Director Terry Gilliam has always been a difficult talent for me to connect with. His films relish in a level of weirdness that never lands as intended. Movies like Time Bandits (1981) and 12 Monkeys (1995) never left a significant impression on me. The craft and aesthetic are admirable, but were never as engaging as I had hoped. In his filmography, only one of those films proves an exception to the rule. Gilliam’s 1985 dystopian odyssey film Brazil is something else altogether. It’s a film that embodies the best of Gilliam as a filmmaker who crafts an overall enjoyable experience.
Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry in BRAZIL. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Brazil tells the story of a regular government worker named Sam (Jonathan Pryce). Sam is having dreams of a mysterious woman. Determined to track her down, he becomes an enemy of his own government agency. What follows is a cerebral journey that puts Sam on an adventure of a lifetime. That makes this a hard film to pin down as just one type of story. It’s a science fiction, romance, comedy, and horror story all in one. Such a balancing act, in theory, should not work. In the case of this film, it’s a simple prospect that gets better with each repeated viewing.
Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Ida Lowry in BRAZIL. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Clocking in at 143 minutes, Gilliam knows how to keep a sense of fun with the story. Simply watching Pryce as Lowry interact with other characters proves quite comical. It’s clear that every actor easily gets the assignment. Kim Greist (Manhunter), Robert De Niro (Heat), and Katherine Helmond (Time Bandits) understandably help embrace the absurdity. While comical, such sequences also hold a layer of tension. The results of which help create a seamless balance of tone, creating something wholly original in the process. As the world becomes more twisted and tense, it never stops being entertaining.
That can largely be attributed to the screenplay by Gilliam himself, Tom Stoppard (Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead), and Charles McKeown (Plunkett & MacLeane). The trio wisely understood that, at its core, this is a story about love and longing. Sam as our protagonist is looking for a form of humanity just barely out of reach. He gets close to it on multiple occasions, but can never quite grasp it. While those sequences maintain comedy, they are overlaid by tragedy, the results of which create something much darker. It helps create something equally thought provoking, slightly sad, and very entertaining.
L-R: Peter Vaughan as Mr. Helpmann and Michael Palin as Jack Lint in BRAZIL. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Brazil is a strange beast of a movie, especially in Gilliam’s growing filmography. As a film, it results in an exciting tight rope act from the start. For first time viewers, that can give the film a layer of intrigue and excitement. With this review being from Criterion’s new 4K release, one question remains — does this new release justify a physical media purchase? Long story short, that answer is a resounding “yes.” This includes 10 features which dive deeper into this strange and unique world.
Compared to the 1999 three-disc DVD set, the special features are almost identical. So admittedly, it is difficult to judge differences between those two releases, mainly since I have not seen the original release. What can be said is that for those like myself, this new 4K UHD release has a rich selection. This includes behind-the-scenes documentaries on the production and general onset experience, and an audio commentary by Gilliam himself.
Kim Greist as Jill Layton in BRAZIL. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The real standout has to be the “Love Conquers All” version of the film. For those who do not know, this version of Brazil is an entirely different animal. This happy cut was not the version that Gilliam wanted. It’s an obvious statement, giving the dark story a level of hope. Admittedly, I watched this version of the film before rewatching the theatrical cut. It felt more oppressive, but that seems like the point. Watching these two cuts in any order basically make this purchase a two-for-one deal. That helps the film become something entirely different all together.
Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry in BRAZIL. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Brazil is undoubtedly a weird and occasionally off-putting movie. It explores complex themes and ideas that some audiences may be unprepared for. Those ideas are buried below the surface of a strange and fun sci-fi adventure. For the casual viewer, I don’t know if I can recommend a blind purchase on this release. While the special features could help some find a newfound appreciation for the story, others could be left cold. For devoted fans who want to learn more of the process behind the scenes, this home release should be an instant purchase.
Brazil Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration of Terry Gilliam’s director’s cut, supervised and approved by Gilliam, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- *NEW* One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
- Audio commentary by Gilliam
- What Is “Brazil”?, Rob Hedden’s on-set documentary
- The Production Notebook, a collection of interviews and video essays, featuring a trove of Brazil-iana from Gilliam’s personal collection
- The Battle of “Brazil,” a documentary about the film’s contentious release, hosted by Jack Mathews and based on his book of the same name
- “Love Conquers All” version, the studio’s ninety-four-minute, happy-ending cut of Brazil, with commentary by Brazil expert David Morgan
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by film critic David Sterritt
- Cover based on a theatrical poster
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray June 3rd, 2025.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Brazil webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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