Just watched Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" with my son -- turns out, it was about the Bush years

[villager]

Hadn't seen it sence before our de facto dictatorship at the hands of Il Dunce...

And last time I saw it, it was in a theatre, and was supposed to be about "the future..."

Now, sadly, the whole thing was about these last few years...

[DJ13]

1. They even foretold Joan Rivers in the 21st century

[villager]

2. Yes they did...

n/t

[Pab Sungenis]

3. Especially if you watch Gilliam's final cut

where it's an open question about whether or not the "terrorists" really exist.

[villager]

6. exactly...

n/t

[Pachamama]

14. I have the DVD "Criterion" series of this movie....best movie ever...that and Bladerunner...

My two favorites.... :hi:

[JackRiddler]

21. From the original theater release there was no doubt about it, I thought...

the government was the terrorist.

[Baikonour]

4. Gilliam is brilliant.

I was glad to see him recognized at BAFTA this year.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Good explanation/analysis of the film here.

Especially bits like this :

10. What is Information Retrieval charging?

A subplot that many viewers of BRAZIL seem to miss entirely is that
of Information Retrieval charging. "Information Retrieval" is a euphemism
for "interrogation" or "torture." The extent of Information Retrieval
Charging is revealed in Deputy Minister Conrad Helpmann's interview, which
is shown on the telescreen while a technician swipes at the beetle which
determines the fate of the movie. The interviewer asks the Deputy Prime
Minister about the economics of the terrorist situation, and the Deputy
Prime Minister replies:

"I understand this concern on behalf of the taxpayers.
People want value for money. That's why we always
insist on the principal of Information Retrieval
charges. It's absolutely right and fair that those
found guilty should pay for their periods of detention
and the Information Retrieval procedures used in their
interrogations."

The check Lowry delivers to Mrs. Buttle is a check for the amount
debited from the Buttle's charge account when Mr. Buttle was interrogated
and killed (because of Information Retrieval's torturous methods) early in
the film. The police officer says to Sam after he is strapped into the
chair at the torture chamber "Don't fight it son, confess quickly. If you
hold out too long, you could jeopardize your credit rating." Note that
this is not merely a funny line; a scene present only in the ER (and
presumably in the forthcoming laserdisc) has a MOI official arranging a way
for Sam to pay his charges via installments.

Inspiration for this subplot may have possibly stemmed from German
history -- the Nazis were known to charge Jews for their forced passage to
the concentration camps. Gilliam has mentioned that he discovered that
South American countries were also charging for interrogation and torture,
and the practice was also used during the Salem witch trials.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/movies/brazil-faq/

The posters in the Ministry of Information ,mentioned in section 9 above , have always been a source of amusement to me e.g. "Be Safe: Be Suspicious" and "Suspicion Breeds Confidence" etc

edit to add this which is also mentioned :

[villager]

7. What was sad/sobering was how "familiar" the torture/rendition subplots of the movie were...

...after all the revelations about what our "democracy" had been up to, these last eight years...

[Bolo Boffin]

8. "This is your receipt for your husband..."

"...and this is my receipt for your receipt."

[Martin Eden]

9. I want to see Bush and Cheney ...

... when the ductwork to their suits is switched from air to sewage.

[blogslut]

10. That film is just so fine

Genius, through and through.

[Pachamama]

15. Probably one of De Niro's best acting roles too....loved him...

...was he Tuttle or Buttle??? :eyes:

[IDemo]

11. If I recall, "Information Services" was the ministry of propaganda

which also rang true during the Bush years.

[barbtries]

12. i've never watched it

adding to my queue and bumping to the top...

[Starry Messenger]

13. Word.

I watch it every few years. How did your son like it? I saw it first when I was 15 or 16 around when it came out.

[SpookyCat]

16. Woah...you just blew my mind...

I just watched Brazil this weekend...oddly, very oddly, I had never seen it.

Fantastic movie, dark and bitey. Love Gilliam and most of the actors. Palin was wonderfully creepy.

Yes, the parallels to today were hard to watch, esp the torture and fascism.

(Eh, tired and rambling...)

[Cowpunk]

17. Something I think a lot of people miss...

...is the subtext regarding gender roles. Sam Lowry is a deeply confused, fatherless guy searching for what it means to be a man. The various men with whom he interacts represent different gender roles from which he might choose. At the beginning of the movie, everyone wants him to step into the "man's man" role like his friend Jack Lint, but Sam is more comfortable in a (platonic)quasi-relationship with his closeted gay boss Mr. Kurtzmann, while females remain just a dream for him. Suddenly his dream girl appears and he is exposed to a new role-that of Harry Tuttle who is liberated both economically and, we can presume, sexually from the oppressive system. Sam is then forced to make a difficult choice to have his dream woman. He can either become a conformist monster like Jack Lint, or a "terrorist deviant" like Tuttle. He makes an effort to be free, but the system comes crashing down on him because he's a weak clueless shlub.

After watching the Criterion disks with all the commentaries and stuff, I'm not even sure Terry Gilliam realizes how much deep shit there is in this movie. It's truly a masterpiece.

Next week, class, we'll discuss the psychosexual implications of "The Lion King".

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Not to mention a huge Oedipus complex going on

Making love to Jill in his mother's bed, while his mother gets more and more plastic surgery to look younger; and then Jill and his mother merge into one character at the end. Though I suppose you could say that's too obvious to be 'subtext'.

[Blue_Tires]

20. hmm....never thought of it from that angle before

but you learn something new about Brazil each time you watch it

[dcindian]

19. The recipe for control has always been the same.

That is why you see so many correlations with the Bush regime and certain movies. Be it V is for Vendetta, Brazil, or 1984.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

[SidDithers]

22. Wow. I watched Brazil (again) last night!...

Great movie. Harry Tuttle, Heating Engineer :rofl:



Sid