Help me get over my hatred of BRAZIL (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein · Nov 18, 2015

The reason for this post....

I just finished watching the new Blu-ray release of THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN this morning. Until I read the bio of this film, I honestly thought this was something out of the mind of Terry Gilliam.

...and that got me thinking about BRAZIL.

I clearly remember almost 30 years ago hearing about Terry Gilliam's supposed masterpiece. I was working in a video store at the time and took home a VHS copy to watch.

After 20 minutes I had to turn it off. This was my first introduction to Gilliam and I was not impressed. I had no idea what the f---k was going on, nor did I have the patience to give the film a chance.

Years later, 12 Monkeys became a favorite film of mine. You'll even be very surprised to hear that I absolutely LOVED Baron Münchausen. I even liked The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. What impresses me most about Gilliam films is its visuals. There are just moments from his movies that get etched in your mind forever. I can't listen to Louis Armstrong singing What A Wonderful World without thinking of Bruce Willis, almost moved to tears, as it plays on a a car radio.

So why is it that I hated Brazil?

Well, firstly, I will admit that only watching 20 minutes of it isn't giving the film much of a chance.

It's just that I have been rather intrigued, over the years, that whenever there is a new format release of this title, members of this forum go absolutely crazy.

Kind of wondering.....Is this Gilliam's most far-out project? Could it just be that 12 Monkeys and Baron Münchausen are safer and more mainstream-orientated films?

To reiterate what I said at the top of this post, the reason I even bring this up, is because it's very obvious that I do enjoy very twisted visual films as long as there is a comprehensible story to them. I would think that is what Brazil strived to be, and as such, perhaps I should give this a second chance?

Salacious Ackbar · Nov 18, 2015

Aside from 12 Monkeys, Fisher King, and Fear & Loathing, I've largely detested Gilliam's films. His lack of narrative control and attempts to use visual eccentricity to mask said control has never worked for me. His films often feel plodding and lack momentum. Where filmmakers like Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi also use their visual eccentricity and style to give the films momentum and energy, Gilliam's visuals just seem largely unimpressive and repetitive brining the films to a dead stop. Even though I do like 12 Monkeys, I recently watched it again and found the future visual motif to be largely unimpressive because it lacks any sense of being practical and immediately takes me out of the movie. It's as if it's been over designed when something more realistic and practical would have been preferable. Gilliam and Tim Burton are very much a victim of their own visual language.

I've also never quite finished Brazil, though I did make it further than 20 minutes into it.

Radioman970 · Nov 18, 2015

He's one of my TOP 3 fav directors. Even so, I'm not a fan of Brother's Grimm. Even after many watches it doesn't grow on me, I just thought it was okay. Several of his had to grow on me and Brazil was one of them.

I say...keep watching it til it grows all on you! When I had HBO years back they'd play the same movie many times in a week and I'd end up watching film over and over and over (me and my cousins watched My Bodyguard with Chris Makepeace 9 times in one week one summer in the early 80s!!) ... for some reason watching films over and over just has that crazy effect where I suddenly love the thing! absence makes the heart grow fonder only applies to people I guess!

Glad you like Baron Munch, it had to grow on me too but now I LOVE it and had the DVD and now the blu ray.

Slight OT, I saw a Russian film over the weekend called Viy (aka Forbidden Empire in dubbed form). It's a remake of a film from the late 60s which I still need to buy and see. They both are/seem Dark Shadow-ish, especially the 60s one. And the remake reminded me a lot of what Brothers Grimm 2 might look like.

atfree · Nov 18, 2015

No help from me....not a Gilliam fan either....Time Bandits is the only film of his that I actually like.

Walter Kittel · Nov 18, 2015

Well, it is only 142 minutes long (director's cut) so it isn't like you are planning on taking part in a manned mission to Mars.

I agree with James (Radioman970) simply try viewing the film again. Sometimes mood can play a large part in how well I enjoy something that might not always resonate with me. Also I like to be well rested when watching a film that might prove challenging. (No sense fighting fatigue and the film at the same time.) Perhaps it is the tone of the film that puts you off? You might want to consider watching it with a friend. Sometimes I'll be ready to bail on something but because I'm not alone I'll stick with it (when I have company of course.)

Give it a try sometime. (Of course all of this is based on my own personal experiences as everyone brings their own baggage to the film in question.)

I haven't watched Brazil in a long time, but I invariably enjoy the visual aspects of the film a great deal.

- Walter.

dpippel · Nov 18, 2015

IMO Brazil is Gilliam's best film, followed pretty closely by 12 Monkeys. Ron, if you only watched 20 minutes of it and HAD to turn it off then it's just possible that Brazil simply isn't for you. I would urge you however to at least try to experience the entire movie before making any kind of final judgement.

There are very few films that I haven't been able to get through because I thought they simply sucked, and I really think it's too bad you feel this was about Brazil. Most consider it a masterpiece.

Mikael Soderholm · Nov 18, 2015

I find it a bit strange that you enjoy 12 Monkeys, but not Brazil, as they are somewhat similar in their quite strange storylines, non-linear narrative, and require rewatching to grasp what is actually happening. Fisher King or Munchausen are more straightforward in that sense. Fear and Loathing is strange in its own way, but that is more due to Hunter S Thompson; Gilliam just interprets him, but in a great way, one of my favorite films.

My only advice to you is to give Brazil another chance, and watch it to the end. If you like his strange visuals, you may also enjoy Zero Theorem.

(and stay away from Tideland

)

David_B_K · Nov 18, 2015

atfree said:
No help from me....not a Gilliam fan either....Time Bandits is the only film of his that I actually like.

I agree. I do like Brazil and think it is a good film, but I don't find it great or worth revisiting. I had the laserdisc version and watched it a couple of times, and I remember buying the original multi-disc DVD and eventually selling it off because I only watched it once. I've never gotten the near-worshipful feelings some people have for it. But then, I'm a fan of films that some people eschew, so it does not bother me that some people are way more into Brazil than I will ever be. I didn't like Munchausen at all. The only Gilliam film in my collection also happens to be Time Bandits.

Jeff Cooper · Nov 18, 2015

In my opinion Brazil is much more mainstream than Baron Munchausen and Doctor Parnassus. If you enjoy those two and City of Lost Children, then it's very clear your taste and opinion in film has evolved since way back when you hated Brazil.

I can't see a reason why you shouldn't try it again.

Josh Steinberg · Nov 18, 2015

I think Brazil is one of those love it or hate it movies where whatever your reaction is, that's what it's gonna be. If you hate it (and I'm not its biggest fan, I appreciate what it's trying to do without really enjoying it), I don't think there's anything that can be said that will suddenly make it click.

To me it's not a movie like "2001: A Space Odyssey" where people dislike it initially because it doesn't make sense to them, and then enjoy it once they understand that's going on. I think "Brazil" is more purely visceral response. Either it works for you or it doesn't, but I don't think it's a movie one can be persuaded to like.

Rob Willey · Nov 18, 2015

Hey Ron,

I can't imagine you're the same guy you were 30 years ago. If you're still curious about it, it's probably time to give it another try.

Richard V · Nov 18, 2015

Ron, I share your intense dislike for Brazil. Made it all the way through the movie, and didn't care for it at all. The only reason I watched it was because of word of mouth. Funny, but I like all of Gilliam's other movies, it is just Brazil that "sticks in my craw".

Steve Christou · Nov 18, 2015

Terry Gilliam's masterpiece. One of the very few films I've watched twice in one evening, back to back viewings. Rear Window is another. Worth another look.

ScottHM · Nov 18, 2015

Ronald Epstein said:
...perhaps I should give this a second chance?

Only you can answer that question, but if you're like me you already don't have time to watch all the films you haven't seen but are interested in without having to revisit films that didn't appeal to you the first time.

---------------

Winston T. Boogie · Nov 19, 2015

I think when a film builds a big reputation and you have for years heard all sorts of praise for it then it is likely that people when they watch it will experience a "hype let down" and their raised expectations may cause them to have less patience with the film. I know this has happened to me.

Not sure if that is the case for you with Brazil, Ron, but if you went into it that first time with high expectations due to the praise the film was getting that could have been at least part of the issue.

Brazil is a dense piece of fiction and like all Terry Gilliam films a journey into the man's wacky sensibilities and twisted imagination. Every Gilliam film is a flight of fancy where anything can happen at any moment and usually does. There tends to be little to ground a Gilliam film and he obviously does not want them to be grounded in any way. This makes most of his work somewhat challenging because he tends not to follow any formula and does not feel constrained by any sort of standard methods of storytelling. You watch most of his work and you can virtually hear the man giggling at what he comes up with.

Personally, I'm a fan of Brazil and all his films with the exception of Tideland which just depressed me to the extent I was in a funk after watching it and never wanted to revisit those emotions again. Not to mention my annoyance with the fact that he cast the great Jeff Bridges in the film and only used him to play a rotting corpse. He could have used anybody to play that role and did not need to raise my expectations of seeing Bridges actually turn in a performance. In fact had he used somebody other than Bridges I may have felt a bit better about the film. I don't think anybody could convince me to watch Tideland again and though I have read some glowing appreciations of the film they did not make me want to go back and give it another look.

Brazil is obviously about a few things but a lot of the comedy in the film revolves around the absolutely insane bureaucracy the characters are dealing with and are part of and that our hero dreams of escaping. I could see how this could be as annoying to watch as it is funny for some people. It is a film that definitely benefits from multiple viewings and I think if all you have seen of it is 20 minutes...well...you really have not given the film any chance to click for you...and really that's what some films need to do. With a film as wacky and overloaded as Brazil is sometimes you have to watch more than once to have that moment where all of a sudden all the pieces click into place and BOOM...suddenly there you are chuckling along with Terry.

So, if you really are interested I would watch the film again the entire way through and see how it pays off for you. If after that you find your curiosity spiked try watching it one more time and see what clicks. Of course with so many movie choices out there I find it sort of ridiculous to tell a person to sit through a movie two more times that they really did not like...but you seem to have some affection for the types of things that amuse Gilliam so maybe this is one that would eventually become a favorite for you.

I think Brazil built a reputation because when it came out there was really nothing else in cinemas that was like it and so it stood out from everything else that was showing. It also feels more like a film that is coming from somebody's personal imagination and not some formula that a studio uses to tickle all the bases of what makes a box office smash.

I also think Brazil is probably more relevant today than it was when it was released...or at least it can be even more appreciated today when we are more aware of and annoyed by the giant and insane bureaucracy we live with/under. So, it has sort of aged like a fine wine.

Radioman970 · Nov 19, 2015

^^^ that might be the answer my problems with Gilliam, having to watch over and over. I loved Time Bandits SO much...first and every viewing. and then watched Brazil and it wasn't Time Bandits 2. Very different. But after watching it about 2 more times I loved it. Then Munchhausen came out. Not Time Bandits 2 either. Second viewing on it I did a complete turnaround. Fear and Loathing... hated! But now I can't wait to watch my blu ray of that again sometime! haha! Now, Tideland I liked first viewing. I need to spin it again sometime. Now, Doctor Parn I kind of sort of liked, but I blame that on my neighbor's dog that barked 12 hours during it. I need to spin it again too. Seems pretty good, and even reminded me of TB where they put on the show for Napoleon.

Of course I think everybody loves Fisher King first viewing and all others.

Jonathan Perregaux · Nov 19, 2015

It's not meant to be enjoyed, it's meant to be endured.

Steve Christou · Nov 19, 2015

Jonathan Perregaux said:
It's not meant to be enjoyed, it's meant to be endured.

And I've happily 'endured' Brazil many times in the past 30 years, and will do so again this coming Xmas.

Bryan^H · Nov 19, 2015

Reggie W said:
I think when a film builds a big reputation and you have for years heard all sorts of praise for it then it is likely that people when they watch it will experience a "hype let down" and their raised expectations may cause them to have less patience with the film. I know this has happened to me.

Not sure if that is the case for you with Brazil, Ron, but if you went into it that first time with high expectations due to the praise the film was getting that could have been at least part of the issue.

Brazil is a dense piece of fiction and like all Terry Gilliam films a journey into the man's wacky sensibilities and twisted imagination. Every Gilliam film is a flight of fancy where anything can happen at any moment and usually does. There tends to be little to ground a Gilliam film and he obviously does not want them to be grounded in any way. This makes most of his work somewhat challenging because he tends not to follow any formula and does not feel constrained by any sort of standard methods of storytelling. You watch most of his work and you can virtually hear the man giggling at what he comes up with.

Personally, I'm a fan of Brazil and all his films with the exception of Tideland which just depressed me to the extent I was in a funk after watching it and never wanted to revisit those emotions again. Not to mention my annoyance with the fact that he cast the great Jeff Bridges in the film and only used him to play a rotting corpse. He could have used anybody to play that role and did not need to raise my expectations of seeing Bridges actually turn in a performance. In fact had he used somebody other than Bridges I may have felt a bit better about the film. I don't think anybody could convince me to watch Tideland again and though I have read some glowing appreciations of the film they did not make me want to go back and give it another look.

Brazil is obviously about a few things but a lot of the comedy in the film revolves around the absolutely insane bureaucracy the characters are dealing with and are part of and that our hero dreams of escaping. I could see how this could be as annoying to watch as it is funny for some people. It is a film that definitely benefits from multiple viewings and I think if all you have seen of it is 20 minutes...well...you really have not given the film any chance to click for you...and really that's what some films need to do. With a film as wacky and overloaded as Brazil is sometimes you have to watch more than once to have that moment where all of a sudden all the pieces click into place and BOOM...suddenly there you are chuckling along with Terry.

So, if you really are interested I would watch the film again the entire way through and see how it pays off for you. If after that you find your curiosity spiked try watching it one more time and see what clicks. Of course with so many movie choices out there I find it sort of ridiculous to tell a person to sit through a movie two more times that they really did not like...but you seem to have some affection for the types of things that amuse Gilliam so maybe this is one that would eventually become a favorite for you.

I think Brazil built a reputation because when it came out there was really nothing else in cinemas that was like it and so it stood out from everything else that was showing. It also feels more like a film that is coming from somebody's personal imagination and not some formula that a studio uses to tickle all the bases of what makes a box office smash.

I also think Brazil is probably more relevant today than it was when it was released...or at least it can be even more appreciated today when we are more aware of and annoyed by the giant and insane bureaucracy we live with/under. So, it has sort of aged like a fine wine.

Reggie W said:
Personally, I'm a fan of Brazil and all his films with the exception of Tideland which just depressed me to the extent I was in a funk after watching it and never wanted to revisit those emotions again. Not to mention my annoyance with the fact that he cast the great Jeff Bridges in the film and only used him to play a rotting corpse. He could have used anybody to play that role and did not need to raise my expectations of seeing Bridges actually turn in a performance. In fact had he used somebody other than Bridges I may have felt a bit better about the film. I don't think anybody could convince me to watch Tideland again and though I have read some glowing appreciations of the film they did not make me want to go back and give it another look.

Oh, Tideland was a horrible movie. But oddly enough, I do want to revisit it. It just stuck in my brain, and those type of movies drive me nuts. Visually impressive, and very well crafted but as depressing as suck starting a shotgun.

Aaron Silverman · Nov 19, 2015

Reggie W said:
Brazil is obviously about a few things but a lot of the comedy in the film revolves around the absolutely insane bureaucracy the characters are dealing with and are part of and that our hero dreams of escaping. I could see how this could be as annoying to watch as it is funny for some people. It is a film that definitely benefits from multiple viewings and I think if all you have seen of it is 20 minutes...well...you really have not given the film any chance to click for you...and really that's what some films need to do. With a film as wacky and overloaded as Brazil is sometimes you have to watch more than once to have that moment where all of a sudden all the pieces click into place and BOOM...suddenly there you are chuckling along with Terry.

I would have thought a USPS worker like Ron would appreciate Brazil's satire of bureaucracy more than most!

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