Brazil (1985)

Brazil (1985)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Robert de Niro

Brazil is totally bizarre. This is the first thing that needs to be said. The movie is some strange hybrid between "Monty Python," "A Clockwok Orange," a Coen Brothers film and "Blazing Saddles." By the end of the first 15 minutes I was absolutely shocked -- but I was also hooked. A film being bizarre is not always a bad thing. Although this one was like nothing I had ever seen, and though it doesn't make "sense" in any literal way, I was completely mesmerized by the visual design and found it to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch as well.

The only relevance that the title "Brazil" bears on the action is the fact that the classic latin jazz tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim with the same title is played (with ever-changing arrangements and moods) during various scenes throughout the film. The movie takes place in an alternate reality in which everything is controlled by the government. However, nothing seems to actually be "under control" at all, because the government functions about as well as an Oldsmobile with a squirrel nest in the motor. Everything depends on a giant mess of unorganized paperwork that is totally out of control. Throughout the whole film it appears that these people are very advanced in their technology, with their surveillance robots and automatic toasters and coffee machines, but none of the gadgetry has been perfected. All of it is constantly breaking down and malfunctioning. The mood conveyed is similar to the feeling you get when you can't find your homework because your backpack is stuffed with crumpled, mostly useless, papers, and later that night you realize that your assignment was balled up and jammed carelessly into the bottom the whole time, and all of a sudden you get that queasy feeling that your whole life is in shambles. . .
The acting is decent and this movie is intensely entertaining. At times it feels like a crazy comedy and at others like a psychological thriller. But after thinking about this movie for a couple of days, I have have realized that, above all, it is wildly innovative and couldn't be more original. Whether I've just made you curious, or whether you're looking for something different to spice up your viewing for a change, this is simply a movie that you can't miss -- from the "Monty Python" star and wild man Terry Gilliam.
I've added a few extra screenshots to display the outstanding visual design.
-Jack Lewers
Rating---9.25