I just rented this film again for the third time, and it still doesn't cease to amaze me. Who else thinks that this is an outstanding movie? I would probably call it a favorite of mine. Although the plot of the film seems to be heavily influenced by George Orwell's 1984, the director Terry Gilliam definitely puts his own twist on some of the ideas expressed in Orwell's novel, and adds his own ideas as well. The plot of this film, as confusing as it initially is, is absolutely brilliant. This is the principal aspect of the film that makes it unique. The main reason why I've rented this film three times in the last seven or eight months is because the meticulous plot demands repeated attention, much like Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. The last section is particularly difficult to analyze, because it can hold many different interpretations. I see it as a perpetual dream that the protagonist Sam Lowry is put in by the government, to keep him relatively sane, in light of the insanity that he has been put through. It's also incredible what this film suggests, in terms of the government, and the way that it runs. So many thoughts ran through my head while watching this a couple hours ago, and all of these thoughts related to questions and observations about the government portrayed in the film. One thought that passed through my brain was that the government of the society in the film was far more harmful and damaging to the world than the terrorists they were incessantly pursuing. It's pretty ironic, if you think about it. Seeing this makes one wonder whether our government deals with terrorism in the right way, especially in light of the September 11th attacks. And as I mention our current world's situation (or what we've witnessed recently), it is amazing that this film was made in 1985, because much of it is applicable to what is going on in the world now. Will airport security eventually increase to the ridiculous extremes that are seen in Brazil? Only time will tell, I guess. Anyway, Brazil is a terrific film. I discover something new every time I watch it, whether it is a thought provoked by the film, or an actual event or image in the film. I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet - especially to those who like Monty Python and/or the films of Terry Gilliam.
thanks for making this post. this film sounds very interesting. i've never heard of this movie before. i'll definitely check it out
Yes, this is one of my favorite movies! For the plot, of course, but since that has been mentioned already by the gentleman who started this thread, I'd like to mention how, yes, it owes alot to 1984, but it's more twisted. 1984 painted a picture of a bleak society completely in the hold of the government, while Brazil is in a similar society but there are these weird little details all through the film: the shoe hats, the food served in the form of a disgusting paste, that grotesque baby-mask, the woman who gets a receipt for her husband after he gets taken away...
Yes it is a great movie, the dream scenes were he is flying with those giant wings is very beautiful and amazingly imaginitive, the Samurai was my favorite character for some reason though the thing about the movie that struck me as odd was, "What the hell was Robert De Niro doing there?!?!?" that kinda threw me off, otherwise great movie
Hey Nick, did you know however, that Gilliam claims to have never read 1984? I was just watching part of the commentary a couple days ago and he was talking about the influences that went into making the film, and he mentioned that he's never read the book, although he realizes that there are many similarities between the two, based off of other opinions of the film. I thought it was interesting, because the two are very analogous, especially with the love affair.
great film, although it is a total whore to find in any video store. De Niro's performance was his best ever imho. The best part was the signs everywhere, with messages like "Don't suspect a neighbor, Report him!" or the beautiful nature scenes along the highway meant to conceal the horrible state of the environment, for some reason that resonated with me.
That movie is on ondemand right now, so i can watch it whenver i want, I started to a couple weeks ago but fell asleep (it was like 2 am on a wekenight when i turned it on) I'll have to watch it now though.
Who are the terrorists?? Is the goverment the real terrorists in this movie?? Funny though, the terrorists are never shown, just people that the government claims to be, but really aren't. Great movie. Also notice that this is also a Christmas film.
I actually went out and bought this after it was recommended by my 8th grade social studies teacher. I showed it to some of the guys in my a capella group, and they totally missed it. They think it's the worst movie ever. But they liked zoolander, so there's that. Also, there's a Terry Gilliam bio called Gilliam on Gilliam, and it's a series of interviews in a book. A really good read for fans of his movies.
gilliam is a visionary. he struggled to get the film released in his final cut, rather than the "less depressing" cut that the studio had made. he often has this kind of problem, which seems terribly unfair when the big studios continue giving hack directors like michael bay their total support. anyway, the thing that really got me was how the film becomes totally surreal toward the end. it's as if the real world has become so unreal that the only sane thing to do is go completely insane. things literally crumble before our hero's eyes: the plummer is swallowed up in paper and his mother becomes a pile of melted flesh and bones. the most painful part is when we see that he is still being tortured and he never escaped at all. nobody is evil, even the torturer is an old friend, but everyone works as a cog in a giant rotten machine. the terrorism subplot is especially relevant today, as the film suggests that the bombings are, in fact, carried out by the government. interesting when you consider the controlled demolition of the world trade center. i think giliam got uncomfortably close to reality with this one, to the point where i found it difficult to watch at times. brilliant, but soooooo depressing.
i love this film, its utterly brilliant but i was wondering- question: does brazil have a happy ending? i argued over this one for a while with my mates
-SPOILERS- yeah i gues, compared to 1984, where the power of the government is able to destroy the deepest human emotion (love) and is tottally inescapable. and the main character is completely changed and indoctrinated. the end of brazil is a kind of victory like an escape from the opressive system.
