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| Jonathan Pryce | ... | Sam Lowry | |
| Robert De Niro | ... | Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle | |
| Katherine Helmond | ... | Mrs. Ida Lowry | |
| Ian Holm | ... | Mr. M. Kurtzmann | |
| Bob Hoskins | ... | Spoor | |
| Michael Palin | ... | Jack Lint | |
| Ian Richardson | ... | Mr. Warrenn | |
| Peter Vaughan | ... | Mr. Helpmann | |
| Kim Greist | ... | Jill Layton | |
| Jim Broadbent | ... | Dr. Jaffe | |
| Barbara Hicks | ... | Mrs. Alma Terrain | |
| Charles McKeown | ... | Harvey Lime | |
| Derrick O'Connor | ... | Dowser | |
| Kathryn Pogson | ... | Shirley | |
| Bryan Pringle | ... | Spiro | |
| Sheila Reid | ... | Mrs. Buttle | |
| John Flanagan | ... | T.V. Interviewer / Salesman | |
| Ray Cooper | ... | Technician | |
| Brian Miller | ... | Mr. Buttle | |
| Simon Nash | ... | Boy Buttle | |
| Prudence Oliver | ... | Girl Buttle | |
| Simon Jones | ... | Arrest Official | |
| Derek Deadman | ... | Bill--Dept. of Works | |
| Nigel Planer | ... | Charlie--Dept. of Works | |
| Terence Bayler | ... | T.V Commercial Presente | |
| Gorden Kaye | ... | M.O.I. Lobby Porter | |
| Tony Portacio | ... | Neighbour in Clark's Pool | |
| Bill Wallis | ... | Bespectacled lurker | |
| Winston Dennis | ... | Samurai Warrior | |
| Jack Purvis | ... | Dr. Chapman | |
| Elizabeth Spender | ... | Alison / 'Barbara' Lint | |
| Anthony Brown | ... | Porter - Information Retrieval (as Antony Brown) | |
| Myrtle Devenish | ... | Typist in Jack's Office | |
| Holly Gilliam | ... | Holly | |
| John Pierce Jones | ... | Basement Guard | |
| Ann Way | ... | Old Lady with Dog | |
| Don Henderson | ... | First Black Maria Guard | |
| Howard Lew Lewis | ... | Second Black Maria Guard | |
| Oscar Quitak | ... | Interview Official | |
| Harold Innocent | ... | Interview Official | |
| John Grillo | ... | Interview Official | |
| Ralph Nossek | ... | Interview Official | |
| David Gant | ... | Interview Official | |
| James Coyle | ... | Interview Official | |
| Patrick Connor | ... | Cell Guard | |
| Roger Ashton-Griffiths | ... | Priest | |
| Russell Keith Grant | ... | Young Gallant at Funeral | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Sue Hodge | |||
| Dominic Ffytche | ... | Office boy (uncredited) | |
| Terry Forestal | ... | Running Trooper (uncredited) | |
| Terry Gilliam | ... | Smoking man at Shang-ri La Towers (uncredited) | |
| John Hasler | ... | Naughty little boy (uncredited) | |
| Peter Sands | ... | Ida's boyfriend (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Terry Gilliam | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Terry Gilliam | (screenplay) & | |
| Tom Stoppard | (screenplay) & | |
| Charles McKeown | (screenplay) | |
Produced by | |||
| Patrick Cassavetti | .... | co-producer | |
| Arnon Milchan | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Michael Kamen | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Roger Pratt | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Julian Doyle | |||
Casting by | |||
| Irene Lamb | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Norman Garwood | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| John Beard | |||
| Keith Pain | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| James Acheson | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Elaine Carew | .... | hair stylist | |
| Elaine Carew | .... | makeup artist | |
| Sallie Evans | .... | hair stylist | |
| Sallie Evans | .... | makeup artist | |
| Meinir Jones Brock | .... | hair stylist (as Meinir Brock) | |
| Meinir Jones Brock | .... | makeup artist (as Meinir Brock) | |
| Sandra Shepherd | .... | hair stylist | |
| Sandra Shepherd | .... | makeup artist | |
| Aaron Sherman | .... | prosthetic makeup | |
| Maggie Weston | .... | hair & makeup designer | |
Production Management | |||
| Linda Bruce | .... | unit manager | |
| Graham Ford | .... | production manager | |
| Chantal Perrin-Cluzet | .... | production manager: french unit | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Richard Coleman | .... | third assistant director | |
| Julian Doyle | .... | second unit director | |
| Terence Fitch | .... | additional assistant director | |
| Christopher Newman | .... | additional assistant director | |
| Chris Thompson | .... | second assistant director | |
| Guy Travers | .... | assistant director | |
| Kevin Westley | .... | additional assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Bernard Allum | .... | graphic artist | |
| Lee Apsey | .... | supervising carpenter | |
| Michael Bacon | .... | prop man | |
| George Ball | .... | property master | |
| Françoise Benoît-Fresco | .... | assistant art director: France (as Françoise Benoît) | |
| Peter Benson | .... | stand-by prop | |
| Gordon Billings | .... | prop man | |
| Dennis Bosher | .... | assistant art director | |
| Dennis Bovington | .... | chargehand carpenter | |
| Stephen Bream | .... | draughtsman | |
| Anthony Cain | .... | signwriter (as Tony Cain) | |
| Stan Cook | .... | dressing prop chargehand | |
| Ron Cowan | .... | drapes | |
| Tom Davies | .... | supervising carpenter | |
| Gary Dawson | .... | property master | |
| Belinda Edwards | .... | production buyer | |
| John Frankish | .... | art department assistant | |
| Andrew Garnet-Lawson | .... | scenic artist (as Andrew Lawson) | |
| Maggie Gray | .... | set dressing designer | |
| Alan Grenham | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Stephen Hargreaves | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Richard Harris | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Brian Higgins | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Craig Hillier | .... | assistant construction manager | |
| David Jones | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Michael Jones | .... | painter supervisor | |
| Iain Lowe | .... | construction stand-by | |
| John Martin | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Bill McMinimee | .... | dreams and models construction manager | |
| John Murphy | .... | chargehand plasterer | |
| Colin Osgood | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Tony Rimmington | .... | draughtsman | |
| Dave Scutt | .... | graphic artist | |
| Stephen Tranfield | .... | plasterer supervisor | |
| Peter Verard | .... | construction manager | |
| Christine Vincent | .... | art department research | |
| Barry Vine | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Robert Voysey | .... | construction stand-by (as Bob Voisey) | |
| Peter Wallis | .... | prop man | |
| Kenneth Welland | .... | chargehand painter (as Ken Welland) | |
| David Wicks | .... | plasterer supervisor | |
| Dave Wiggins | .... | rigger supervisor | |
| Dennis Wraight | .... | construction stand-by | |
| John Wright | .... | construction stand-by | |
| Steve Pugh | .... | stagehand (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Paul Carr | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Bob Doyle | .... | sound recordist | |
| Rodney Glenn | .... | sound editor | |
| Rosie Straker | .... | boom operator | |
| Eric Tomlinson | .... | sound recording engineer (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Ron Burton | .... | special effects buyer | |
| Terence J. Cox | .... | special effects assistant (as Terence Cox) | |
| Martin Gant | .... | special effects technician | |
| George Gibbs | .... | special effects supervisor | |
| Darrell Guyon | .... | special effects runner | |
| Ray Hanson | .... | special effects technician | |
| Ernest Hill | .... | special effects assistant | |
| Bob Hollow | .... | special effects technician (as Robert Hollow) | |
| Dave Knowles | .... | special effects assistant | |
| David McCall | .... | special effects technician (as Dave McCall) | |
| Tim Willis | .... | special effects runner | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Peter Aston | .... | model vehicle | |
| Ray Caple | .... | matte artist | |
| Valerie Charlton | .... | model maker | |
| Richard Conway | .... | model effects supervisor | |
| Julian Doyle | .... | model photographer | |
| Nick Dunlop | .... | optical effects | |
| Kent Houston | .... | optical effects | |
| Richard Morrison | .... | optical effects | |
| Tim Ollive | .... | optical effects | |
| Roger Pratt | .... | model photographer | |
| Stanley W. Sayer | .... | blue screen consultant (as Stanley Sayer) | |
| Neil Sharp | .... | optical effects | |
| Tim Spence | .... | model photographer | |
Stunts | |||
| Vic Armstrong | .... | stunts | |
| Toby Clark | .... | stunt double: Small Sam | |
| Tim Condren | .... | stunts | |
| George Lane Cooper | .... | stunts | |
| Clive Curtis | .... | stunts | |
| Perry Davey | .... | stunts | |
| Jim Dowdall | .... | stunts | |
| Terry Forestal | .... | stunts (as Terry Forrestal) | |
| Tex Fuller | .... | stunts | |
| Martin Grace | .... | stunts | |
| Frank Henson | .... | stunts | |
| Nick Hobbs | .... | stunts | |
| Billy Horrigan | .... | stunts (as Bill Horrigan) | |
| Wayne Michaels | .... | stunts | |
| Dinny Powell | .... | stunts | |
| Greg Powell | .... | stunts | |
| Terry Richards | .... | stunts | |
| Tip Tipping | .... | stunts | |
| Chris Webb | .... | stunts | |
| Bill Weston | .... | stunt arranger | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| David Appleby | .... | still photographer | |
| Peter Butler | .... | camera grip | |
| Mark Cridlin | .... | clapper loader | |
| Perry Evans | .... | electrician | |
| Chuck Finch | .... | best boy | |
| Jean-Yves Freess | .... | grip: France | |
| Simon Fulford | .... | clapper loader | |
| David Garfath | .... | camera operator | |
| Alan Grosch | .... | electrician | |
| Brian Herlihy | .... | additional assistant camera | |
| John Ignatius | .... | assistant camera | |
| Jean-Claude LeBras | .... | chief electrician: France | |
| Brian Martin | .... | best boy | |
| Steve Parker | .... | additional assistant camera | |
| John 'Porky' Rivers | .... | grip (as Porky Rivers) | |
| Les Rodhouse | .... | electrician | |
| Roy Rodhouse | .... | gaffer | |
| Brian Sullivan | .... | electrician | |
| Toby Tyler | .... | electrician | |
| George White Jr. | .... | electrician (as George White) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Margery Simkin | .... | casting: USA | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Martin Adams | .... | costumes | |
| Anthony Black | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
| Vin Burnham | .... | costumes | |
| Jamie Courtier | .... | costumes | |
| Jean Fairlie | .... | wardrobe mistress | |
| Annie Hadley | .... | costumes | |
| Gilly Hebden | .... | assistant costume editor | |
| Ray Scott | .... | costumes | |
| Joyce Stoneman | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Frank Vinall | .... | wardrobe master | |
| Colin Wilson | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Cilla Beirne | .... | assistant editor | |
| Peter Compton | .... | assistant editor | |
| Margarita Doyle | .... | assistant editor | |
| Sally Kinnes | .... | post-production assistant | |
| Keith Lowes | .... | assistant editor | |
| Roya Salari | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Ray Cooper | .... | music coordinator | |
| Andrew Jackson | .... | additional music recordist (as Andy Jackson) | |
| Ray Cooper | .... | composer: additional music (uncredited) | |
| Vic Fraser | .... | music preparation (uncredited) | |
| Michael Johns | .... | music editor (uncredited) | |
| Michael Kamen | .... | conductor (uncredited) | |
| Michael Kamen | .... | music arranger (uncredited) | |
| Michael Kamen | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Sidney Sax | .... | musician: violin solo (uncredited) | |
| Sidney Sax | .... | orchestral fixer (uncredited) | |
| Eric Tomlinson | .... | music mixer (uncredited) | |
| E.C. Woodley | .... | composer: additional music (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Margaret Adams | .... | production coordinator | |
| Alan Arnold | .... | publicist | |
| Laurence Bodini | .... | production runner | |
| Lesley Broderick | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Terry Connors | .... | production accountant | |
| Ira Curtis-Coleman | .... | video consultant (as Ira Curtis Coleman) | |
| Nick Dunlop | .... | title designer | |
| Yves Dutheil | .... | location manager: France (as Yves Duteil) | |
| Penny Eyles | .... | script supervisor | |
| Geoff Freeman | .... | publicist | |
| William Hobbs | .... | samurai fight arranger (as Bill Hobbs) | |
| Denis Hopperton | .... | stand-by prop chargehand | |
| Kent Houston | .... | title designer | |
| Elaine Matthews | .... | trainee continuity (as Melanie Matthews) | |
| Judith May | .... | cashier | |
| Barry McCormick | .... | footstep editor | |
| Arnon Milchan | .... | presenter | |
| Richard Morrison | .... | title designer | |
| Tim Ollive | .... | title designer | |
| Katy Radford | .... | secretary | |
| Hamish Scott | .... | location researcher | |
| Matthew Scudamore | .... | production runner | |
| Neil Sharp | .... | title designer | |
| Bob Stilwell | .... | follow focus | |
| Margarita Doyle | .... | assistant to director (uncredited) | |
| Sarah Teboul | .... | accounting assistant (uncredited) | |
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One of the truest statements about originality in art comes from T.S. Eliot: "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal." Terry Gilliam is one of cinema's mature poets. His "Brazil" features homages to numerous other films, ranging from "Modern Times" to "The Empire Strikes Back," and its plot is broadly similar to "Nineteen Eighty-Four." Yet the result is intriguingly fresh and creative.
The best adjective to describe the movie's tone is "whimsical." It's the type of sci-fi film with an almost childlike fascination with strange sights and happenings. Rarely has a film so pessimistic been this much fun. Many sci-fi films since "Brazil" have attempted a similar approach, usually with little success. The chief problem with most such films (e.g. "The Fifth Element") is that they get bogged down in plot at the expense of emotional resonance. "Brazil" avoids this fate: while the movie possesses psychological and thematic complexity, its plot is fairly simple, and the humor, quirky as it is, never relies on throwaway gags. Even the oddest moments have a certain poignance.
The story seems to take place in a fascist alternative world. It isn't "the future" exactly. The technology is weird-looking but hardly superior to anything in our world. Money transactions are sent through pipes in what looks sort of like a crude version of ATM. (One of the film's several nods to silent movies occurs after a character tries to stuff one of these pipes with wads of paper.) The pop culture references are positively retro, from the title song to scenes from the film "Casablanca."
The evil of the government in this film is driven not so much by cruelty as by bureaucratic incompetence, much of which is played for laughs. But some of the scenes look eerie today, in our post-9/11 world, and are good fodder for conspiracy theorists. Pay particular attention to the scene where the official boasts that the government is winning its war against "the terrorists." The movie is ambiguous as to whether there are any real terrorists, and we have a sneaking suspicion that the explosions are caused by the government itself. The plot is set in motion by a typographical error leading an innocent man to be arrested instead of a suspected terrorist. The movie is not about this man but about a meek government worker, Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), who's observing from the sidelines. Robert De Niro has a cameo as the wanted "terrorist" whose crime, from what we see, consists of doing home repairs without the proper paperwork.
I have noticed that most of the classic dystopian tales are fundamentally similar to one another. But "Brazil" approaches the genre in a uniquely psychological way. Sam Lowry is different from the standard protagonist who rebels against the government due to noble motives. He doesn't seem to have any larger goals than his own personal ones. He isn't trying to make the world a better place. He's only longing for a better life for himself, one more exciting and romantic than the humdrum existence he currently occupies, where he's beset by an overbearing mother, a pitiful boss, and a dull job. In the midst of this bureaucratic nightmare state, he cares only about such matters as getting his air conditioning fixed and stalking a female stranger who physically resembles his fantasy woman--or so he perceives. The woman, as played by Kim Greist, appears in his fantasies as a helpless damsel with long, flowing hair and a silky dress who sits in a cage while he battles a giant Samurai warrior. The real-life woman he pursues, also played by Greist, sports a butch haircut, drives a large truck, and has a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth.
It's a testament to Pryce's performance that he commands our total sympathy the whole time. We feel for him and go along with the romantic adventure he attempts to create for himself. His nervous, stammering personality is one that would have been easy to overdo, yet Pryce strikes just the right note, especially as we begin questioning the character's sanity. At one point, another character tells him that "You're paranoid; you've got no sense of reality." But who wouldn't be paranoid in such a setting? The scene brings to mind the old joke that goes "You're not paranoid. Everyone really is out to get you." The movie inhabits such a whacky, surreal world full of strange people and sights that Sam Lowry almost seems sensible by comparison. Creating a character like this was a fresh, innovative twist on a genre that normally loses sight of human personalities.