Despite the issues around Terry Gilliam’s cult 1985 dystopian film, when he fought the US distributors who wanted a happy ending, some of us came to the discussion group feeling sad that this didn’t happen. It was a hard film to watch, but as one member of the discussion quoted, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”
For several in the group, it had been decades since we first saw the film and it stood the test of time, with its scary depictions of technology gone mad, cold bureaucracy, violence and surveillance.
It was a “rollercoaster of a film” that for many of us sparked memories of mindless jobs we’d had in offices. Constant form-filling just for the sake of it, new technologies that seemed to create more stress than anything else, encouragement to report colleagues for their failures – it seemed painfully familiar. Someone shared a reflection about a bomb scare that happened outside their building, when everyone just got on as normal.
Brazil’s design was a good talking point, particularly Jim Acheson’s surreal fashion design. Who could forget the shoe hat, which was originally created by Dali and worn by his wife Gala? These frivolous women’s costumes contrasted with the bleak muted greyness of much of the film. The men’s clothing, with long coats and hats, reflected film noir style and this was mirrored in some shadowy shots.
Our shorts took us through Terry Gilliam’s career, highlighted his unique and subversive talent and brought back happy memories of experiencing Monty Python in our youth. The 2006 German film The Lives of Others, which had a theme of surveillance, was also recommended for those who missed it first time around.
Anne.
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