以下はMOROBOSHI TomorouがDavid S.Cowenの許可の下に翻訳するものです。
そしてこれは、作業中のファイルです。
BRAZIL (Movie, 1985) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Archive-name: movies/brazil-faqLast-modified: 1994/12/16Version: 1.2
BRAZIL Frequently Asked Questions Copyright 1994 David S. Cowen Release 1.2.5
This release: Brazil WWW page now on-line! INTRODUCTIONNine years after its release, Terry Gilliam's _Brazil_ remains one of themost hotly discussed movies on the net, due to its complex plot, uniquestyle and the legendary battle about _Brazil's_ release between TerryGilliam (the director) and Sidney Sheinberg (then president of UniversalStudios). This FAQ has been created to answer frequently posted questionspertinent to all matters about the film.This list will be posted on approximately the 16th of every month torec.arts.movies, news.answers, and rec.answers, and alt.cult-movies.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-faqThere are many other FTP sites in Northern America, Europe and Asia whicharchive this FAQ. Use archie or veronica to find one near you.The Brazil Hypermedia FAQ is now online, featuring all of the FAQ text,a link to the Brazil page on the Cardiff server, and various imagesfrom the film. Point your Web browser to:In the USA: http://execpc.com/brazil/The rest of the world: http://poppy.kaist.ac.kr/cinema/brazil/There is a automatic response brazil-faq mail server. Send mail tobrazil-faq@fische.com to receive the latest copy of the FAQ.This FAQ contains spoilers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS- この映画がさっぱり理解できません。いったいなんなんですか？
- 「未来世紀ブラジル」のアメリカでの公開にどのような問題があったのですか？
- 「未来世紀ブラジル」にはいくつのバージョンがあるのですか？
- なぜ「未来世紀ブラジル」の Criterion Collection レーザーディスクは利用できないの？
- 「ブラジル」というタイトルは何を意味しているの？
- 「未来世紀ブラジル」はギリアムの他の映画とどのように関連しているの？
- 「ブラジル」の歌詞は？ サウンドトラックは利用できる？
- セットが素晴しい！ どこで撮影されたの？
- すべての「サイン」は何と言っているの？
- 「情報剥奪料金（Information Retrieval Charging）」って何?
- 電報ガールは何て歌っていたの？
- さまざまな質問と答と考察
- どこで「ブラジル」のほかの情報が得られるかしら？
- 重要な引用
- 付録：Who is [so-and-so]? What else were they in?
1. この映画がさっぱり理解できません。いったいなんなんですか？ 「ブラジル」は奥行きがある映画です。−プロットは一つの主題には焦点をあてないかわりに互いに絡まりあった多くの異なるプロットに焦点をあてます。 それらのプロットを結び付けるのは、巨大な政府官僚機構、情報省記録局の事務員サム・ラウリーというキャラクターです。 Sam's perception of the world alternates between beingtrapped as a mere "cog in the machine" in a grim world of paperwork andescaping from his grim existence by becoming a hero in his own elaboratedreams. His life and these dreams begin to merge together...his dreamsbecome more realized as his life tears apart. Eventually, the govermentimprisons him, finding him guilty of none other than "wasting theMinistry'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 whichrolls up many of the problems of the century into one big plot:industrialization, terrorism, government control and bureaucracy (fromboth capitalist and socialized countries), technology gone wrong, ineptrepair people, plastic surgery, Love, and even modern filmmaking -- allwoven into a plot which shows the dehumanizing effect all of theseproblems 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 onlyescape. Gilliam approaches the style of the film with his trademark witand 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 10years I'd been sort of thinking about this thing. I mean on a very simplelevel it's just its just very cathartic for me. It's all about my ownfrustrations and my seeming inability to achieve what I wanted to achieveand 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 becauseof the system, because the system is us. What _Brazil_ is really about isthat the system isn't great leaders, great machinating people controllingit all. It's each person performing their job as one little cog in thisthing and Sam chooses to stay a little cog and ultimately he pays the pricefor that. "Now on the other hand I also felt that there's the ideal that if weall do our bit the world will become better. Then there's the pessimisticside that says enough of this 'do our bit, ain't gonna make a blind bit ofdifference as we're all gunna, lemming like, go over the abyss'. And sothen there was 'how do you escape from that world?' and Sam escapes bygoing insane. I actually started this film with that idea of 'can one makea film where the happy ending is a man going insane?'" Keep in mind, however, that Gilliam has been quoted as saying "BecauseI 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_ toUniversal studios, on time and on budget. _Brazil's_ complex andinterweaving plot demands a lot of screen time in order to tie up all theloose ends -- and Gilliam was happy about the way the film worked in its142 minute cut. Fox Pictures International had just signed theinternational agreement to the film and had accepted the 142 minute lengthwithout any sort of protest, so Gilliam expected Universal to accept it fordistribution in America. Not so. Sidney Sheinberg, the president of Universal studios, hadtaken an interest in _Brazil_ -- Sheinberg "liked many parts of _Brazil_,and thought there were many moments of bravura filmmaking," but whatSheinberg saw lacking was commercial potential. The cure for this, inSheinberg'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, thestunning set design and Gilliam's off-beat style of humor, while removingthose things that were not, namely the film's dark ending, the overtonesof the dehumanizing effects of the government, and Michael Kamen'switty but dark orchestral score. This began a personal battle between Terry Gilliam and SidneySheinberg for control of the film. Sheinberg had forced Gilliam to sign atime provision which said that the running time of _Brazil_ would have tobe 132 minutes for Universal to accept it, and that even then Universalcould follow up with any editing it deemed necessary. A rough cut of_Brazil_ which ran at 132 minutes was created by Gilliam's editor JulianDoyle in order to fulfill the contractual obligation on time, and was sentto Universal pictures. Gilliam worked on a 132 minute edit, whileSheinberg himself began work on the studio's edit of the film. Scheinberg's editors Bill Gordean and Steve Lovejoy created an editwhich cut out many of the dream sequences and essential threads in the plotof _Brazil_, while splicing in all elements of humor and all usable footageinvolving Sam Lowry and Jill Layton, the "dream girl". If that wasn't badenough, Gordean and Lovejoy also lopped off the entire ending sequencewhich involved Sam Lowry's interrogation (and eventual loss of sanity)by his coworker Jack Lint. Instead, they chose to end the film where Samfinally consummates his relationship with Jill, and escapes with her to thecountry. Also suggested was the replacement of Kamen's symphonic scorewith one of rock music -- in order to "attract teens." Ultimately, this edit subverted the entire point of _Brazil_, makingthe 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'soriginal message of dehumanization and technology gone wrong was completelyremoved in Scheinberg's edit -- an edit which sent the message that if youplayed the game and remained a good little cog in the machine, that one dayyou'll end up with your dreams come true. Scheinberg, upon seeing Gilliam's second 132 minute edit, decidedto test the studio's version instead. Gilliam would not stand for this.Arnon Milchan, the producer of the film, began making public declarationson how the studio had taken away Gilliam's film because it was only a fewminutes over contractual obligation, and began calling for critics tosee the film in England, where it was available from Fox Pictures.Sid Sheinberg responded back by saying that no amount of critical praisecould reverse the studio's decision about _Brazil_. Gilliam toldSheinberg 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 andout 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 Isaid "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 notgoing to kill them. They can sit on it". and I said "we'll just have toapproach it in a much more personalized way". So the first thing I did wasto take a full page ad out in Variety which was this blank page except forthis 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 inthe film and some had seen it and they set up a whole series of clandestinescreenings of this film around Hollywood in peoples homes. It came time tovote at the end of the year for their films and they realized in theirbylaws it didn't say that a film had to be released to be able to be votedupon and so they all voted upon whether _Brazil_ could be voted upon andthey agreed it could be and then it went out and it won Best Picture, BestDirection and Best Screenplay. [The awards were] announced the very nightof the premiere of Out Of Africa in New York which was Universal's big filmthat year. All the big brass were there in their ties & DJ's and they weretold that Out Of Africa had won nothing and _Brazil_, this film that theywon't release has won all these awards. They had to release it and what waswonderful was I was getting all these phone calls from people saying "Ohwell 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'tchange, 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 twotheaters in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, 1985, later bringing it slowlyacross the country in a limited number of theatres with limitedadvertising.
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 132minute American film and video release (AR), and Sid Sheinberg's edit (SE),which has been shown on television. There are reports of two differentEuropean Releases being shown in American theatres, and television stationshave been known to do their own editing on the American Release.The European Release contains many scenes cut from the Americanrelease. 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 EuropeanRelease: 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 scenefeaturing Sam and Jill after their consummation, for unknown reasons.The Sheinberg Edit makes the following changes (it is likely a number ofversions of the SE have been shown on television, as the stationsthemselves may have done their own editing for time.) The "Something for an executive?" 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 newdirector's cut of the film, as well as director's commentary on the analogtracks, deleted scenes, storyboards, and "other treats" from Gilliam'scollection. However, the studio battle described in earlier portions ofthe FAQ lives on -- Gilliam is in 'discussions' with Universal about whatconsititutes a "Director's Cut", and what footage he can and can't use.Currently, Universal has not budged -- but because Gilliam is working ona new project with Universal ("The Twelfth Monkey"), many are hopeful thatthe two parties will be able to come to a resolution. In the meantime,however, the package is delayed "indefinately". Criterion is stillenthusiastic about _Brazil_'s release, but don't hold your breath. Here's a sneak preview of some dialogue from the Criterion disc's secondaudio channel commentary: "Unlike a lot of directors, I was an animator first, which I thinkdistorts your viewpoint immediately. Even before the animation I was acartoonist, looking at the world through a caricaturist's eyes, makingordinary things seem grotesque. And so I see the world that way. To meit seems normal. I only discover after making a film that to others itsnot normal. Animation is interesting; I perceive film in a frame-by-framesequence, rather than a scene with actors just moving about, sayinglines. I sort of see 24 frames per second. When it comes to doingspecial effects, this is fantastic -- I can work them out in a moresensible way. With storyboards, I draw the film out like a comic book.My films immediately have this strange or caricatured or distortedquality 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 gomore. Now that I've let go, I'm not as afraid of being emotional in thefilms, whereas in Brazil there was a tension, a pulling back. It wasactually 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 fromMCA Home Video, #40171. This disc has recently gone "out of print", butstill should be widely available from most laserdisc retailers. A Japanese laserdisc pressing of Brazil contains a transfer of theEuropean cut of Brazil from the European PAL masters. This version isalso in Dolby Surround (opposed to MCA's matrixed surround). Little isknown about the current availability of this disc, however -- it is likelyout of print.
5. What is the title _Brazil_ supposed to mean? Certainly, _Brazil_ is an enigmatic title for a movie that seems tohave nothing to do with the country of Brazil. The first-draftscreenplay was entitled _The Ministry of Torture, or Brazil, or How ILearned to Live with the System -- So Far_, and Gilliam also consideredcalling his screenplay 1984 1/2. In the book _The Battle of Brazil_,Gilliam explains where the inspiration stemmed from, while he was in PortTalbot, Wales: "Port Talbot is a steel town, where everything is covered with grayiron ore dust. Even the beach is completely littered with dust, its justblack. The sun was setting, and it was quite beautiful. The contrast wasextraordinary, I had this image of a guy sitting there on this dingy beachwith 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 9photos and 4 pieces of identification to get a part-time job. Thegovernment also has a "Department of Debureaucratization" Sid Sheinberg didn't like the title, and had the Universal staffsubmit suggestions for a new title. These suggestions included the titles:If Osmosis, Who Are You? Some Day SoonVortex Day Dreams and Night TripperWhat a Future! LitterbugsThe Works Skylight CityYou Show Me Your Dream... AccessArresting Developments Nude Descending Bathroom ScaleLords of the Files DreamscapeThe Staplegunners ProgressForever More The Right to Bear ArmsExplanada Fortunata Is Not My Real Name All Too SoonChaos Where Were We?Disconnected Parties Blank/BlankErotic Shadow TimeMaelstrom Forces of DarknessThe Man in the Custom Tailored T-shirt Fold, Spindle, MutilateCan't Anybody Here Play the Cymbals? Sign on HighThe Ball Bearing Electro Memory Circuit BusterThis Escalator Doesn't Stop At Your StationGnu 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 BaronMunchausen_ form a trilogy, roughly outlining the various stages of life.This is not an interpretation of the film begun on the net; it wasmentioned by Gilliam on talk shows promoting _Baron Munchausen_, and wasalso mentioned in the book _The Battle of Brazil_. _The Battle of Brazil_explains that Gilliam's trilogy is about the ages of man, and thesubordination of magic to realism. _Time Bandits_ was part one, about thefantasist 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 manwho, through the innocence and open mindedness of a small girl, regains hisbelief in magic. Both _Time Bandits_ and _Brazil_ have bleak endings, but_Baron Munchausen_ shows the final triumph of this sort of magic, asMunchausen circumvents the reality of his death in his own tall tales. _The Fisher King_ was not written by Gilliam, although it does continueGilliam'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, Milan35636-2. The disc features music from the film as well as snippets ofdialogue and the title track sung by Kate Bush. The recording isexcellent, and the disc offers insightful liner notes written by StevenSmith, 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 British musicians S'express have done a cover of the song Brazil,featuring samples from Gilliam's film.
8. The sets are stunning. Where were they filmed? The sets in _Brazil_ were designed to look like "the century wascompacted into a single moment," the style being eclectic. In order tocreate this sort of mood, Gilliam's film was shot on-location at manylocations in Europe. Sam's apartment building actually exists in France, at the Marne laVallee, a huge apartment complex designed by Ricardo Bofil. The truckchase, with Sam and Jill outrunning the security pursuit vans as well asshots of Sam walking home from the transporter station were filmed there. Dr. Jaffe's surgery room, where Ida Lowry receives her cosmetictreatment early in the film, was shot in Leighton's House, the home of LordLeighton. Leighton was a Victorian artist and collector of moorish tiles. The clerk's pool where Sam works in the Records Department was shotin an abandoned grain mill in London's Dockland. The mill was sprayedwith gray paint, and flour sifters were turned into benches. This samelocation was used for the corridors of the Information Retrievaldepartment where Sam goes after being promoted. The giant holes in theceiling are the bottoms of twelve-story-high grain silos. The restaurant where Sam, Ida, Mrs. Terrain and Shirley have lunchwas shot in Mentmore Towers, part of the former Rothschild mansion inBuckinghamshire. 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 interrogatedwas shot in a cooling tower at a power station in South London. The stuntmen who rescue Sam during his interrogation had to descend a distance of170 feet to 9-inch wide metal spines 40 feet above the ground for Sam'sescape scene. The Croydon power station was used for the setting of the basementof 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'ssmarmy co-worker at Information Retrieval. Also, most every object inthe film has a stencilled part number or Ministry of Information logo onit.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 roomKurtzmann'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 wallProcessing 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 thatof Information Retrieval charging. "Information Retrieval" is a euphemismfor "interrogation." The extent of Information Retrieval Charging isrevealed in Deputy Minister Conrad Helpmann's interview, which is shownon the telescreen while a technician swipes at the beetle which determinesthe fate of the movie. The interviewer asks the Deputy Prime Ministerabout the economics of the terrorist situation, and the Deputy PrimeMinister 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 amountdebited from the Buttle's charge account when Mr. Buttle was interrogatedand killed (because of Information Retrieval's torturous methods) early inthe film. The police officer says to Sam after he is strapped into thechair at the torture chamber "Don't fight it son, confess quickly. If youhold out too long, you could jeopardize your credit rating." Note thatthis is not merely a funny line; a scene present only in the ER (andpresumably in the forthcoming laserdisc) has a MOI official arranging a wayfor Sam to pay his charges via installments. Inspiration for this subplot may have possibly stemmed from Germanhistory -- the Nazis were known to charge Jews for their forced passage tothe 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 danceduring the last bit of the recital -- in the original script, shelater 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 actuallydone 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, 6/29/91Additional information:Two of Lowry's "rescuers" are wearing comic masks -- one wearing a FatherChristmas mask, the other Pluto.There are references to Egyptology in Ida Lowry's decor, and the brooch shewears, 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 theumbilical relationship of the people to their centralized government andthe loss of aesthetics in our cities.When Sam fights with Jill to get her parcel off her (in the lingeriedept.) his head gets pressed against a mirror. For a brief second beforethe 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 DawnChong, Joanna Pakula, Rosanna Arquette, Kelly McGillis, Ellen Barkin, andeven considering Madonna. Gilliam's personal favorite was Ellen Barkin.There was a reference to _Brazil_ on Simpsons episode [1F07]: The LastTemptation of Homer, originally aired on December 9th, 1993. Departmentof labor workers slide in from the top of the screen on wires in amanner very similar to Sam's rescue scene in the torture chamber. TheBrazilian soccer team is mentioned soon afterward.There may have been a Federal Express ad that parodied Brazil, namelythe 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 andselfish nature of Sam Lowry would easily preclude him from being any kind ofrepresentation of Christ, however.
13. Where can I get more information about Brazil? Cardiff's Movie Database (movie@ibmpcug.co.uk) offers very completefilmographies on a seemingly endless number of films. Send a message tothe above address with the subject HELP to get information on how to usethe server. The movie database is also available via WWW. Set your pointers tohttp://www.msstate.edu/Movies to navigate the database. The Brazil WWWpage has a dynamic link to the Movie Database's Brazil page. Now out of print, Jack Mathew's fine hardcover _The Battle ofBrazil_, published by Crown Publishing, New York, 1987 ISBN 0-517-56538-2,is a great source of information about the film and the ensuing studiobattles. Much of the information in this FAQ was gleaned from _TheBattle of Brazil_.==========================================================================14. Notable QuotesArresting 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 TerryJones. Gilliam is renowned for his animation work with Monty Python'sFlying Circus, as well as the opening segment of the film The Meaning ofLife, "The Crimson Permanent Assurance."Tom Stoppard: co-scriptwriter of _Brazil_, tragicomic playwright wellknown for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, as well as for workingon the screenplays of Billy Bathgate and The Russia House.Charles McKeown: co-scriptwriter and Lime, Lowry's annoying co-worker inInformation Retrieval. Responsible for many of the propaganda signsthroughout the film. Also co-wrote The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.Arnon Milchan: producer of _Brazil_. Recently known for funding OliverStone's latest projects. Had a fall out with Gilliam before the productionof Munchausen.Sidney Sheinberg: president of Universal studios during production of_Brazil_. Called for studio edits of not only _Brazil_, but Mask andLegend.Roger Pratt: Director of Photography. Also worked on The Fisher King andMona Lisa.Julian Doyle: EditorMichael Kamen: Composer of _Brazil's_ orchestral score. Also worked onThe 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 worksfor the Ministry of Information filing records. Later chases afterhis dream girl, Jill Layton. Played by Jonathan Pryce, known forhis performances as Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes andin Glengarry Glen Ross, Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Ploughman's Lunch, andthe Broadway production of Miss Saigon, among many others.Archibald "Harry" Tuttle: A renegade heating engineer who is sought afterby the Ministry of Information for "Freelance Subversion". Allies withSam after fixing Sam's heating system. Played by Robert De Niro, best knownfor Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, GoodFellas, Taxi Driver among manyothers.Ida Lowry: Sam's youth-obsessed mother, responsible for getting Sam'spromotion. 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 trashingSam'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 FishCalled Wanda, and Time Bandits.Warrenn: Head of Information Retrieval, played by Ian Richardson. Also in:Cry Freedom, M. Butterfly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, WhoopsApocalypse among many others.Helpmann: Deputy Prime Minister, offers Sam the promotionto 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 KimGriest. Also in: Punchline, Throw Momma from the Train, Manhunter amongmany others.Dr. Jaffe: Ida Lowry's plastic surgeon, "the knife man." Played byJim 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'sparty. Played by Kathryn Pogson. Also in: The Company of Wolves.Spiro: Maitre D' at the restaurant where Sam, Ida, Mrs. Terrain andShirley have lunch. Played by Bryan Pringle. Also in: 3 Men and a LittleLady, Jabberwocky, Drowning by Numbers among others.Mrs. Buttle: Wife of Mr. Buttle, Shoe Repair Operative, who makesan agonized plea to Sam when he delivers her refund check for herdead husband. Played by Sheila Reid. Also in: The Dresser andOthello (1965).T.V. Interviewer/Salesman: performed by John Flanagan. Also in: The MedusaTouch, Arthur's Hallowed Ground.Technician: Kills a beetle, which ends up killing Mr. Buttle. As well asJill Layton, for that matter. Played by Ray Cooper. Also in: TheAdventures 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 knownas Arthur Dent from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and WalterRaleigh in Blackadder II. Also in Green Card.Bill & Charlie: Department of Works employees, they attempt to plug thehole in Mrs. Buttle's ceiling. Charlie is played by Nigel Planer,formerly of the Young Ones, and Eat the Rich. Bill is played by DerekDeadman, also in: National Lampoon's European Vacation, Robin Hood: Princeof Thieves, among others.M.O.I. Lobby Porter: Requires that Jill have the proper stamps onher 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 ofBaron 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 JackPurvis. Also in: Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, andthe Star Wars Trilogy.Alison/Barbara Lint: Does not wear false ears. Played by ElizabethSpender.Porter at Information Retrieval: Played by Antony Brown, also in UnderSiege.Typist in Jack's Office: Transcribes interrogation sections. Played byMyrtle Devenish. Also in: Tug of Love.Holly: One of Jack Lint's triplets. Played by Holly Gilliam, TerryGilliam'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 oldlady, 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 BaronMunchausen, Star Wars and more, and Howard Lew Lewis, of Chaplin andRobin 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, YoungSherlock Holmes, Dreamchild, among others.
NOTESCopious thanks to all involved in writing this thing, including: Murray Chapman Jon Drukman Chuck Falzone John Fletcher Hyunsuk Seung and everyone else involved who I forgot...I'm active in rec.arts.movies and alt.cult-movies, but my clunky oldnewsreader probably won't catch your post. Please E-mail all comments,questions, corrections & suggestions directly to me at the addressesch@fische.com.esch@fische.comDavid S. Cowen (David Eschatfische) -------------- http://execpc.com/~esch/--esch@fische.com(Eschatfische.) -------------------------- http://execpc.com/~esch/home.html