happiness, we're all in it together - 11.21.02
Brazil - see it again
Last night I watched the DVD of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, a dark comedy about an oddly mixed up past and future where bureaucracy and paranoia about terrorism have trashed the quality of life, if not the inherent joy of the human spirit. Brazil was released in 1985, and it undoubtedly owes a lot to Orwell's novel, 1984.
At the time it was made some commented that it felt a bit painful to laugh at some of the jokes. Watch it now and one wonders if it served as a blueprint for the current administration's vision of America, and for that matter, the world.
And watch it, you should! If you do, take special note of the text on the posters and graffitti seen in the background throughout the movie. One of the great things about Gilliam's direction of the film is that he never focuses in on the posters - such a heavyhanded treatment would spoil the fun. If you watch you'll note that these bits of propaganda often presage events to come, but they're excellent in themselves - here are some examples:
Happiness: we're all in it together.
Don't suspect a friend, turn him in.
Suspicion breeds confidence.
Be safe: be suspicious.
Power today: pleasure tomorrow.
by contrast, there's the voice of the people - spray-painted on the wall of a hideous apartment block ironically named the 'Shangri-La', in plain block letters it says - Reality
Of course, when you rent Brazil now, it'll probably be recorded on some homeland security database somewhere - but at least you still can. Look at it this way: if enough people rent it...well you get the picture.
After you watch it, think about this. Do you suppose this movie would be released today? After thinking about this question for about ten seconds, you might find it interesting to read about what Terry Gilliam went through to get it released in 1985: Why were there problems with Brazil's release in America? Another nice thing about the DVD - it's the whole movie, not a shortened version.
