind the changes is one of those art imitates life imitates art sagas as well.
I've got the excellent Criterion release, and after watching the director's cut, the original theatrical release is almost unwatchable. The plot is somewhat convoluted in the director's release, and completely unfathomable in the chopped and screwed version.I'd rank it just below my favorite Gilliam movie, 12 Monkeys, as it is a bit draggy in parts, but overall a very good movie.
/*Music is subjective. Sound is not.*/
Guy,"Brazil" was Gilliam's telling of Orwell's "1984". The difference with Orwell is that the Winston character is not only prisoner of a repressive regime with a background of terrorism to justify repression of indiviuality, but instead of Winston's confrontation of his deepest fear in room 107 or whatever it was, Lowry becomes a prisoner of his fantasy life. In this society, his life is so minimal, he is constantly acting out his fantasies on impulse- with the beautiful truck driver (Jill Layton), in his work, and in relationship to the DeNiro character Tuttle- a kind of rouge terrorist plumbing and heating man bucking the system and making the revolutionary protest of skipping Form 27 stroke A- rejecting the repression of bureaucracy for a constructive purpose.
This acting out of his fantasy life ultimately destroys Lowry, as the system under which he lives- full of Orwellian Newspeak, the Memory Hole, and he is in the end helpless against the large scale information/intelligence structure, institutional torture used against terrorism. Anyone that tries to individually oppose this system can barely scratch it, as Lowry discovers. As soon as he substitutes actions for fantasy- he's destroys himself- he too alienated to have any approriate social interaction- no practice with reality.
The title referrs to the song "Brazil" and the connection is that Lowry's fantasy world overtakes him, he is living in "Brazil" -a self-delusional condition- as a state of mind.
It's a relief isn't it, that we don't live in that kind of world full of alienated, delusional people driven by fear, boring paper-pushing jobs, contrived enemies, terrorism, media misinformation, and torture -to a life in a compliant fantasy.
"Brazil" is Gilliam's "Citizen Kane" a really well woven tale, with enough well-timed, dark humour to sugar-coat the underlying tragedy - and it's timeless genius. Every American should be required to watch it once every three years -like all of Gilliam's films, it's about US!
Cheers,
Bambi B
and I thought the film was an instant classic the moment I sat down to watch it (and I'm no lover of futuristic/fantasy NORMALLY). Interesting, too, how the responses *seem* to fall along partisan lines: the conservatives disliking it; the liberals open to it.Thanks again for your input. Appreciate it on 'Outside' as well.
Respect,
Guy* Verbatim and not verboten *
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Excellent summary. Let me add that Gilliam once described "Brazil" as being about "capitalism, American style."
Duh.
I heard a lot about this movie too, a dear friend thought it was the next best thing to sliced bread( in the world of scifi), then I saw it a few months ago...ask me today, what was it about, I don't remember. I do remember the disappointment on first seeing it. Maybe if I saw it 20years ago...maybe...who knows.
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;)
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I really liked it when I saw it 20 (?) years ago. However I think if I were to view Brazil today I would not find it nearly as engaging. Maybe that's because many of the film's "big brother" themes that were so distant then made the film seemed novel and (at times) humorous.) Or perhaps it because I now have a shorter attn span :-)
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Everytime I go into Wal-Mart, those numerous hanging dark spyballs
eeriely remind me of those aerial spyballs in metro-streets an old sci-fi
film I once saw, can't recall exactly which film, may have been "Logan's Run". ~AH
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