Brazil

One of the most visually original, eye-popping movies of this or any other year. The time is "somewhere in the 20th Century," but this is clearly Orwell-country, except that his nightmare vision of a ruthlessly repressive bureaucracy has been replaced by a ruthlessly inefficient one. The results are no less brutal. Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowry, a lowly government functionary, a faceless cog in the machine who is only upwardly mobile in his fantasies, in which he is a winged avenger coming to the rescue of a beautiful woman in distress. A literal fly-in-the-ointment sets off a chain of events which will bring Lowry face-to-face with the woman of his dreams, who may or may not be a terrorist. Directed by Monty Python animator, Terry Gilliam, Brazil was only released without suggested studio cuts after garnering the Best Picture award from the Los Angeles Film Critics. This blackest of comedies is a stunning and harrowing masterwork, so rich in little details that there is something to savor in every frame. Also features Robert De Niro as a renegade plumber, the Python troupe's Michael Palin as Lowry's duplicitous friend, and the delightful Katherine Helmond as Lowry's mother, a woman of many faces. Highly recommended. (Donald Liebenson)[DVD Review—Sept. 5, 2006—Criterion, 142 min., not rated, $29.95—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1985's Brazil boasts an excellent newly remastered anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital surround sound. DVD extras include the original audio commentary track by Gilliam (from the three-disc special edition Criterion release of the film), as well as an essay by Newsday film critic Jack Mathews. Bottom line: Those who don't already own the earlier special edition will want to pick up this sharp new single-disc edition.][Blu-ray Review—July 5, 2011—Universal, 132 min., R, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1985's Brazil boasts a solid transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. The sole extra is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a somewhat disappointing Blu-ray debut due to the lack of extras and the absence of Gilliam's 142-minute final cut. Still, this will do until (hopefully) the Criterion BD comes along.][Blu-ray Review—Dec. 18, 2012—Criterion, 2 discs, 142 min., R, $49.95—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1985's Brazil features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 surround soundtrack. Bonus features include audio commentary by director Terry Gilliam, the “Love Conquers All” truncated “happy ending” version of the film with commentary by Brazil expert David Morgan (94 min.), “The Battle of Brazil” documentary hosted by Jack Mathews and based on his same titled book (55 min.), a “What is Brazil?” on-set documentary by Rob Hedden (29 min.), a “Production Notebook” section with “Dreams Unfulfilled: Storyboards” deleted segments with narration by Morgan (22 min.), “Designing Brazil” (21 min.), “We're All In It Together” on the screenwriters (11 min.), “Flights of Fantasy” on special effects (10 min.), segments on the score (10 min.) and costume design (7 min.), trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt. Bottom line: a major improvement over the barebones Universal blu-ray release.]