This is an edited version of the review I wrote for "Brazil" on the site where I recently bought the 132 minute, single-disc blu-ray verson of the movie:
For those who don't know the history of this movie - there are at least three different versions. It was originally released in Europe as a nearly two and half hour long film. The studio that financed it didn't like that version because it A. was too long, B. was too uncommercial and C. had a dark, depressing ending. The contract they had with Gilliam stipulated that the movie had to be less than 2 hours and 15 minutes, so it could have multiple prime-time showings in theaters. They suggested he cut the ending.
Gilliam refused, so the studio took it upon themselves to create the "Love Conquers All" version, which chopped out almost an hour of footage - they only kept the parts that showed the main character Sam in a heroic light, anything that contributed to the Sam/Jill love story and anything that featured Robert DiNero. And, of course, the ending was changed to a happy ending by removing the final scene. Also, to make the plot easier to follow, they used some alternate takes, some deleted footage and hired voice actors to overdub dialog.
Unsurprisingly, Gilliam didn't want that version released, so he finally edited the movie down to 2 hours and 12 minutes, kept the dark ending and made a few other minor changes and the studio was contractually obligated to release that version to theaters in the United States.
It's the US version that appears on the stand-alone blu-ray (the other versions are available on a Criterion 3-disc set). I'm happy to have the blu-ray version, because it's the first time I've seen the "US edit" since originally seeing the film in a theater on a college campus shortly after it first came out.
I can't really write an unbiased review of the movie, because from that first viewing I became obsessed with both Brazil and Terry Gilliam's films in general. I bought all his movies on VHS as soon as they came out and eventually replaced them with DVDs. I bought the Criterion "Final Cut" version of Brazil as soon as it came out.
It's one of those films you'll either love or hate. If you mostly go for typical Hollywood blockbusters, then you'll probably fall in the "hate" camp. However, if you like artistic movies that make you think a bit, this one's for you. Its alternate-reality, retro-futuristic look makes it seem nearly as fresh and amazing today as it did when it first came out. And the background plot of a bloated government bureaucracy turning the country into a surveillance state in response to a perceived terrorist threat - I know it was based on things happening in England at the time, but it's like Gilliam had a crystal ball and looked 20 years into the United States' future. The alternating between "reality" and dream sequences and the general Gilliam quirkiness will probably put a lot of people off, but it's what drew me to this movie in the first place.
If you become fanatical about the movie like I am, you'll need both the US version and the Criterion release. To fully experience the film you need to see every version (even the Love Conquers All version) because each one includes bits that aren't in any of the others. And technically Brazil is a Christmas movie, so be sure to watch it during the holidays with your loved ones.
If you do decide to watch Brazil and find that you like it, give some of Gilliam's more recent movies a try, like The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassis and The Zero Theorem. Really, if you like odd, out-of-the-mainstream movies that you'll be thinking about for days after you see them, you can't go wrong with pretty much any Terry Gilliam film.
On the other hand, if you hated this one, best steer clear of Gilliam entirely.
For those who don't know the history of this movie - there are at least three different versions. It was originally released in Europe as a nearly two and half hour long film. The studio that financed it didn't like that version because it A. was too long, B. was too uncommercial and C. had a dark, depressing ending. The contract they had with Gilliam stipulated that the movie had to be less than 2 hours and 15 minutes, so it could have multiple prime-time showings in theaters. They suggested he cut the ending.
Gilliam refused, so the studio took it upon themselves to create the "Love Conquers All" version, which chopped out almost an hour of footage - they only kept the parts that showed the main character Sam in a heroic light, anything that contributed to the Sam/Jill love story and anything that featured Robert DiNero. And, of course, the ending was changed to a happy ending by removing the final scene. Also, to make the plot easier to follow, they used some alternate takes, some deleted footage and hired voice actors to overdub dialog.
Unsurprisingly, Gilliam didn't want that version released, so he finally edited the movie down to 2 hours and 12 minutes, kept the dark ending and made a few other minor changes and the studio was contractually obligated to release that version to theaters in the United States.
It's the US version that appears on the stand-alone blu-ray (the other versions are available on a Criterion 3-disc set). I'm happy to have the blu-ray version, because it's the first time I've seen the "US edit" since originally seeing the film in a theater on a college campus shortly after it first came out.
I can't really write an unbiased review of the movie, because from that first viewing I became obsessed with both Brazil and Terry Gilliam's films in general. I bought all his movies on VHS as soon as they came out and eventually replaced them with DVDs. I bought the Criterion "Final Cut" version of Brazil as soon as it came out.
It's one of those films you'll either love or hate. If you mostly go for typical Hollywood blockbusters, then you'll probably fall in the "hate" camp. However, if you like artistic movies that make you think a bit, this one's for you. Its alternate-reality, retro-futuristic look makes it seem nearly as fresh and amazing today as it did when it first came out. And the background plot of a bloated government bureaucracy turning the country into a surveillance state in response to a perceived terrorist threat - I know it was based on things happening in England at the time, but it's like Gilliam had a crystal ball and looked 20 years into the United States' future. The alternating between "reality" and dream sequences and the general Gilliam quirkiness will probably put a lot of people off, but it's what drew me to this movie in the first place.
If you become fanatical about the movie like I am, you'll need both the US version and the Criterion release. To fully experience the film you need to see every version (even the Love Conquers All version) because each one includes bits that aren't in any of the others. And technically Brazil is a Christmas movie, so be sure to watch it during the holidays with your loved ones.
If you do decide to watch Brazil and find that you like it, give some of Gilliam's more recent movies a try, like The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassis and The Zero Theorem. Really, if you like odd, out-of-the-mainstream movies that you'll be thinking about for days after you see them, you can't go wrong with pretty much any Terry Gilliam film.
On the other hand, if you hated this one, best steer clear of Gilliam entirely.