Brazil - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: Yes, but what about this Criterion box set itself?
Review: There are a million different takes on the actual movie "Brazil," but what I hope to do in this review is actually rate the collection put together by Criterion.

The 3-DVD box set of "Brazil" starts off with the "final final" director's cut of the film, topping out at 142 minutes. (There are eight minutes of footage added to this release.) The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 dimensions. Fact is, the transfer of the movie is so-so.

For all the Criterion hoopla, the print here is flawed. The notes pay tribute to a few digital scratch removers, but I was truly surprised by the amount of garbage in the print (dirt, empty spots, and such) that litter the frames. One of Sam's initial dream flights has considerable gunk inhabiting the lower left corner, and any frame by frame analysis will reveal an endless parade of bits of stuff inhabiting every shot. To be honest, I expected a lot more here and if there is any criticism of this collection, it lies with this fault primarily. They could have cleaned everything up considerably more than they did. And that's a shame at this price.

Colors and contrast in the print look good, though, and the sound is fabulous. They pulled out a full stereo soundtrack and made it sing, so kudos there, too. The sound is clean and vibrant.

The booklet detailing the film is good, but not the best I've seen, even for a lesser boxset. The content listings for the other two DVDs are little more than a single overview sheets.

Director Terry Gilliam's commentary track on the first disc is priceless and fascinating, almost worthy of the cost for the set alone. As a film geek, I personally find all director commentaries to be interesting, so I may not be the best judge. In this case, though, Gilliam gives us a rich look at the film that stands up to the best of other directors's commentaries I've heard.

Criterion's skimping on the booklets is made up for in the second disc, which contains all the background of the film. "The Battle of Brazil" is the high point as Gilliam and some of the Universal Studios execs discuss the crazy backstory that almost led to the demise of the film as we know it. The film's handlers and financiers all fretted that they had an arthouse piece that would go nowhere, but Gilliam refused to make the desired cuts or to swerve from the darkness of the ending. It wasn't until he managed to sneak a final edit of the movie to the Los Angeles Film Critics organization that he was able to outduel the execs. When the critics lauded the film and lavished their prizes on it, the naysayer's bluff was called and the film was released, albeit to only modest box-office that barely made back its money. Film critic Jack Matthews hosts this slightly more than an hour examination of the battle between the creative forces and the forces of pragmatism.

The second DVD also includes "What is Brazil?" - a mostly throwaway behind the scenes look at the making of the film that features the cast and some of the writers. I didn't find it particularly illuminating.

The big disappointment in the second DVD is that many of the production notes covering the design, special effects, score, and more are not filmed, but simply text. I wanted more than that. Somewhat disappointing. There are some good insights into the flying effects in the dream sequences, though. That much of it was model work is simply amazing.

The last DVD features the bowdlerized, 94 minute TV syndication release of the film dubbed "Love Conquers All." This happy ending version was done apart from Gilliam and probably represents what the studio heads had hoped would be the released version. "Execrable" is too kind a word to use to describe this version. Critic David Morgan's commentary notes all that was left out, and a few scenes that were added back in. While this version isn't worth your time, it is worthy of inclusion in the set, fleshing out the madness that almost killed the movie entirely.

I have always considered "Brazil" to be genius, frankly. As a dystopia, the world it portrays out-Orwells them all. If you hate bureaucracy--and who but bureaucrats doesn't--then this is the film for you. And only Gilliam would be daring enough to make a renegade HVAC repairman a mythically heroic addition to that world.

Plenty of people don't get this movie and I don't know why. Roger Ebert loved "Dark City," but passed on "Brazil," inexplicably, so even critics aren't perfect. Many of today's films owe much to "Brazil" and that alone makes it important.

In the end, three stars for the package and five for the film itself. The lack of a more pristine print subtracts two full stars from what would have otherwise been a perfect review, however. Criterion's boxset, though flawed, is still the best way to experience the film, so if you are a fan of "Brazil" or Gilliam's work, this is the only way to fly.

Rating:
Summary: A good movie (sometimes), but not one I want to see again...
Review: I don't like weird films. The bizarre and drug-induced type of haze has never interested me. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and such strange films are not my cup of tea. I recall reading Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" in the 10th grade -- I wasn't a fan of its odd narrative. I understood the point of the story, and Kafka is admirable and honorable, yes, but I just don't enjoy his writing.

And "Brazil" has the Kafkaesque narrative drive that I just don't appreciate. I looked forward to it for quite some time with much anticipation -- Robert De Niro in a supporting role with Jonathan Pryce, directed by Terry Gilliam ("Monty Python and the Holy Grail"), and co-scripted by Gilliam? A real treat!

I was wrong.

I found "Brazil" to be startlingly unfunny, quite flat, and very strange. This is the same type of "crazy" film I put in the same category as a mess like "Toys" or other such films. As I noted before, there's a very fine line between genius and stupidity. I guess I never crossed the line.

I find myself often agreeing with the nation's most popular critic, Roger Ebert, whom I have talked to in the past. We both share a love for the truly underrated and great comedy "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and his choice to add it to his Great Movies List -- among such other classics as "Casablanca" and "Citizen Kane" -- made me feel only greater respect for the man. With as many readers and fellow peers as he has, putting a 1980s comedy starring two mainstream comedians such as Steve Martin and John Candy may seem like a risky decision. (But he saw the genius of the film, like me and many other loyal fans.)

Ebert has been my primary influence as a critic, and though he's been coming under attack for "overrating" films lately, I realize that he grades on a more commercial scale than I do, and as great movies are rarer and rarer nowadays, he is hard-pressed to find truly great films. I doubt whether he would have given "xXx" 3/4 stars twenty years ago.

Why am I bringing up Roger Ebert into a discussion about "Brazil"? Because Ebert and I seem to share much of the same taste. He gave "Brazil" 2/4 stars. I agree with his analysis very much, although I gave "Brazil" 3/5 stars, only because I enjoyed a handful of scenes. I recommend it with a bare minimum of enthusiasm.

You may love "Brazil" if you enjoy pointless films with shallow psychological metaphors and so on. I found it pretty dull, and torturous to sit through at times. I didn't laugh once. Isn't it supposed to be a dark comedy? Well, it's dark.

The story is about a worker named Sam Lowry (Pryce), who exists in a futuristic hell and is sent into a downward spiral after becoming caught up in the affairs of a mysterious dream woman (Kim Griest) and a couple of mistaken identities involving a man named Harry Tuttle (De Niro).

The beginning of the film is fairly good, with good atmosphere and visual effects, but Gilliam soon takes us into the mind of Lowry halfway through the film, and it turns into a grim psychological thriller with a bunch of dead ends and forgotten ideas. Sam's dream sequences, which have him dressed in an angelic armor with big white-feathered wings, are beautiful to look at...but what else are they good for?

The film features an all-star cast, including Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, and of course Mr. Robert De Niro (who is second credited but does nothing but three or four brief cameos in the film). I suppose I wanted more humor and sense from this movie after seeing Gilliam's work on the Monty Python series of films. Now, I will freely admit that I saw the European version of "Brazil," which reportedly varies from the original US theatrical cut in a number of ways. There is an added sex scene, the ending is different (no clouds), and there are at least five scenes added to the version (it stands at some 140 minutes compared to the 131-minute US cut). So with that in mind, perhaps my analysis of "Brazil" is somewhat flawed. If the dream sequences are different than the US sequences, perhaps part of the effect has gone.

In fact, there are supposedly somewhere around 30 versions of the film out there, including a "happy" version aired on network television in the States (it reminds me of "Gremlins 2," when the announcer claims that "Casablanca" is now complete with "a happier ending."), and a 97-minute "Love Conquers All" version, handled carefully by Gilliam and available for the die hard fans on the soon-to-be-discontinued Criterion Collection DVD.

I have to ask myself, though, whether or not all that really matters. Some added scenes and altered dream sequences couldn't be too terribly different from the US version, can they? Right?

"Brazil" is a film I would have to see again to form a solid opinion. Ebert saw it twice and still disliked it, but it's the type of film like "Adaptation" that I may enjoy the second time around since I'm fully prepared for what is about to happen and what it all means. But as it stands right now, I can't say that "Brazil" is anything more than a dizzying journey into a world reminiscent of a hellish nightmare, and I feel no great urge to see the film again.

Rating:
Summary: More than a dash of Kafka
Review: Brazil is a great film that is made in the same vein as 1984 and Brave New World. This is a trippy movie that has all the elements of a film maker who has been let loose to do as he pleases. You will enjoy it if you are expecting madness in a David Lynch sort of way and who could not forget DeNiro in his roll as the SAS type plumber flying around the city. This is a crazy movie and has a remarkably unsettling plot twist in the end. Zany movies do not come much better than Brazil.

Rating:
Summary: "It's been confusion from the word go!"
Review: Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" is a mess of a film. Its vision of the future as an unending bureaucratic jungle will strike a resonant cord with the modern-day viewer, but its story of a man trapped in an Orwellian nightmare is disjointed, confusing, unsatisfying, and ultimately empty. Its theme of a man trying to find his humanity in an inhumane system is a powerful one, but a powerful theme loses much of its vigor if it is examined in a sloppy manner. That unfortunately is the case with "Brazil."

In the near future, Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) tries to maintain his sanity while carrying out one monotonous task after another at work. He often finds himself imagining himself as an armored-angel who gloriously flies through the skies, but these daydreams only offer temporary respites from his empty life. However, Lowry starts to become a different man when two strangers enter his life - Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle (Robert DeNiro), a repairman who defies the systematic inefficiency of society by making unauthorized repairs on his own and Jill Layton (Kim Greist), a truck driver who turns out to be the woman of his dreams. Lowry becomes emboldened as Tuttle inspires him to rebel against the state and Layton provides him with a reason to rebel against the state. Yet, the power of the state is absolute and Lowry soon becomes a victim of its complete and impersonal wrath.

The production design of "Brazil" is breathtaking. Gilliam effectively brings to life a distinct time and place that rivals the bleak and sterile world of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (1982). However, this wondrous setting is wasted on a film that has no coherent narrative. "Brazil" is a product of a stream-of-consciousness storytelling style in which the message of the film never reaches the viewer because it is so clumsily delivered. Pryce and DeNiro drift aimlessly from one scene to another and produce a pair of performances that skews toward embarrassing. Griest is even more problematic in her role as she has virtually no screen presence whatsoever. It is well known that the final cut of "Brazil" was tampered with by studio executives, but the restored version proves that the film was already doomed even before it was excessively edited. It matters not which version of "Brazil" you watch because neither version works. This project was just too unfocused and underdeveloped to begin with.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing movie -- but decide for yourself
Review: I put one star on this review to GET THE ATTENTION of people like myself, who find most movies bad. I always look for the worst reviews. To me, though, Brazil is the best.

But, dammit, forget what I or anyone else says -- just like you have to forget idiotic rules about what the "stars" on a review mean -- and decide for yourself.

I saw 'Brazil' first in 1986 or so. I thought it was good, but it was preaching to the choir ... I already knew how miserable modern life is.

It's the end of 2003 and I just saw it again for the first time in 17 years, and I'm shocked at how hilarious it is! Much funnier, and much more from the heart, than the serious young man thought.

See it. And if you're an old geek like me, you'll love the set design. The old equipmnent is aging really well! As is the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Anymore overrated and it would be the Beatles...
Review: This is beyond any doubt one of the most overrated films ever made and simoultaneously a classic case of people raving about it only to not be blamed of "not getting it".

Terry Gilliam does a terrible and incredibly vague adaptation of Orwell's "1984" and fails basically on levels:
-Brazil is supposed to be funny and it is, that is if you think that silliness is the same as humour. It's supposed to be a satire and it is if you think that satire equals hysterical exaggerations with no substance
-Brazil is also supposed to be a serious look at a totalitarian and bureaucratic society and in that respect it's supposed to be scary as well. Actually what we live through today is multiple times scarier than "Brazil" and many more times self-satirical. When life outdoes art then art has failed.
-The acting in this film is again hysterical and at the very least annoying. The story (what there is of it) is one that actually leaves you totally uncaring about any character and your only motivation (if you manage to sit through it) is to see it all end.
-the directing is one of the most pompous attempts i've seen by any director to scream through his "film: "look how intellectual i am and how different i can be". Difference does not of course guarantee quality. No wonder that mr-Gilliam went on to direct horrors like "Fear and loathing in Las Vegas" (where he butchers yet another book) or "12 monkeys" where he destroys the obviously big potential that script had.

Overall this film is an excruciating experiment on your patience as well as your intelligence. Sure, one can argue that there are a few good and thought provoking cuts in it, but hey, shifting through any garbage can will provide you with the same rewards.
Do yourself a huge favor and either read the masterful "1984" or totally avoid this mess.

Rating:
Summary: Merry...um...Christmas!
Review: I just want to point out that this movie is set at Christmastime, ending (apparently) on Christmas morning. This is important to the story, as it provides a forceful contrast to the bleak world of commerce and despotism which actually exists. Brazil is required holiday viewing!

Rating:
Summary: One of my Top Ten movies of all time
Review: This movie is just brilliant... an incredible satire on bureaucracy and all large, depersonalized organizations. The "retro-future" sets are mind-blowingly inventive. The acting is great. Worth watching repeatedly.

Rating:
Summary: An absolute classic
Review: If you liked Twelve Monkeys, you must see this film.
I was jaw-dropped and confused at the end of this... and it takes a lot to do that. Involves Government, the future, and perception. If you're a Matrix fan shame on you if you haven't seen this. And prepare...it's twisted and surreal.

Rating:
Summary: This was an excellent movie...
Review: FOR ME TO POOP ON!!!

I hate to bad-mouth movies, but I will not be able to cease apologizing to my poor friend who I asked to watch this with.

I would prefer getting multiple root canals to having to watch this movie again. It is a rare film that makes me cheer for the protagonist to just freakin' DIE so that, if nothing else, it would end. Bravo.

The people who enjoy this movie are actually lying. They did not enjoy it, but they do not want to be alone in their suffering; therefore, they have given it multiple stars to trick you. Don't let them win. I AM your friend. I wouldn't steer you wrong. If you trust them and watch it, you will end up spending too much money attending film school to try to figure out what the heck that movie actually was.