Brazil
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Movie Reviews of Brazil
Movie Review: Somewhere soon --
Summary: 5 Stars
If film is where one finds the Cryptocracy communicating its coded messages and telegraphing its next move, "Brazil" may be an early pre-figuring of the world we find ourselves in now. Consider how the movie begins: as the camera moves through clouds in the sky, the song "Brazil" plays over the shot. Then, a time is shown on the screen -- 8:49. That's interesting. Eleven minutes before nine. Hmm. And, just as the "nine-eleven" signature appears, the lyrics from the song sing, "we stood beneath an amber moon and softly whispered someday soon." As these lyrics are being sung, we see on the screen, "Somewhere soon." Then, we see a city sidewalk and a storefront full of televisions. Suddenly, without warning, an explosion occurs. The camera then moves in close to a television that is still functioning. On it, a government official, head of the Ministry of Information (yes, that's the French "Moi"), is answering questions about the lastest "terrorist bombing." He tells the man interviewing him that the terrorists are bad sports, that they aren't willing to play "the game." For those who have read Kipling's "Kim" and are aware of the masonic significance of the "great game" in that novel, it's an interesting choice of words. Especially given the great game currently underway. The movie then proceeds to describe a world like Orwell's 1984. "Terrorists" are accused of carrying out attacks which presumably justifies the State's totalitarian organization and complete obliteration of anything real. Like our current world, everything is simulated and facades mask reality. People are hypnotics, spellbound by the alchemy practised through social programming, propaganda, and terror. It's not even clear if the "terrorist" Tuttle is real or simply an agent provocateur assigned to ensure that the illusion of a real opposition continues to exist. Also of interest are the propganda posters pasted on walls in the industrial parts of the city -- some of them similar to posters used recently by the UK with eyes on them warning people to be on the lookout. In the end, "Brazil" captures the message of the "Matrix" and "1984." There are no terrorists -- there is only the State that creates the illusion of terror to keep people distracted and dependent on the State. Given all the other references in movies throughout the 1990s to that fateful day in September, one has to wonder what the director knew and when. For more examples of the Cryptocracy in film, check out the release date of the movie, "The Siege," as well as it's original running time. Get the numbers, rotate them 180 degrees clockwise. Of course the plot speaks for itself --Movie Review: For lovers of whimsical and extravagant dream films
Summary: 5 Stars
The title of the review makes this film seem like paradise, but as soon as watch it you will find that it's not. It's basically a darkly humorous and daydream filled movie about government becoming too controlling by using fear and paperwork (lots of paperwork). It is inspired by '1984', but it doesn't plagiarize because there are significant differences between the two and the most important one being that 'Brazil' isn't humorless like '1984.' Although the director is American he used to be in a Brittish comedy group called Monty Python, you may have heard of them. I say this because the film has very Brittish feel to it because many of the actors are Brittish (Michael Palin was even in Monty Python). The production design also has the outlandish feeling of animation because the director mostly did the humorous animation bits for the movies and series for Monty Python. This shows up in many models that were built for this movie. Most people can't get past this, but if that weren't enough the screenplay was co-written by Tom Stoppard who loves to do dialogue that includes language jokes that I think many Americans won't find funny. Add to that the fact that it's 2 hours and 22 mins long. Most won't be able to make it past all of that. A friend of mine said that the film bored him even though he thought it was visually brilliant. In my opinion the film needs that amount of time in order introduce you not only to this wacky and dangerous world, but to the dreamworld of the main character and how they become increasingly difficult to differentiate. Despite all of these 'setbacks' it isn't a smart film and it doesn't take multiple viewings to understand the film, people just enjoy it and were willing to go through the 'setbacks' that other people can't get past. I personally don't even find it difficult to watch at all and enjoy revisiting the world that 'Brazil' offers, or least the one that Sam, the main character dreams up.Also, I must note that the DVD features have just as many 'setbacks' as the film because they are very comprehensive. There are the usual things such as the trailer and the promo documentary, but there are other longer features as well. A long documentary about the trouble the director had with getting Universal to distribute his film is included as well as long text explanations of the development for the script. Storyboards and many others are more than most can take, but if you're a student of film and find this one fascinating, then this is the best place to look.
Movie Review: As relevant to the 21st century as to the 20th
Summary: 5 Stars
The opening frames of Brazil contain the provocative words, "Somewhere in the 20th Century." It's a reference to how the setting and costumes combine futuristic and retro imagery, and also to the 20th Century ideology of increasing bureaucratization, impersonalization, and paranoia. But as a wise person once said, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you, which is the situation of Sam Lowry, Brazil's likable but doomed hero. In a winning performance--he's in just about every scene, a physically and emotionally demanding role--Jonathan Pryce embodies director Terry Gilliam's everyman worldview. Sam is determined to pursue the woman of his dreams even if it interferes with the brutal efficiency that prevails in this dystopian society. It's a movie of many moods, and they shift abruptly. One minute you're disturbed, the next you're laughing, sometimes it's disorienting, but Gilliam, who also co-wrote the brilliant script, pulls it off. Brazil put him on the map as a great director and he probably won't top it. But he didn't do it alone. As said before, Pryce is wonderful, as is Robert DeNiro in a sly, strange cameo role, Ian Holm as Sam's sniveling, manipulative, but somehow sympathetic boss, Katherine Helmond as Sam's vain mother (interesting Oedipal stuff going on), Jim Broadbent as Dr. Jaffe the plastic surgeon who caters to the vanity of Sam's mom, Bob Hoskins as a pigheaded vengeful repairman who gets drowned in a rather interesting way, and a host of lesser known actors in juicy character roles, a real gallery of grotesques. But it's Michael Palin, Gilliam's old Monty Python partner, who likely makes the major impression--a truly chilling villain, family man who loves his work as a state torturer, and casually discusses his techniques while playing with his toddler daughter (whose name he can't remember). I can't describe how visually stunning Brazil is, you have to see for yourself. But don't forget that the script is as impressive as the images, and you might need to see/hear the film more than once to digest the whole feast. Repeated viewings are rewarded, especially in these days of the war on terrorism. Parts of the movie may remind you of the government's "rescue" of Elian Gonzalez; others will make you think you're watching a public service announcement for the Office of Homeland Security. No matter how you slice it, this is a tour de force for all involved, and as DeNiro says, "We're all in it together!"Movie Review: A satire without laughs
Summary: 5 Stars
This a copied review, slightly edited, but it so succinct that I could not have done a better job.A viewer from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada posted March 2003
Brazil is ultimately a failure on all counts. The plot, such as it exists, centers on a mid-level worker eventually confronting a society crushed underneath a Byzantine system of rules, regulations and paperwork. The world depicted evokes images of such uniquely 20th century works as 1984 and THX-1138; the human soul repressed and minimalized by totalitarianism and the machine of the state. The particular target of this satire, however, is bureaucracy. Unfortunately, while some of the visual design and over the top imagery is intriguing, the movie brings very little new or insightful beyond the premise of bureaucracy runs amok. Indeed after the first few minutes, the message is clear: rules shouldn't obscure humanity. But rather than present any kind of plot to interest the viewer, we're treated to variations of this theme interspersed with sheer boredom. A love story is included as well, complete with dream sequences. These sequences, regrettably, are poorly handled. In a movie with such a surrealistic texture to it's visuals, one would hope for some depth to a dream sequence; messages and themes should be filled with depth and revealed in layers. Instead, here they unfold with all the subtlety of an adolescent dungeons and dragons fantasy. None of this is helped by the fact that the story follows the classic arc of character revelation and disillusionment in laborious starts and (mainly) stops - nothing interesting ever seems to happen. Finally, the movie just isn't funny. And a satire without laughs is one of the most painful of viewing experiences.
Taking this together with its lack of insight and slow narrative, Brazil is a remarkably bland experience. Seldom have I watched a bad movie so bereft of any redemptive factors. By the final few minutes one is left not caring at all how the movie ends; just hoping that it will and as soon as possible.
Movie Review: Nightmare on Gilliam Street
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most imaginative movies ever made, Brazil is the tale of a dreamer living in a dystopic future whose citizens have traded their liberty for security, and not much of that either. Only Terry Gilliam could have delivered the visual thrills that such a movie provides. The future is a mad conglomeration of high technology (telephones, auto, computers, TVs) and ancient tech (ductwork, magnifying lenses and complicated cables). Nothing works well, but no one particularly notices. Terrorists are hunted down with brutal police methods, but the public is mollified since suspects must pay for the cost of their own interrogation and torture. The rich and elderly are consumed with having their bodies remolded into better and better semblances of youth, suffering endless infections with giddy optimism. Shapeless, tasteless food is served with photographs of the dishes they represent.
Into this complacent hell of a Paradise, comes Sam Lowery, a disconnected bureaucrat whose success comes from having that indispensible (and dangerous) asset -- common sense. Sam is hurled out of his reveries when the system makes a mistake -- something it cannot tolerate. In attempting to rectify the mistake, Sam is confronted by the victims of his bureaucracy and is caught in the gears of his smooth-running system. The ending is happy and distressing, as both Lowery and the system are "victorious" against each other.
The movie seems longer than the version I saw in theaters in the 1980s. It became a tiny bit tedious toward the end, with repetitive chases and escapes, but the conclusion was right on. Lowery and the system both wound up winners, in their own, unproductive ways. Politically, "Brazil" is even more relevant now than in 1985. The degree to which people can become accustomed to intrusive government action (especially if they are not personally affected) and to confusing and inconvenient technology is presented marvelously. "Brazil" is a work of visual and political genius.