Brazil – Review

Do your ducts seem old fashioned? Out of date? Call Central Services. Advertisements play on a TV wall inside of a store, just before an explosion takes them all out! What is behind this recent increase in terrorist bombings?

Brazil takes the viewer to a futuristic society, which is both old fashioned and familiar, yet also dreamlike and silly at times. As people lock into their favorite TV shows, the government is busy monitoring everyone and everything through its Ministry of Information. People are arrested and whisked away by armed men in front of their families, just like poor Archibald Buttle, who is introduced very briefly before he is taken. Only trauma is left behind. But… the target of the cops was supposed to be someone named Harry Tuttle (De Niro). Good thing the government never makes mistakes.

Sam Lowry (Pryce) fantasizes of a heroic life. As he sleeps, he soars through the skies on large silver wings, as his dream girl shows up in the clouds like an angel. Too bad he is oversleeping his alarm, as the electronics in his apartment are all on the fritz.

At work at his dead-end job in Records at the Ministry of Information, he runs into his old pal Jack Lint (Palin) in the lobby. He also spots his dream girl, ever so briefly, but while he is awake and in reality. Hod odd?! This girl, Jill Layton (Griest), happens to be Archibald Buttle’s upstairs neighbor who is trying to help his frazzled wife get her husband back. Things are off to a strange start indeed.

As Lowry proves that Records did not make the Buttle mistake, his boss Mr. Kurtzmann (Holm) is relieved that he can blame another department. Sam heads to lunch with his eccentric mother Ida (Helmond), and the plot kicks up a notch with a bang. Will the somewhat bumbling and introverted Sam become intertwined in the terrorist plots surrounding the city? Will he find the woman of his dreams?

Brazil is told as a mostly comedic futuristic satire; however, it is full of strange realism. Some of it gets downright creepy, but primarily it maintains a fun and entertaining balance. The bold predictions of this 80s film have wound up being pretty accurate on many levels. It has interesting themes of control, government inefficiency, oppressive societal systems, loneliness and more.

The spectacular cast have a lot of fun with their roles, and all do a fantastic job. Director Terry Gilliam typically does a wonderful job balancing reality and out-there concepts like Sci-Fi and fantasy, and this is a prime example of that. The script crackles with intrigue and unique moments, and never runs out of steam despite a longer runtime. The actors keep the dreamlike atmosphere presented grounded. This film should absolutely be seen by any cinema fan.

There are multiple cuts of this film, including the American Theatrical Cut, a 10 minute longer Director’s/Final Cut, which was actually the European Theatrical Cut, and finally a studio-edited “Love Conquers All” cut which chops the movie down a ton and shifts some dialogue. Skip this studio cut for sure, and do the Director’s/Final Cut instead.

This film is also considered part of Gilliam’s ‘Trilogy of Imagination,’ along with Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.