The first truly great film from Terry Gilliam. In some ways, he's never matched it.
This is definitely not a film for everyone. It is demanding. It is highly unusual. It doesn't really fit comfortably into any particular genre, for one thing. I mean, yes, it's definitely comedy insofar as it is funny. But it isn't really sf and it isn't really fantasy. The world that Gilliam has created is both incredibly imaginative and utterly mundane. This creates a real tension for viewers, I think, because it's hard to know what to make of it when you see these small, bureaucratic, mundane characters existing in this mad, fantastical world. Imagine a scene in Star Wars where Luke and Han are chased by Stormtroopers through the Death Star's payroll department. It's a combination of characters, styles, and settings that is utterly unfamiliar.
Unfortunately for the director, many of the films great themes are totally buried by the unrelenting visual tour de force happening in every scene. This film requires watching again and again and again to really appreciate. Some people would argue (and not without a valid point) that this indicates a bad film; confused, muddled, unfocused. I don't happen to think so. I think it indicates a film overflowing with ideas from all directions. Every aspect of the production, not just the script, the direction, the performances, but the set design, the production design, the costumes, is teeming with wild, unchecked creativity. This makes it, especially toward the end, particularly difficult for the first time viewer to keep up.
There is so much to find in this film that is worth exploring. But you have to look really hard sometimes. This film was made fairly early in Gilliam's career as a director, and I think there are flaws which, perhaps, he would avoid now. It is funny, yes. It is well made, yes. But I think it's a little too impenetrable. I have no problem with films that demand more from their audiences, but I think this one goes a little too far.
Still, terrific performances from Pryce, Palin, and De Niro. Wonderful script, brilliant direction, gorgeous production design.
This is definitely not a film for everyone. It is demanding. It is highly unusual. It doesn't really fit comfortably into any particular genre, for one thing. I mean, yes, it's definitely comedy insofar as it is funny. But it isn't really sf and it isn't really fantasy. The world that Gilliam has created is both incredibly imaginative and utterly mundane. This creates a real tension for viewers, I think, because it's hard to know what to make of it when you see these small, bureaucratic, mundane characters existing in this mad, fantastical world. Imagine a scene in Star Wars where Luke and Han are chased by Stormtroopers through the Death Star's payroll department. It's a combination of characters, styles, and settings that is utterly unfamiliar.
Unfortunately for the director, many of the films great themes are totally buried by the unrelenting visual tour de force happening in every scene. This film requires watching again and again and again to really appreciate. Some people would argue (and not without a valid point) that this indicates a bad film; confused, muddled, unfocused. I don't happen to think so. I think it indicates a film overflowing with ideas from all directions. Every aspect of the production, not just the script, the direction, the performances, but the set design, the production design, the costumes, is teeming with wild, unchecked creativity. This makes it, especially toward the end, particularly difficult for the first time viewer to keep up.
There is so much to find in this film that is worth exploring. But you have to look really hard sometimes. This film was made fairly early in Gilliam's career as a director, and I think there are flaws which, perhaps, he would avoid now. It is funny, yes. It is well made, yes. But I think it's a little too impenetrable. I have no problem with films that demand more from their audiences, but I think this one goes a little too far.
Still, terrific performances from Pryce, Palin, and De Niro. Wonderful script, brilliant direction, gorgeous production design.