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Tom Anderson reviews
MCA Universal
- Cert: Unrated
- Cat.no: BRA100
- Running time: 142 minutes
- Year: 1985
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 0, NTSC
- Chapters: 35 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English for hearing-impaired.
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: No
- Disc Format: 2 * DVD 9, 1 * DVD 5
- Price: $59.95 (personal import)
- Extras :
DISC ONE: “The Final Cut”: New widescreen transfer of Terry Gilliam’s 142-minute final cut, Remastered Dolby stereo surround soundtrack, Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam, English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired, RSDL dual-layer edition.
DISC TWO: “The Supplement”: ‘What is Brazil?’, Rob Hedden’s 30-minute on-set documentary, ‘The Battle of Brazil: A Video History’, an original 56-minute Criterion documentary by Jack Mathews, Script Evolution: sreenwriters Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown illuminate the script through several drafts and treatments, Production design: Norman Garwood displays his designs for Brazil’s unique sets, Costume design: James Acheson on the ‘couture of fantasy and fascism’, Storyboards for Gilliam’s original dream sequences, many of which didn’t make it into the film, Composer Michael Kamen revealss the sources of his score, A study of the special effects, Theatrical trailer, Publicity and production stills, RSDL dual-layer edition.
DISC THREE: The “Love Conquers All” Version: The 94-minute cut of Brazil, with all the changes that Gilliam refused to make, from the alternate opening to the controversial happy ending, Audio commentary by Gilliam expert David Morgan
The naturalised British film director Terry Gilliamdescribes Brazil as “the impossibility of escape from reality”.This is probably why the ponytailed ex-Python had to take an advertisementin Variety Magazine asking Universal pictures “When are you going torelease my movie ‘Brazil’?” The nervous suits thought that the film wastoo bleak to do business in America and wanted to lose the downbeat ending(actually the whole point of the film – see Gilliam’s opening quote).Unusually, Gilliam won the fight, and the result is this dystopian comic-operaof visual excess and high-budget paranoia.
Lowly office-worker Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce, excellent) unwisely breaks cover from a lifetime of anonymity to find and keep the girl of his dreams. The full force of Gilliam’s nightmarish future bureaucracy descends upon him and he must team up with misfits like guerilla plumber Stanley Tuttle (Robert De Niro in a brilliant cameo) and his dreaded Mother (Katherine Helmond), who has had so much cosmetic surgery that in one scene she actually melts into a disgusting pile of offal.
If this is a must-have film, then the DVD is… erm… even more must-have. This monumental three disc set from the Criterion collection is the winner of the “1st Annual Digital Bits Bitsy Award” and is probably the best DVD release ever. That’s ever.
The picture is in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 but is of excellent quality.The sound is presented in newly remastered Dolby Surround
Extras : Chapters :35 Chapters over 142 minutes for the film. Languages/Subtitles :English for hearing impaired is your lot in this American disc. And there’s more… :As you can see from the list of extras, there’s a wealth of information in this package, spread over three discs.
On the second disc there are two excellent documentaries: “What isBrazil?” goes behind the scenes and interviews the cast and crew. “TheBattle of Brazil” charts the bitter fight between Gilliam andUniversal head honcho Sid Sheinberg, providing us with an extraordinarylook into the nasty realities of corporate film-making.All the key players in the battle are interviewed, allowing an unusually balanced view. Individual draft analysis with the writers follows the script through all its many guises. There are storyboards and design stills, and detailed looks at the music and costume. Oh, and the theatrical trailer.
Finally, on disc three, the 94-minute studio cut is an unique way to experiencehow two different editors made entirely different films from the samefootage – for instance, watch how the studio version uses different takes toentirely change the nature of scenes.
If you are interested in film, it doesn’t get better than this.
Menu :Animated menu of filing cabinets stretching into infinity, to the tune of ‘Brazil’. The chapters are animated, showing clips from the film.
Overall, a great film on an extraordinary three disc set. Film nirvana for 60 bucks.
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.