jfortun Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Any thoughts on Terry Gilliam as a director? His movies definately contain a number of conflicting premises but I am drawn to his vision and style. For those not sure of which films Gilliam has directed, here is the list: Time Bandits Brazil The Adventures of Baron Munchausen The Fisher King 12 Monkeys Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas In particular I have always been drawn to Brazil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreathofLife Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Don't forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail. hahah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainer Posted September 22, 2004 Report Share Posted September 22, 2004 I like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I also read the book. I wonder, however, if Thompson's portrayal of drug addicts in 1960s America could be considered moral. During one scene of thought, Raoul Duke, the main character of Fear and Loathing, said that the tenents of the 1960s counter-culture were doomed from the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted September 22, 2004 Report Share Posted September 22, 2004 Don't forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail. hahah. My all time favorite comedy! "I find this new science most fascinating Sir Bedevere. How is it again that sheep's bladder may be used to prevent earthquakes?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreathofLife Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 My all time favorite comedy! "I find this new science most fascinating Sir Bedevere. How is it again that sheep's bladder may be used to prevent earthquakes?" I love witty and just strange humor so incredibly much. The Python's are great. Life of Brian is one of my favorites next to The Holy Grail. "Come Sir Galahad!" "No really, let me go back and face the peril!" "No, it's too perilous!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argive99 Posted October 3, 2004 Report Share Posted October 3, 2004 Here is a duplicate post I made in the "1984" thread. It has to do with Terry Gilliam and his movie "Brazil". I just saw "Brazil" less than a week ago. I also recently saw "Baron Manchausen" and "12 Monkeys" also by Terry Gilliam. I am mixed on Gilliam. I really liked 12 Monkeys which could almost be viewed as a warning against environmental terrorists. I thought the theme to Baron Manchausen was terrible, namely the superiority of imagination and emotions to cold-hearted reason and logic. There is even an explicit attack against the Enlightenment in that film which is reffered to as the "age of reason" and essentially mocked. So while I think that Gilliam is intelligent and philosophical (which in itself makes him stand out from his Hollywood peers), I also see some bad intellectual influences in his work. With that as a preface, I was mixed on Brazil. I like that it portrayed a future totalitarian state as bearucratic and inept but I didn't like the way it portrayed capitalism. It made corporations the big, evil bad guys who exploit everyone. There was a scene in the film when the two lead characters are driving away from the city on a highway. Along the highway are nothing but corporate billboards depicting beautiful scenery. When the camera pans up, you see nothing but a desolate, barren wasteland. The implication is unmistakable; corporations plunder both the poor and the environment. Another theme I didn't quite like was the way plastic surgery was used as almost an attack on self-interest. It was a straw man; the rich are so vain and uncarring that they mutilate themselves with plastic surgery to such an extent that their evil, empty inside is revealed on their exterior. I originally thought it was an attack on superficiality, but I think it goes deeper. The last theme I'll coment on (and the film had many) is the phenomenon of self-delusion in the context of a society that has no hope for the future. The protaganist's inability to seperate fantasy from reality was interesting for awhile but by the end it became depressing. And here the movie becomes ambiguous; did the final breakout occur or was it all a dream. Maybe Giliam's point was that under tyranny all a person has is dreams. I don't know, but I personally dislike when films (or novels) resort to the tack of "is it real or not - you decide." So I wold say that "Brazil" is worth a look. And I agree that it is more realistic in its depiction of a future totalitarian state than "1984" but it still has many flaws in its outlook. But it is entertaining. And incidently, it has nothing to do with the country which shares its name. I think Gilliam got the title from a popular song in the 30's. Its an interesting question why he chose that title. I think it has to do with contrast; an ugly tyrannical future and a happy, carefree, jolly song. Just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainer Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 I just remembered something. Hunter S. Thompson was a huge fan of Ayn Rand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlew Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 I just remembered something. Hunter S. Thompson was a huge fan of Ayn Rand. Really? Where did you read that? (I'm not jumping on you...I just think that's strange...) I like Terry Gilliam...almost in spite of him being Terry Gilliam...if that makes any sense. He is a fantastically talented director, but I have to agree with argive99 that Gilliam's thematic flaws hamper his overall work. However, perhaps we can take Brazil as an attack on governmentally supported corporations? Would those billboards be needed under a free capitalist society? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherSchlegel Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 I really enjoy Gilliam's work from a stylistic perspective. He is a bit muddled philosophically though, as some posters have mentioned. There are some amazing feats of visual/dialogue/theme integration in almost all of his works even when the themes & philosophical premises are flawed. He was also the guy responsible for the wacky animations in the Python stuff. Often very clever & irreverent humor. He was the only American in MP. His first film, "Jabberwocky", starred some of the Python group (I think Michael Palin was the lead). It has some really funny scenes & Pythonesque dialogue, situations, plot turns. But even at this early stage the "hero" is really an anti-hero that kind of unwittingly (sometimes unknowingly) stumbles into victory. It is still worth a look for fans of his; I have it & watch it once every few years. I heard he was currently working on "The Brothers Grimm" being some kind of retelling of the old fairy tales mixed with a wild fictional take on the lives of the authors. Or something like that...? Christopher Schlegel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
individualistchick Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 I love Monty Python! My fave movie is "The Meaning of Life," which makes fun of all varieties of living for other people. The satire in most of their skits/movies is really good. Terry Gilliam is a political twerp, but a comic genious. Mmmm ... Monty Python and Mel Brooks' movies ... the greatest comedy ever! ~~~ King Arthur: "I am your king!" Old Woman: "But I didn't vote for you!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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