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1985
Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Charles Mckeown, and Tom Stoppard
Director: Terry Gilliam
Principle Actors: Jonathan Pryce, Robert Deniro, Kim Greist, Katherin Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Jim Broadbent, and Charles Mckeown.
Review: If I were basing my review strictly by my personal preference I would give this movie a five. The only reason I did not give it a five is because it is a niche movie. It was written for a particular audience; those who enjoy "dark" or "black" comedy. For that audience this movie is most likely right down your alley. Sam is a government drone. Some would say that he is stuck in a dead end job, but Sam has no complaints about his working environment. e has turned down the promotion that is mother has attained for him by pulling the strings. He has a recurring dream about meeting the love of his life and becoming he hero or protector. Everything is fine for Sam, until he is sent to correct a clerical error, the infamous Tuttle/Buttle confusion. From this point on Sam soon experiences the oppressiveness of the system of which he is an integral part, and finds himself in an uncomfortable spot to say the least. The performances are great. Noted performances by Deniro as Harry Tuttle, and Katherine Helmond as Sam's mother as well as the lead actor Jonathan Pryce as Sam. This movie has been described by many as a hybrid of Monty Python and George Orwell's 1984, even though Gilliam claims he has never read the latter. The movie also is famous for its struggle to be released in the US. The studio's allowed it to be released in Europe with great success. The holders of the rights to the movie in the United States would not permit it to be released. Instead, they edited the movie down from 142 minutes to something they could release on TV. The recut version, which has been released as part of a box set by Criterion is cut so drastically that it is clear that they were hostile to it's creator. The recut version is just a collection of scenes with no continuity and a "Happy ending" which they entitled "love Conquers all". If you like the movie the documentary is worth watching, and if you like the movie enough you should check out the "Love Conquers All" version. It will teach you to appreciate Gilliams version all the more. In my opinion this movie was a seminal work for Gilliam. You see how much of this film has influenced much of his later work when you watch "Twelve Monkey's", "The Mirror of Dr. Parnasus", and I suspect "The Zero Theorom" although the latter is still on my watch list. Recommended strongly for audiences that like Dark Comedy.
1985
Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Charles Mckeown, and Tom Stoppard
Director: Terry Gilliam
Principle Actors: Jonathan Pryce, Robert Deniro, Kim Greist, Katherin Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Jim Broadbent, and Charles Mckeown.
Review: If I were basing my review strictly by my personal preference I would give this movie a five. The only reason I did not give it a five is because it is a niche movie. It was written for a particular audience; those who enjoy "dark" or "black" comedy. For that audience this movie is most likely right down your alley. Sam is a government drone. Some would say that he is stuck in a dead end job, but Sam has no complaints about his working environment. e has turned down the promotion that is mother has attained for him by pulling the strings. He has a recurring dream about meeting the love of his life and becoming he hero or protector. Everything is fine for Sam, until he is sent to correct a clerical error, the infamous Tuttle/Buttle confusion. From this point on Sam soon experiences the oppressiveness of the system of which he is an integral part, and finds himself in an uncomfortable spot to say the least. The performances are great. Noted performances by Deniro as Harry Tuttle, and Katherine Helmond as Sam's mother as well as the lead actor Jonathan Pryce as Sam. This movie has been described by many as a hybrid of Monty Python and George Orwell's 1984, even though Gilliam claims he has never read the latter. The movie also is famous for its struggle to be released in the US. The studio's allowed it to be released in Europe with great success. The holders of the rights to the movie in the United States would not permit it to be released. Instead, they edited the movie down from 142 minutes to something they could release on TV. The recut version, which has been released as part of a box set by Criterion is cut so drastically that it is clear that they were hostile to it's creator. The recut version is just a collection of scenes with no continuity and a "Happy ending" which they entitled "love Conquers all". If you like the movie the documentary is worth watching, and if you like the movie enough you should check out the "Love Conquers All" version. It will teach you to appreciate Gilliams version all the more. In my opinion this movie was a seminal work for Gilliam. You see how much of this film has influenced much of his later work when you watch "Twelve Monkey's", "The Mirror of Dr. Parnasus", and I suspect "The Zero Theorom" although the latter is still on my watch list. Recommended strongly for audiences that like Dark Comedy.