This film is a treasure to me, so I'm really not sure how objectively I can talk about it. I also don't know if there's anything to be said that hasn't already been said before. But whatever, I will just comment on some of the things that strike me particularly about the film.
First of all, it seems to me that at least cinematically dealing with a dystopia in a satirical or comedic way is far superior to doing so in a more straightforward manner. This film is far more interesting than "1984" or any of the other films that have tried to capture a serious pessimistic view of future society.
I've always felt like the song "Brazil" fit into the film very well -- it suggests a kind of ridiculous Utopian or exotic romanticism, blown completely out of scale. There are several scenes in the film that visually portray this concept, such as the shot of the futuristic street which turns out to be only a tiny model which an old drunk with a Guinness is glaring at. Sam Lowry himself is a very dull person to begin with, as Jill Layton's reaction to him indicates. He believes, at least in his conscious mind, that he doesn't want any conflict or excitement in his life. "Not even dreams" he says -- but of course the truth we see is quite different, and it eventually unhinges his life and his mind. I think I'm not alone in sympathizing with this. Our lives can get so monotonous and so dreary, but we do convince ourselves that we're happy. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" says Mr. Kurtzmann.
Some of my favorite bits -- when Mr. Kurtzmann hits his hand on the table ("what a pathetic creature I am!"), Harry Tuttle's first appearance and his escape on the wire, the dinner scene where you have the explosion and then the waiters are setting up screens to block the diners' view of the bloody mayhem.
Basically I think in this film what you have is a scary story about how dangerous it is in the modern world to be a dreamer. But rather than simply terrify us, Gilliam is giving us a chance to laugh at the existential absurdity of it all.
First of all, it seems to me that at least cinematically dealing with a dystopia in a satirical or comedic way is far superior to doing so in a more straightforward manner. This film is far more interesting than "1984" or any of the other films that have tried to capture a serious pessimistic view of future society.
I've always felt like the song "Brazil" fit into the film very well -- it suggests a kind of ridiculous Utopian or exotic romanticism, blown completely out of scale. There are several scenes in the film that visually portray this concept, such as the shot of the futuristic street which turns out to be only a tiny model which an old drunk with a Guinness is glaring at. Sam Lowry himself is a very dull person to begin with, as Jill Layton's reaction to him indicates. He believes, at least in his conscious mind, that he doesn't want any conflict or excitement in his life. "Not even dreams" he says -- but of course the truth we see is quite different, and it eventually unhinges his life and his mind. I think I'm not alone in sympathizing with this. Our lives can get so monotonous and so dreary, but we do convince ourselves that we're happy. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" says Mr. Kurtzmann.
Some of my favorite bits -- when Mr. Kurtzmann hits his hand on the table ("what a pathetic creature I am!"), Harry Tuttle's first appearance and his escape on the wire, the dinner scene where you have the explosion and then the waiters are setting up screens to block the diners' view of the bloody mayhem.
Basically I think in this film what you have is a scary story about how dangerous it is in the modern world to be a dreamer. But rather than simply terrify us, Gilliam is giving us a chance to laugh at the existential absurdity of it all.