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Newsgroups: news.answers,rec.answers,rec.arts.movies,alt.cult-movies Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!news.mathworks.com!news.alpha.net!mixcom.com!nnccnn From: nnccnn@mixcom.com (David Cowen) Subject: BRAZIL (Movie, 1985) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Message-ID: <1994Nov16.222309.22472@mixcom.com> Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: Answers to frequently asked questions about the film Brazil. Keywords: brazil gilliam cult film Sender: esch@fische.com Reply-To: esch@fische.com Organization: Eschatfische Communications (fische.com) Date: Wed, 16 Nov 1994 22:23:09 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Expires: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 05:00:00 GMT Lines: 1104 Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu news.answers:29491 rec.answers:8459 rec.arts.movies:126548 alt.cult-movies:48964 Archive-name: movies/brazil-faq Last-modified: 1994/11/13 Version: 1.2 =========================================================================== BRAZIL Frequently Asked Questions Copyright 1994 David S. Cowen Release 1.2.4 =========================================================================== INTRODUCTION Nine years after its release, Terry Gilliam's _Brazil_ remains one of the most hotly discussed movies on the net, due to its complex plot, unique style and the legendary battle about _Brazil's_ release between Terry Gilliam (the director) and Sidney Sheinberg (then president of Universal Studios). This FAQ has been created to answer frequently posted questions pertinent to all matters about the film. This list will be posted on approximately the 16th of every month to rec.arts.movies, news.answers, and rec.answers. The followup field is set to rec.arts.movies. This FAQ is available for anonymous FTP wherever news.answers is archived, for example: rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/movies/brazil-faq There are many other FTP sites in Northern America, Europe and Asia which archive this FAQ. Use archie or veronica to find one near you. A WWW Brazil Hypermedia FAQ may be in the works. Updates of this FAQ may contain information on how to reach it. There is a automatic response brazil-faq mail server. Send mail to brazil-faq@fische.com to receive the latest copy of the FAQ. This FAQ contains spoilers. =========================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. I didn't understand the film at all. What's it all about? 2. Why were problems with _Brazil's_ release in America? 3. How many versions of _Brazil_ have been released? 4. Why isn't a Criterion Collection laserdisc of Brazil available? 5. What is the title _Brazil_ supposed to mean? 6. How does _Brazil_ fit in with Gilliam's other movies? 7. What are the lyrics to the song _Brazil_? Is a soundtrack available? 8. The sets are stunning. Where were they filmed? 9. What do all the signs say? 10. What is Information Retrieval Charging? 11. What does the singing telegram girl sing? 12. Miscellaneous questions, answers and observations. 13. Where can I get more information about Brazil? 14. Notable Quotes. 15. Appendix: Who is <so-and-so>? What else were they in? =========================================================================== 1. I didn't understand the film at all. What's it all about? _Brazil_ is a film rich in depth -- the plot does not focus on just one subject, but instead many different plots which weave together. These plots are held together by the character of Sam Lowry, a clerk in the records department of a huge government bureaucracy, the Ministry of Information. Sam's perception of the world alternates between being trapped as a mere "cog in the machine" in a grim world of paperwork and escaping from his grim existence by becoming a hero in his own elaborate dreams. His life and these dreams begin to merge together...his dreams become more realized as his life tears apart. Eventually, the goverment imprisons him, finding him guilty of none other than "wasting the Ministry's time and paper" after the messy pursuit of his dream girl -- who was unrightly wanted by the Ministry as a suspected terrorist. Terry Gilliam, the director of _Brazil_, has given us a film which rolls up many of the problems of the century into one big plot: industrialization, terrorism, government control and bureaucracy (from both capitalist and socialized countries), technology gone wrong, inept repair people, plastic surgery, Love, and even modern filmmaking -- all woven into a plot which shows the dehumanizing effect all of these problems have on people in today's society. In the world of _Brazil_, set "8:49 p.m., somewhere in the 20th century", fantasy is the only escape. Gilliam approaches the style of the film with his trademark wit and stunning visuals, both honed during his years as the animator for _Monty Python's Flying Circus_ and during the production of his film _Time Bandits_. Words from Gilliam himself, part of an interview for The South Bank Show, filmed 6/29/91: "_Brazil_ was a film that sat around for some years, I mean like 10 years I'd been sort of thinking about this thing. I mean on a very simple level it's just its just very cathartic for me. It's all about my own frustrations and my seeming inability to achieve what I wanted to achieve and my inability to affect a system that is clearly wrong. The fears of _Brazil_ are not so much that the world is spinning out of control because of the system, because the system is us. What _Brazil_ is really about is that the system isn't great leaders, great machinating people controlling it all. It's each person performing their job as one little cog in this thing and Sam chooses to stay a little cog and ultimately he pays the price for that. "Now on the other hand I also felt that there's the ideal that if we all do our bit the world will become better. Then there's the pessimistic side that says enough of this 'do our bit, ain't gonna make a blind bit of difference as we're all gunna, lemming like, go over the abyss'. And so then there was 'how do you escape from that world?' and Sam escapes by going insane. I actually started this film with that idea of 'can one make a film where the happy ending is a man going insane?'" Keep in mind, however, that Gilliam has been quoted as saying "Because I dislike being quoted I lie almost constantly when talking about my work." =========================================================================== 2. Why were there problems with _Brazil's_ release in America? In January of 1985, Terry Gilliam delivered his completed _Brazil_ to Universal studios, on time and on budget. _Brazil's_ complex and interweaving plot demands a lot of screen time in order to tie up all the loose ends -- and Gilliam was happy about the way the film worked in its 142 minute cut. Fox Pictures International had just signed the international agreement to the film and had accepted the 142 minute length without any sort of protest, so Gilliam expected Universal to accept it for distribution in America. Not so. Sidney Sheinberg, the president of Universal studios had taken an interest in _Brazil_ -- Sheinberg "liked many parts of _Brazil_, and thought there were many moments of bravura filmmaking," but what Sheinberg saw lacking was commercial potential. The cure for this, in Sheinberg's eyes was a re-edit, one that took the various parts of _Brazil_ that were commercially viable, namely Sam's pursuit of his dream girl, the stunning set design and Gilliam's off-beat style of humor, while removing those things that were not, namely the film's dark ending, the overtones of the dehumanizing effects of the government, and Michael Kamen's witty but dark orchestral score. This began a personal battle between Terry Gilliam and Sidney Sheinberg for control of the film. Sheinberg had forced Gilliam to sign a time provision which said that the running time of _Brazil_ would have to be 132 minutes for Universal to accept it, and that even then Universal could follow up with any editing it deemed necessary. A rough cut of _Brazil_ which ran at 132 minutes was created by Gilliam's editor Julian Doyle in order to fulfill the contractual obligation on time, and was sent to Universal pictures. Gilliam worked on a 132 minute edit, while Sheinberg himself began work on the studio's edit of the film. Scheinberg's editors Bill Gordean and Steve Lovejoy created an edit which cut out many of the dream sequences and essential threads in the plot of _Brazil_, while splicing in all elements of humor and all usable footage involving Sam Lowry and Jill Layton, the "dream girl". If that wasn't bad enough, Gordean and Lovejoy also lopped off the entire ending sequence which involved Sam Lowry's interrogation (and eventual loss of sanity) by his coworker Jack Lint. Instead, they chose to end the film where Sam finally consummates his relationship with Jill, and escapes with her to the country. Also suggested was the replacement of Kamen's symphonic score with one of rock music -- in order to "attract teens." Ultimately, this edit subverted the entire point of _Brazil_, making the movie a futuristic fairy tale about a man's quest for a dream woman, with a lot of action and a sub-plot about terrorism thrown in. Gilliam's original message of dehumanization and technology gone wrong was subverted by Scheinberg's edit, which sent the message that if you play the game and stay a good little cog in the machine, that one day you'll end up with your dreams come true. Scheinberg, upon seeing Gilliam's second 132 minute edit, decided to test the studio's version instead. Gilliam would not stand for this. Arnon Milchan, the producer of the film, began making public declarations on how the studio had taken away Gilliam's film because it was only a few minutes over contractual obligation, and began calling for critics to see the film in England, where it was available from Fox Pictures. Sid Sheinberg responded back by saying that no amount of critical praise could reverse the studio's decision about _Brazil_. Gilliam told Sheinberg that if he was going to release to studio's edit of _Brazil_ that he wanted his name off of the credits, and then started an out and out publicity war. In Gilliam's own words: "It became a stalemate situation and Arnon Milchen, the producer said, "We've got to get lawyers in here and we've got to deal with this" and I said "Nah, can't get lawyers in. They've got all the lawyers in the world. They've got all the money. They don't have to release the film, it's not going to kill them. They can sit on it". and I said "we'll just have to approach it in a much more personalized way". So the first thing I did was to take a full page ad out in Variety which was this blank page except for this black border and in the middle of it it said: Dear Sid Sheinberg, when are you going to release my film 'BRAZIL'? Terry Gilliam. and eventually what happened was the LA critics became very interested in the film and some had seen it and they set up a whole series of clandestine screenings of this film around Hollywood in peoples homes. It came time to vote at the end of the year for their films and they realized in their bylaws it didn't say that a film had to be released to be able to be voted upon and so they all voted upon whether _Brazil_ could be voted upon and they agreed it could be and then it went out and it won Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Screenplay. [The awards were] announced the very night of the premiere of Out Of Africa in New York which was Universal's big film that year. All the big brass were there in their ties & DJ's and they were told that Out Of Africa had won nothing and _Brazil_, this film that they won't release has won all these awards. They had to release it and what was wonderful was I was getting all these phone calls from people saying "Oh well done, maybe now the flood gates will open we'll get films out, blahblahblah". Of course it didn't, just like _Brazil_, the system doesn't change, you just escape in your madness, that's all." - Terry Gilliam, The South Bank Show, 6/29/91 Universal finally opened Gilliam's 132 minute cut of _Brazil_ at two theaters in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, 1985, later slowly bringing it across the country in a limited number of theatres with limited advertising. =========================================================================== 3. How many different versions of _Brazil_ have been released? Three versions of _Brazil_ have been released commercially thus far. These three are the 142 minute European Release (to be referred here as ER, later released to theaters in America as the "director's cut"), the 132 minute American film and video release (AR), and Sid Sheinberg's edit (SE), which has been shown on television. There are reports of two different European Releases being shown in American theaters, and television stations have been known to do their own editing on the American Release. The European Release contains many scenes cut from the American release. These are: A brief scene involving Sam and his mother Ida entering the restaurant where they meet Mrs. Terrain and Shirley. They have to pass through a metal detector in order to gain entrance, and Ida's present to Sam (one of the "Executive Decision Makers", seen later in the movie) sets off the alarm. Part of the beginning of the first "Samurai" dream sequence, where Sam explores through the concrete labyrinth he finds himself in. In the European release, the Samurai sequence is one long sequence, whereas in the American version is is divided into three separate sequences. A scene where Sam and Jill lie in bed after the implied consummation of their relationship. Jill has taken off the wig she was wearing in the scene before, and has a pink bow tied around her naked body. She says to Sam: "Something for an executive?" and he unties her. The "Interrogation" scene, where Sam is charged with all of the violations of the law he committed throughout the film, including "wasting Ministry time and paper." The "Father Christmas" scene where Helpmann visits Sam after his booking, Helpmann is dressed as Santa Claus. Among other things, Helpmann informs Sam that Jill Layton has been killed... twice. The European release begins abruptly with the 'Central Services' advert about ducts, and ends with a held shot of Lowry in the cooling tower. No clouds. However, the American Release adds a few things not found in the European Release: There are clouds that open and close the film in the American Release. Some of the footage of these clouds was extraneous footage from _The Never Ending Story_. After watching Mrs. Lowry's first plastic surgery treatment, Sam exclaims "My god, it works!" Some prints of the European Release are known to omit the scene featuring Sam and Jill after their consummation, for unknown reasons. The Sheinberg Edit makes the following changes (it is likely a number of versions of the SE have been shown on television, as the stations themselves may have done their own editing for time.) The scene between Jill and Sam described above is included. Afterwards, only Sam is captured. Jill is not killed. The film ends with a brief sequence where Jill wakes Sam in their country hideaway. Sam says "I don't dream anymore," looks at a picture on the wall of himself wearing the dream-sequence wings, and the film ends with them flying up into the heavens. Many of the fantasy sequences were missing, or slightly different. After Sam blows up the Ministry of Information, a piece of paper flutters down. It's got a wanted message for Sam on it. Extended dialogue between Jill and Sam outside his apartment, and while in the truck. Extended dialogue in the scene where Sam meets Jack at Information Retrieval, and Jack has his daughter in his office. A cut of Casablanca featuring the line "Here's lookin' at you, kid." right after Sam leaves Kurtzmann's office. Jack says "You look like you've seen a ghost, Sam..." to Sam at the entrance of the Ministry of Records when Sam sees Jill Layton in the monitors. =========================================================================== 4. Why isn't there a Criterion Collection Laserdisc of Brazil? The Criterion Collection release of Brazil was to feature a new director's cut of the film, as well as director's commentary on the analog tracks, deleted scenes, storyboards, and "other treats" from Gilliam's collection. However, the studio battle described in earlier portions of the FAQ lives on -- Gilliam is in 'discussions' with Universal about what consititutes a "Director's Cut", and what footage he can and can't use. Currently, Universal has not budged -- but because Gilliam is working on a new project with Universal ("The Twelfth Monkey"), many are hopeful that the two parties will be able to come to a resolution. In the meantime, however, the package is delayed "indefinately". Criterion is still enthusiastic about _Brazil_'s release, but don't hold your breath. Here's a sneak preview of some dialogue from the Criterion disc's second audio channel commentary: "Unlike a lot of directors, I was an animator first, which I think distorts your viewpoint immediately. Even before the animation I was a cartoonist, looking at the world through a caricaturist's eyes, making ordinary things seem grotesque. And so I see the world that way. To me it seems normal. I only discover after making a film that to others its not normal. Animation is interesting; I perceive film in a frame-by-frame sequence, rather than a scene with actors just moving about, saying lines. I sort of see 24 frames per second. When it comes to doing special effects, this is fantastic -- I can work them out in a more sensible way. With storyboards, I draw the film out like a comic book. My films immediately have this strange or caricatured or distorted quality even before I come up with a weird idea. I think I've gotten braver. _Brazil_, even in it's emotional side, is a little bit constricted compared to _The Fisher King_ where I let go more. Now that I've let go, I'm not as afraid of being emotional in the films, whereas in Brazil there was a tension, a pulling back. It was actually a fear. I think that's the interesting thing about _Brazil_ -- it's about the fear, the vulnerability of being in love. Sucker!" -Gilliam, from "Voyager's Laserdiscs: A Decade of Unparalleled Vision" (catalog available free from Voyager: (800) 446-2001) Brazil is available in its American Release format on laserdisc from MCA Home Video, #40171. This disc has recently gone "out of print", but still should be widely available from most laserdisc retailers. A Japanese laserdisc pressing of Brazil contains a transfer of the European cut of Brazil from the European PAL masters. This version is also in Dolby Surround (opposed to MCA's matrixed surround). Little is known about the current availability of this disc, however -- it is likely not available. =========================================================================== 5. What is the title _Brazil_ supposed to mean? Certainly, _Brazil_ is an enigmatic title for a movie that seems to have nothing to do with the country of Brazil. The first-draft screenplay was entitled _The Ministry of Torture, or Brazil, or How I Learned to Live with the System -- So Far_, and Gilliam also considered calling his screenplay 1984 1/2. In the book _The Battle of Brazil_, Gilliam explains where the inspiration stemmed from, while he was in Port Talbot, Wales: "Port Talbot is a steel town, where everything is covered with gray iron ore dust. Even the beach is completely littered with dust, its just black. The sun was setting, and it was quite beautiful. The contrast was extraordinary, I had this image of a guy sitting there on this dingy beach with a portable radio, tuning in these strange Latin escapist songs like 'Brazil.' The music transported him somehow and made his world less gray." Linking to the bureaucratic theme, in the country of Brazil you need 9 photos and 4 pieces of identification to get a part-time job. The government also has a "Department of Debureaucratization" Sid Sheinberg didn't like the title, and had the Universal staff submit suggestions for a new title. These suggestions included the titles: If Osmosis, Who Are You? Some Day Soon Vortex Day Dreams and Night Tripper What a Future! Litterbugs The Works Skylight City You Show Me Your Dream... Access Arresting Developments Nude Descending Bathroom Scale Lords of the Files Dreamscape The Staplegunners Progress Forever More The Right to Bear Arms Explanada Fortunata Is Not My Real Name All Too Soon Chaos Where Were We? Disconnected Parties Blank/Blank Erotic Shadow Time Maelstrom Forces of Darkness The Man in the Custom Tailored T-shirt Fold, Spindle, Mutilate Can't Anybody Here Play the Cymbals? Sign on High The Ball Bearing Electro Memory Circuit Buster This Escalator Doesn't Stop At Your Station Gnu Yak, Gnu Yak, and Other Bestial Places. =========================================================================== 6. How does _Brazil_ fit in with Gilliam's other movies? The films _Time Bandits_, _Brazil_ and _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_ form a trilogy, roughly outlining the various stages of life. This is not an interpretation of the film begun on the net; it was mentioned by Gilliam on talk shows promoting _Baron Munchausen_, and was also mentioned in the book _The Battle of Brazil_. _The Battle of Brazil_ explains that Gilliam's trilogy is about the ages of man, and the subordination of magic to realism. _Time Bandits_ was part one, about the fantasist as a child. _Brazil_ was part two, the fantasist as a young man, and _Baron Munchausen_ closes the series with its story about an old man who, through the innocence and open mindedness of a small girl, regains his belief in magic. Both _Time Bandits_ and _Brazil_ have bleak endings, but _Baron Munchausen_ shows the final triumph of this sort of magic, as Munchausen circumvents the reality of his death in his own tall tales. _The Fisher King_ was not written by Gilliam, although it does continue Gilliam's primary theme of intermingling fantasy and reality. =========================================================================== 7. What are the lyrics to Brazil? Is a soundtrack available? Brazil... Where hearts were entertaining June We stood beneath an amber moon And softly murmured someday soon... We kissed... And clung together Then... Tomorrow was another day The morning found me miles away * With still a million things to say Now... When twilight dims the skies above ** Recalling thrills of our love There's one thing I'm certain of Return... I will... to old... BRAZIL. (NOTES: * In some versions, this line is "The morning found US miles away" ** In some versions, this line is "When twilight dims the STARS above") The soundtrack by Michael Kamen is available on compact disc, Milan 35636-2. The disc features music from the film as well as snippets of dialogue and the title track sung by Kate Bush. The recording is excellent, and the disc offers insightful liner notes written by Steven Smith, Terry Gilliam and Michael Kamen. Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack BRAZIL (Michael Kamen) CD: 1993 US (Milan 35636-2) 1:41 Central Services / The Office 2:10 Sam Lowry's 1st Dream / "Brazil" (vocal by Kate Bush) 0:42 Ducts 3:00 Waiting for Daddy / Sam Lowry's Wetter Dream "The Monoliths Erupt" 1:15 Truck Drive 1:34 The Restaurant (You've Got To Say the Number) 1:14 Mr. Helpmann 0:45 The Elevator 2:07 Jill Brazil / Power Station 1:03 The Party (Part 1) / Plastic Surgery 1:53 Ducting Dream 3:26 Brazil (Performed by Geoff Muldaur, from the Geoff and Maria Muldaur album _Pottery Pie_) 1:18 Days and Nights in Kyoto - The Party (Part 2) 1:46 The Morning After 1:03 Escape? 4:30 The Battle 1:50 Harry Tuttle - "A Man Consumed By Paperwork" 1:44 Mother's Funeral / Forces of Darkness 2:26 Escape ! No Escape ! 2:51 Bachianos Brazil Samba =========================================================================== 8. The sets are stunning. Where were they filmed? The sets in _Brazil_ were designed to look like "the century was compacted into a single moment," the style being eclectic. In order to create this sort of mood, Gilliam's film was shot on-location at many locations in Europe. Sam's apartment building actually exists in France, at the Marne la Vallee, a huge apartment complex designed by Ricardo Bofil. The truck chase, with Sam and Jill outrunning the security pursuit vans as well as shots of Sam walking home from the transporter station were filmed there. Dr. Jaffe's surgery room, where Ida Lowry receives her cosmetic treatment early in the film, was shot in Leighton's House, the home of Lord Leighton. Leighton was a Victorian artist and collector of moorish tiles. The clerk's pool where Sam works in the Records Department was shot in an abandoned grain mill in London's Dockland. The mill was sprayed with gray paint, and flour sifters were turned into benches. This same location was used for the corridors of the Information Retrieval department where Sam goes after being promoted. The giant holes in the ceiling are the bottoms of twelve-story-high grain silos. The restaurant where Sam, Ida, Mrs. Terrain and Shirley have lunch was shot in Mentmore Towers, part of the former Rothschild mansion in Buckinghamshire. Sam's mother's apartment was filmed in the Liberal Club in London, located next to old Scotland Yard. The Information Retrieval torture chamber where Sam is interrogated was shot in a cooling tower at a power station in South London. The stunt men who rescue Sam during his interrogation had to descend a distance of 170 feet to 9-inch wide metal spines 40 feet above the ground for Sam's escape scene. The Croydon power station was used for the setting of the basement of the Ministry of Information, as well as an exterior scene where Sam "arrests" Jill in her truck. =========================================================================== 9. What do all the signs say? Few of the propaganda signs were in the original script of _Brazil_. They can be credited to co-scriptwriter Charles McKeown, who played Sam's smarmy co-worker at Information Retrieval. Also, most every object in the film has a stencilled part number or Ministry of Information logo on it. In the Department Of Records: "The Truth Shall Make You Free" - on statue "Information Is The Key To Prosperity. A Ministry Of Information" - sign above security stall. "Help The Ministry Of Information Help You" - poster on wall "Be Safe: Be Suspicious" - sign on wall "Loose Talk Is Noose Talk" - poster on the wall of the computer room Kurtzmann's office: "Suspicion Breeds Confidence" - sign Ministry of Information logos are stamped on many of the small items in Kurtzmann's office, such as the teacup given to Lowry and the fishbowl. These are nearly impossible to see on video. Shangri La Towers: "Happiness: We're all in it together" - Billboard (This billboard is copied from a sign that appeared throughout the United States during the depression.) "Mellowfields. Top Security Holiday Camps. Luxury without fear. Fun without suspicion. Relax in a panic free atmosphere." - advert on wall above children playing. "Reality" - graffiti on wall "Shangorilla Towers" - Shangri-la tower's defaced sign. "DO NOT FOLD, SPINDLE, MUTILATE" - stencilled on concrete wall inside. Mr Lime's Office at Info. Retrieval: "Trust in haste, Regret at leisure" - poster on wall "Don't suspect a friend, report him" - poster on wall (also seen in both Lint and Kutzmann's offices) Jack's Office at Info. Retrieval: "Who can you trust?" - poster on wall Processing Plant: "Mind that parcel. Eagle eyes can save a life." - poster on wall "Power today. Pleasure tomorrow." - poster seen when the house gets lifted. Shopping Mall: "Consumers for Christ" - banner carried by band in the mall. "Utopia Railways" - ad in the street when Sam blows up the building. "Keep your city tidy" - sign on the trash can. =========================================================================== 10. What is Information Retrieval charging? A subplot that many viewers of _Brazil_ seem to miss entirely is that of Information Retrieval charging. "Information Retrieval" is a euphemism for "interrogation." The extent of Information Retrieval Charging is revealed in Deputy Minister Conrad Helpmann's interview, which is shown on the telescreen while a technician swipes at the beetle which determines the fate of the movie. The interviewer asks the Deputy Prime Minister about the economics of the terrorist situation, and the Deputy Prime Minister replies: "I understand this concern on behalf of the taxpayers. People want value for money. That's why we always insist on the principal of Information Retrieval charges. It's absolutely right and fair that those found guilty should pay for their periods of detention and the Information Retrieval procedures used in their interrogations." The check Lowry delivers to Mrs. Buttle is a check for the amount debited from the Buttle's charge account when Mr. Buttle was interrogated and killed (because of Information Retrieval's torturous methods) early in the film. The police officer says to Sam after he is strapped into the chair at the torture chamber "Don't fight it son, confess quickly. If you hold out too long, you could jeopardize your credit rating." Note that this is not merely a funny line; a scene present only in the ER (and presumably in the forthcoming laserdisc) has a MOI official arranging a way for Sam to pay his charges via installments. Inspiration for this subplot may have possibly stemmed from German history -- the Nazis were known to charge Jews for their forced passage to the concentration camps. =========================================================================== 11. What does the singing telegram girl sing? Mrs. Ida Lowry requests the pleasure of your companyyyy at her apartment tonight, from eight thirtyyyyy to midnight to celebrate the completion of her recent cosmetic surgeryyyy The guest of honor will be Mr. Conrad Helpmann, Dep. Under Minister of State for Public Informationnnn, R.S.V.P. by singing telegram! There's a reason for the singing telegram girl's rather odd dance during the last bit of the recital -- in the original script, she later asked if she could use Sam's bathroom. Gilliam considered "subtitling" the scene with this text in "telegram" style letters. Gilliam has said the he wishes he had actually done that. =========================================================================== 12. Miscellaneous Questions, Answers, and Observations. Q. What kind of car did Sam drive to deliver the refund check? A. It's a Messerschmidt. Gilliam obtained two from a collector's club in order to shoot the film, one of which was destroyed for the scene at Shangri-La Towers. Q. What does Jack Lint's little girl say to Sam after Jack leaves? A. "Put it on, big boy. I won't look at your willy." Holly, the little girl, is Gilliam's daughter Holly Gilliam. Q. Who is Sam's mother played by in the scene at Mrs. Terrain's funeral? A. Its Kim Greist, who plays Jill Layton. Gilliam shot footage with both Greist and Katherine Helmond playing the part, and decided to use the footage of Greist with Helmond's voice dubbed in. However, if you look closely, the last shot of Sam's mother _is_ Katherine Helmond. Q. Who is the rock man supposed to represent? A. Sam's boss at the Department of Records, Kurtzmann. Q. Who does Sam find when he lifts the faceplate of the Samurai? A. Himself, which lends itself to the Quixotic nature of Sam's quest. The samurai is a huge, monolithic, powerful machine, and is assumed to represent technology -- and Sam finds his own participation in the machinations of this technologically based society to be a hindrance to his own self. Gilliam hinted, during a recent Q & A session on America Online, that the Samurai may simply be a bad pun. The word samurai, divided into syllables, sounds like the phrase "Sam or I". Q. Why the hideous masks, like the one Jack Lint wears for the interrogation? A. Gilliam's mother once sent him a mask like that, and it haunted him ever since. Gilliam intended the effect of combining the masks and the decaying bodies of the Forces of Darkness (the small, troll-like creatures which Sam sees in his dreams) to be an intermingling of the beginning and ends of life. Q. Does Gilliam cameo in the film? A. Gilliam himself appears as one of the lurkers in Shangri-La towers, the one belching smoke as he runs into Sam. The lurkers were put in the script to get the idea across that people were being arbitrarily picked out for surveillance. Q. How is the song "Brazil" used in the movie? A. As well as frequently occurring as a theme in the orchestral soundtrack, the song Brazil is hummed by Tuttle as he puts the panel back inside Sam's apartment, and by Sam as he folds up Mrs. Buttle's check and puts it in the pneumatic delivery tube. A few notes of the song are played by the keypad as Sam punches in "EREIAMJH" in Mr. Helpmann's lift. Q. Are there any references to other films in _Brazil_? A. Past the obvious reference to Casablanca, there are two scenes which are familiar to film buffs. The first is the opening dolly shot of the clerk's pool at the Department of Records, intended as homage to Stanley Kubrick, who used a similar dolly shot in _Paths of Glory_. An even more striking similarity is during the scene where Lowry and Tuttle escape from Information Retrieval. The actions of the soldiers in this scene, marching mechanically in time and lowering their rifles, mirrors shot-for-shot a famous scene in _Potemkin_. The scene in the Russian classic takes place on the steps of Odessa, portraying a glimpse of the Russian revolution. In _Potemkin_, we have a baby carriage rolling down the stairs in the midst of battle. In _Brazil_, we have a floor polisher going down the stairs -- the operator, like the mother in Potemkin, is shot. This famous scene is also alluded to in _The Untouchables_, during the famous train station stand-off, and was re-drawn for _Stick Figure Theatre_ on MTV's _Liquid Television_. Zbigniew Rybczynski's short film "Steps" is all about what happens when modern day tourists get to walk around in this famous film sequence. Many other films have used referenced _Potemkin_, as well. Q. Why does Mrs. Terrain disintegrate over the course of the film? A. Mrs Terrain reveals in the restaurant bombing sequence that she is seeing Mr. Chapman for cosmetic surgery, also known as "the acid man". From the gelatinous, bony mess found in her coffin, we can assume the acid treatment was ultimately unsuccessful. Q. Are any of the character's names significant? A. Mr Kurtzmann (German for `short man') stands for small in stature and success. Named after the editor of _Help_ (Harvey Kurtzman), a magazine that Gilliam worked for in the mid-60s. It was at a photo shoot for this magazine that Gilliam met John Cleese, who would later invite him to join the Monty Python team. Mr Warrenn works in a rabbit-warren style place: a maze of corridors. Dr. Chapman, "the acid man" responsible for Mrs. Terrain's deteriorating condition, may be an allusion to fellow Pythoner Graham Chapman, who studied as a doctor. Q. What is the tool that Jack Lint uses during Sam's interrogation? A. It is a device used to perform a frontal lobotomy. It is inserted through the nose and then pushed up to sever the frontal lobe. Q. What is the gift Sam keeps getting and giving? A. An executive decision maker, a novelty gift in the Spencer's Gifts vain: it has a plunger that can fall to one side of a divider, landing on "YES" or "NO". The toy is of no value in the film...commentary on the knee-jerk giving of useless gifts at Christmastime, and the commercialization of the holiday. The gift in real life was more expensive...it cost 2000 dollars to design and make for the film. Q. What does "'ere I am, J.H." mean? A. This appears to be a continuity error. Jeremiah (the anagram of "EREIAMJH") was Sam Lowry's late father, so we can assume his initials were J.L. Helpmann's initials are C.H. (for Conrad Helpmann). It is possible that H is a middle initial of one of the two men. Q. How were the flying sequences filmed? A. "We used either close ups of Jonathan....and the rest of the shots were done on this model. This thing was so good we were able to come in very close on it and still fool the camera. This whole thing was connected by wires to a battery that was then run on a huge track. To make it look like the size of a human being you've gotta slow the thing down so we shot it at 4 or 5 times normal speed and the operator trying to follow this thing was in a terrible state. We'd set this whole thing up and the clouds would get going and we'd shout "Action!" and it would go Wham! and then this thing would fly through the air "Berrrrrap!" and that was it and it would take us another hour to set it up again. By the end of the day you wouldn't know what you'd achieved, but come the next morning, you saw the rushes and the film slowed down to the right speed...it's fantastic, you saw this incredibly graceful, soaring, sweeping figure. That's what we ended up with on film." - Terry Gilliam, The South Bank Show, 6/29/91 Additional information: Two of Lowry's "rescuers" are wearing comic masks -- one wearing a Father Christmas mask, the other Pluto. There are references to Egyptology in Ida Lowry's decor, and the brooch she wears, the beetle, is the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. The "shoe hat" she wears is based on an actual design from the 30's. Ducts are pervasive throughout the film. These symbolize both the umbilical relationship of the people to their centralized government and the loss of aesthetics in our cities. When Sam fights with Jill to get her parcel off her (in the lingerie dept.) his head gets pressed against a mirror. For a brief second before the next shot, the film gets reversed (or flipped from left to right). Spiro loses his French accent after the bomb goes off in the restaurant. Gilliam tested more than a half-dozen actresses to play the part of Jill, interviewing or testing Jamie Lee Curtis, Rebecca De Mornay, Rae Dawn Chong, Joanna Pakula, Rosanna Arquette, Kelly McGillis, Ellen Barkin, and even considering Madonna. Gilliam's personal favorite was Ellen Barkin. There was a reference to _Brazil_ on Simpsons episode [1F07]: The Last Temptation of Homer, originally aired on December 9th, 1993. Department of labor workers slide in from the top of the screen on wires in a manner very similar to Sam's rescue scene in the torture chamber. The Brazilian soccer team is mentioned soon afterward. There may have been a Federal Express ad that parodied Brazil, namely the scenes with Mr. Warrenn in Information Retrieval. Many posters to rec.arts.movies and alt.cult-movies have intimated that _Brazil_ is a modern-day crucifixtion story. The relative amorality and selfish nature of Sam Lowry would easily preclude him from being any kind of representation of Christ, however. =========================================================================== 13. Where can I get more information about Brazil? Cardiff's Movie Database (movie@ibmpcug.co.uk) offers very complete filmographies on a seemingly endless number of films. Send a message to the above address with the subject HELP to get information on how to use the server. The movie database is also available via WWW. Set your pointers to http://www.msstate.edu/Movies to navigate the database. The Brazil WWW page will have a dynamic link to the Movie Database's Brazil page. Now out of print, Jack Mathew's fine hardcover _The Battle of Brazil_, published by Crown Publishing, New York, 1987 ISBN 0-517-56538-2, is a great source of information about the film and the ensuing studio battles. Much of the information in this FAQ was gleaned from _The Battle of Brazil_. ========================================================================== 14. Notable Quotes Arresting Officer: "This is your receipt for your husband...and this is my receipt for your receipt." Bill, Department of Works: "Mistakes? We don't make mistakes." Charlie, Department of Works: "Bloody typical, they've gone back to metric without telling us." Shirley: "Salt?" "Pepper?" "Oh, it's...it's all right. I don't like you either." Tuttle: "...well, that's a pipe of a different color." "Listen, this old system of yours could be on fire and I couldn't even turn on the kitchen tap without filling out a 27b/6...Bloody paperwork." "My good friends call me Harry." "Listen, kid, we're all in it together." Kurtzmann: "It's been confusion from the word go!" Mrs. Buttle: "What have you done with his body?" Jack: "Until this whole thing blows over, just stay away from me." "It's not my fault that Buttle's heart condition didn't appear on Tuttle's file!" Sam: "Yes...No...I don't know. I don't know what I want." "Mr. Helpmann, I'm keen to get into Information Retrieval. Mr. Helpmann, I'm dying to get at this woman... no, no, no." "Yes, I always used to wonder if she wore falsies. False ears..." "Sorry, I'm a bit of a stickler for paperwork. Where would we be if we didn't follow the correct procedures?" "I assure you, Mrs. Buttle, the Ministry is very scrupulous about following up and eradicating any error. If you have any complaints which you'd like to make, I'd be more than happy to send you the appropriate forms." Helpmann: Helpmann uses a variety of sporting references, including: "Bad sportsmanship. A ruthless minority of people seem to have forgotten good old-fashioned virtues. They just can't stand seeing the other fellow win. If these people would just play the game..." "We're fielding all their strokes, running a lot of them out, and pretty consistently knocking them for six. I'd say they're nearly out of the game." "Jill? Yes...Sam I think I ought to tell you. I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion. Thrown in the towel." "All I can say is don't fall at the last fence. The finishing post's in sight. See you in the paddock...keep your eye on the ball." Warren: "An empty desk is an efficient desk!" Dr. Lewis Jaffe: "Just me and my little knife! Snip snip -- slice slice... can you believe it?" "Faces are a doddle compared to tits and ass. No hairline." Spoor: "Where'd you get this from, eh? Out yer nostril?" "All you've got to do is blow your nose and it's fixed, in't it?" Lime: "Computers are my forte!" Jill: "Care for a little necrophilia?. . .Hmmm?" =========================================================================== 15. Appendix: Who is <so-and-so>? Behind the scenes: Terry Gilliam: Director of _Brazil_, as well as the films Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and The Fisher King. Gilliam also co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Terry Jones. Gilliam is renowned for his animation work with Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as the opening segment of the film The Meaning of Life, "The Crimson Permanent Assurance." Tom Stoppard: co-scriptwriter of _Brazil_, tragicomic playwright well known for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, as well as for working on the screenplays of Billy Bathgate and The Russia House. Charles McKeown: co-scriptwriter and Lime, Lowry's annoying co-worker in Information Retrieval. Responsible for many of the propaganda signs throughout the film. Also co-wrote The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Arnon Milchan: producer of _Brazil_. Recently known for funding Oliver Stone's latest projects. Had a fall out with Gilliam before the production of Munchausen. Sidney Sheinberg: president of Universal studios during production of _Brazil_. Called for studio edits of not only _Brazil_, but Mask and Legend. Roger Pratt: Director of Photography. Also worked on The Fisher King and Mona Lisa. Julian Doyle: Editor Michael Kamen: Composer of _Brazil's_ orchestral score. Also worked on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Die Hard I & II, Lethal Weapon 1 2 & 3, Polyester, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Wall, among many others. Cast: Sam Lowry: the main character, an anesthetized bureaucrat who works for the Ministry of Information filing records. Later chases after his dream girl, Jill Layton. Played by Jonathan Pryce, known for his performances as Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes and in Glengarry Glen Ross, Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Ploughman's Lunch, and the Broadway production of Miss Saigon, among many others. Archibald "Harry" Tuttle: A renegade heating engineer who is sought after by the Ministry of Information for "Freelance Subversion". Allies with Sam after fixing Sam's heating system. Played by Robert De Niro, best known for Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, GoodFellas, Taxi Driver among many others. Ida Lowry: Sam's youth-obsessed mother, responsible for getting Sam's promotion. Played by Katherine Helmond, who performed in Time Bandits, and is best known for the TV series Soap and Who's the Boss. Kurtzmann: Sam's nervous supervisor at the Department of Records. Played by Ian Holm. Also in Time Bandits, Kafka, Naked Lunch, Alien among many others. Spoor & Dowser: Department of Works employees who end up trashing Sam's flat and getting a "sticky end". Spoor is played by Bob Hoskins, best known for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mona Lisa, A Prayer for the Dying. Dowser is played by Derrick O'Connor, also in Jabberwocky, Lethal Weapon 2, and The Missionary. Jack Lint: Friend of Sam and Ministry of Information officer 412/L, who interrogates Sam at the end of the film. Played by Michael Palin, best known for his work with Monty Python. Also in Jabberwocky, A Fish Called Wanda, and Time Bandits. Warrenn: Head of Information Retrieval, played by Ian Richardson. Also in: Cry Freedom, M. Butterfly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Whoops Apocalypse among many others. Helpmann: Deputy Prime Minister, offers Sam the promotion to Information Retrieval. Played by Peter Vaughan. Also in Time Bandits, The Missionary among many others. Jill Layton: Sam's dream girl, and supposed terrorist. Played by Kim Griest. Also in: Punchline, Throw Momma from the Train, Manhunter among many others. Dr. Jaffe: Ida Lowry's plastic surgeon, "the knife man." Played by Jim Broadbent. Also in: The Crying Game, Enchanted April, among others. Mrs. Terrain: Ida Lowry's friend, destroyed by her cosmetic surgery, and mother of Shirley. Played by Barbara Hicks. Also in: Howard's End, Petticoat Pirates among others. Shirley: Mrs. Terrain's daughter, gets "set up" with Sam at Mrs. Lowry's party. Played by Kathryn Pogson. Also in: The Company of Wolves. Spiro: Maitre D' at the restaurant where Sam, Ida, Mrs. Terrain and Shirley have lunch. Played by Bryan Pringle. Also in: 3 Men and a Little Lady, Jabberwocky, Drowning by Numbers among others. Mrs. Buttle: Wife of Mr. Buttle, Shoe Repair Operative, who makes an agonized plea to Sam when he delivers her refund check for her dead husband. Played by Sheila Reid. Also in: The Dresser and Othello (1965). T.V. Interviewer/Salesman: performed by John Flanagan. Also in: The Medusa Touch, Arthur's Hallowed Ground. Technician: Kills a beetle, which ends up killing Mr. Buttle. As well as Jill Layton, for that matter. Played by Ray Cooper. Also in: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Mr. Buttle: Arrested early in the film, confused for Archibald Tuttle. Accidentally killed during his interrogation. Played by Brian Miller. Boy Buttle & Girl Buttle: Played by Simon Nash & Prudence Oliver. Arresting Officer: arrests Mr. Buttle. Played by Simon Jones, best known as Arthur Dent from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Walter Raleigh in Blackadder II. Also in Green Card. Bill & Charlie: Department of Works employees, they attempt to plug the hole in Mrs. Buttle's ceiling. Charlie is played by Nigel Planer, formerly of the Young Ones, and Eat the Rich. Bill is played by Derek Deadman, also in: National Lampoon's European Vacation, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, among others. M.O.I. Lobby Porter: Requires that Jill have the proper stamps on her paperwork. Played by Gordon Kaye, of 'allo 'allo, and Jabberwocky. Neighbor in Clerks pool: Tells Sam that Casablanca is on the tele. Played by Tony Portacio. Samurai Warrior: Played by Winston Dennis. Also in: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Commitments, and Nuns on the Run. Telegram Girl: Sings Sam's invitation at the pitch of a dog whistle. Played by Diana Martin. Dr. Chapman: Cosmetic Surgeon, "the acid man." A midget. Played by Jack Purvis. Also in: Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and the Star Wars Trilogy. Alison/Barbara Lint: Does not wear false ears. Played by Elizabeth Spender. Porter at Information Retrieval: Played by Antony Brown, also in Under Siege. Typist in Jack's Office: Transcribes interrogation sections. Played by Myrtle Devenish. Also in: Tug of Love. Holly: One of Jack Lint's triplets. Played by Holly Gilliam, Terry Gilliam's daughter. Basement Guard: Played by John Pierce Jones. Also in: The Wicked Lady. Old Lady With Dog: Dog has an interesting bum. Played by Ann Way (the old lady, that is), also in Haunted Honeymoon, Once Upon a Crime, and more. Burning Trooper: Played by Terry Forrestal. Black Maria Guards: Played by Don Henderson of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Star Wars and more, and Howard Lew Lewis, of Chaplin and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Interview Official: Played by Oscar Quitak. Cell Guard: Played by Patrick Connor. Also in: Lifeforce, Ragtime, among others. Priest: Played by Roger Ashton-Griffiths. Also in King Ralph, Young Sherlock Holmes, Dreamchild, among others. =========================================================================== NOTES Copious thanks to all involved in writing this thing, including: Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au> Jon Drukman <jdrukman%dlsun87@us.oracle.com> Chuck Falzone <cjf49655@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> John Fletcher <jrf@psy.oxford.ac.uk> Hyunsuk Seung <hseung@anat3d1.anatomy.upenn.edu> and everyone else involved who I forgot... I'm active in rec.arts.movies and alt.cult-movies, but my clunky old newsreader probably won't catch your post. Please E-mail all comments, questions, corrections & suggestions directly to me at the address esch@fische.com. esch@fische.com David S. Cowen (David Eschatfische) ----------------------------------------- -- esch@fische.com (Eschatfische.) -------------------------- http://execpc.com/~esch/home.html