 The Criterion Collection -- 142 minute Director's Cut Tagline: It's only a state of mind. Gathering footage from both the European and American versions, director Terry Gilliam has assembled the ultimate 142-minute cut of his most celebrated film. Criterion is proud to present its landmark special edition of Brazil. New, pristine widescreen transfer of Terry Gilliam's 142-minute cut Remastered Dolby Stereo Surround soundtrack Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam Storyline: Sam Lowry is a harried technocrat in a futuristic society that is needlessly convoluted and inefficient. He dreams of a life where he can fly away from technology and overpowering bureaucracy, and spend eternity with the woman of his dreams. While trying to rectify the wrongful arrest of one Harry Buttle, Lowry meets the woman he is always chasing in his dreams, Jill Layton. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy has fingered him responsible for a rash of terrorist bombings, and both Sam and Jill's lives are put in danger. Written by Philip Brubaker Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on November 30, 2012 -- Nominated for Oscar Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on this release include original trailer for the film; audio commentary with director Terry Gilliam; on-set documentary directed by Rob Hedden; collection of original documents, storyboards, photographs, and interviews compiled by Criterion and Brazil expert David Morgan; the ninety-four-minute "commercial" version of "Brazil", and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Sterritt. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked". Sam Lowry, the main protagonist in Terry Gilliam's Brazil, lives in an industrial world where privacy is a thing of the past. He is a loner without any friends who dreams a lot – even when he is awake. Most of the time his dreams are so vivid that he has an incredibly difficult time telling whether what he experiences is real or a product of his imagination. Sam's world is monitored and controlled by intelligent computers that have everyone's personal information. The computers are controlled by an elite group of bureaucrats who are protected by leather-clad soldiers equipped with ultra-sophisticated weapons. No one questions their authority. The few brave souls that occasionally do are quickly eliminated. Sam works for the agency that collects and processes all of the data that goes into the computers. He is a low-level employee there who makes sure that everything runs smoothly, without errors. He likes his job because it maintains a steady rhythm in his life. One day, Sam discovers that one of the agency's computers has made an error which has resulted in the elimination of an innocent man - Archibald Buttle. The last name of the man that should have been eliminated, a criminal with a long record, is Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Sam quickly informs his boss (Ian Holm) and he authorizes a refund check. While delivering the check to Buttle's widow, Sam encounters the stunningly beautiful Jill Layton (Kim Greist), who looks a lot like the girl he has been spending time with in his dreams. He attempts to find out more about her and his life spirals out of control. Brazil is not an easy film to categorize. It seems fairly lighthearted at times but it is loaded with prophetic messages that clearly predicted a lot of things right. Gilliam's vision of a future world where privacy essentially no longer exists and data could be instantly manipulated, for example, is simply fascinating because this world is now here – our personal data is stored in computers operated by different agencies. We are what the data tells we are. There is also that maddening suspense element in the film that reminds about Orson Welles' The Trial. Even after the final credits roll it feels like there is still a lot left to deconstruct because the fine line that separates the film's reality from the colorful dreams is practically erased. Two other films which Brazil has plenty in common with are Michael Radford's 1984 and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's World on a Wire. The former is a much darker film, but its observations about an inevitable totalitarian future are very much in sync with those of Brazil. The latter has similar subversive themes. Brazil lacks the depth and complexity of Fassbinder's film, but it compensates for it with an abundance of spectacular visuals. Clearly, the film's biggest strength is the fact that it leaves little to the imagination. Things could be a bit overwhelming at times because Gilliam's mind obviously operates on a very different level, but Brazil remains an engaging and ultimately rewarding experience that can appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Gilliam worked on the script for Brazil together with Tom Stoppard (Fassbinder's Despair) and Charles McKeown (Liliana Cavani's Ripley's Game). The fantastic production designs were created by Norman Garwood (Steven Spielberg's Hook). Note: Criterion's release of Brazil contains the film's 142-minute director's cut. I like Brazil quite a lot, but not for the reasons most of its fans do. While it does look quite spectacular, I think that some of its observations and speculations about the Future are a lot more impressive. Criterion's presentation of Brazil is a good one, but I have to admit that this was a film I hoped would be rescanned for its Blu-ray debut. Still, this is a release worth owning. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Cast Notes: Jonathan Pryce (Sam Lowry), Robert De Niro (Harry Tuttle), Katherine Helmond (Mrs. Ida Lowry), Ian Holm (Mr. M. Kurtzmann), Bob Hoskins (Spoor), Michael Palin (Jack Lint), Ian Richardson (Mr. Warrenn), Peter Vaughan (Mr. Helpmann), Kim Greist (Jill Layton), Jim Broadbent (Dr. Jaffe), Barbara Hicks [I] (Mrs. Terrain), Charles McKeown (Lime), Derrick O'Connor (Dowser), Kathryn Pogson (Shirley), Bryan Pringle (Spiro). User Comment: (redneck-6) Texas, United States • This movie did not leave me with a happy feeling when I was done viewing it, but I definitely found it well worth the time. It posits a dark future world where the government has become a gigantic bureaucratic beast. The simplest exchange requires mountains of paperwork and a strict adherence to procedures has replaced anyone's ability to critically think about what they are doing or stand up to the brutality they know lurks around them. Sam Lowry is a man who seems more than happy to live as a cog in the giant machine. When he sleeps, however, he flies through beautiful blue skies towards the woman of his dreams. As he attempts to correct an "oversight" by the Ministry Of Information for whom he works (one of the more obvious nods to Orwell) which has resulted in an innocent man's death, he finds a woman who appears to be the one in his dreams. The line between his dreams and his reality blur ever further as he goes deeper and deeper into the government machine to find out who she is. Terry Gilliam once again seems to have spared no expense in making sure every visual element of the world adds up to a cohesive whole which makes you feel as if you're really experiencing the characters' surroundings. And, of course, it is a world rendered realistically enough to feel feasible, and yet surrealistically enough to leave an unforgettable impression on you. Despite the simplicity of the main plot, the movie is full of subtexts and images which carry a message even though you may not see them on the first viewing. In one scene, a man is buying "clean air" from a vending machine along the street. The sides of the highways are walls of billboards which hide the barren environment beyond. A group of people carry a banner that announces "Consumers for Christ" in a store decorated for the holidays as a small child tells Santa she wants a credit card for Christmas. Actually, therein lies one of the things that may turn some people off to this movie. It seems Gilliam had so many things to say about the state of society today that some people may find the movie lacks a coherent message once it's done. The ending will no doubt come as a shock to many people as well, but it was refreshing to me to see something well outside the Hollywood conventions for a change. My only real complaint was that Robert De Niro's character was so enjoyable, but saw so little use. Other than that, however, I thought it was a film which presents some compelling things which deserve serious thought, even though most people probably won't be able to get past the trademark Gilliam visual quirkiness to see what he is saying. Eight and a half out of ten from me. Summary: Orwell with a Python twist IMDb Rating (07/30/13): 8.0/10 from 112,630 users IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 7.9/10 from 51,616 users Top 250: #248 IMDb Rating (06/01/01): 8.0/10 from 13,520 users Top 250: #157
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