The Terry Gilliam Discussion Thread

Zeekveerko is the true originator of this thread as he prompted me to remember just how fantastic a filmmaker Terry Gilliam is.
Starting out as the American animator for Monty Python, he's had an interesting career as a director with such films as BRAZIL and FISHER KING.

All bow before Gilliam's fevered visions and discuss, praise, dissect, or slice and dice his talent!

 

Didn't he also direct 12 Monkeys? A terrific little gem, that one.

~PAd

 

Gilliam always does interesting, thought-provoking work. 12 Monkeys is one of the best!

Lots of actors want to work with him too, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, DeNiro. Top flight talent is attracted to his projects.

 

I agree. 12 Monkeys is one of the most beautifully crafted films I've ever seen. Gilliam has a wonderful eye for disturbing imagery as well as heartbreaking ones. Both the Fisher King and 12 Monkeys show that.

He also directed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas based on Tom Robbins' book, which let me say is almost unfilmable.

I was so sad to hear the shelving of his Don Quixote project along w/the financial problems he's having in trying to film Good Omens. Dammit! Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett AND Terry Gilliam all on one project? And no one wants to give them money for this? What is this world coming to?

 

That's right, Healer Apprentice Lina ! [face_shocked] How could I forget that Gilliam was set to direct the brainchild of my favorite author! I'm so ashamed!

~PAd

 

I am a big fan of The Fisher King and I thought Terry did a terrific job of realizing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on the screen.

 

Gilliam is my favorite director. Brazil is my favorite work by him due to its dystopic themes and imagery (the Criterion DVD is a must). Gilliam is quite a visionary and I feel all his work has a lot of merit, but Brazil is the one that impresses me the most.

I too am sad about Don Quixote collapsing, especially after all the work he put into it. But hopefully he'll have better luck with Gaiman.

And I still haven't seen Gilliam's Nike ad (but I'm in the US).

 

It's sad that at the moment, Gilliam doesn't seem to have two coconuts to rub together in terms of getting his films financed. Hopefully he can get another project off the ground soon. He's one of the most creative directors around today.

 

DarthKarma, are you sure you're not my alter-ego? you seem to like the exact same things and you keep coming up with the same thread ideas!

Enough, you're sucking my brains out!

Brazil, da da, da da, dadaaaaa

 

My favorite Terry Gilliam films are The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Brazil, and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas (which, last I knew, was based on a book by Hunter S. Thompson, not Tom Robbins... ?).

 

Correct BYOB_Kenobi!

I swear that there was a loose set of connections that made me think the book was written by Tom Robbins but I'm wrong, wrong, WRONG. It's most definitely Hunter S. Thompson.

 

Although a Tom Robbins book would be a good project for a film by Terry. I suggest perhaps, Skinny Legs and All. This would be interesting to see how he would handle the "inanimate" characters.

 

For those you have yet to see the Nike football ad, well I'm affraid you are missing yet another brilliant piece of work from our mate tel. In the UK they played the ad all the time before and during the world cup and at the cinemas they had a 5 minute version that played before AOTC. I didn't actually know that he directed it until recently, but as I wacthed it before knowing I could just sense Terry Gilliam written all over it.

My personal fav Gilliam film is Brazil, and I'm actually basing my dissertation onit mainly concerning myself with the war between the studio and Gilliam. I also think that's the reason why gilliam dosn't get very much support from the studios, I don't think they like him very much.

 

Last i heard his next/current project is the movie Good Omens based off of the fantastic book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet......rumor has it that filming started in april and that it could be out next year......Gilliam is the perfect choice for this one...

For those who haven't read the book...i recomend fixing that quickly......think Hitchiker's Guide to the Apocolypse......and once you're done...read all books you can find (and graphic novels (Sandman...woah)) by Gaiman...the guy is a genius...

 

There's a film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet called "City of Lost Children" that is very much in the style of Gilliam in its depth, richness, and certainly its weirdness.

 

Yes, I agree, Darth_SnowDog. City of Lost Chilfdren seems to be a kid-friendly, and foreign version of a Gilliam film.

For those of you who have not seen it, I highly recommend "Time Bandits." If watched as a child, the mesmerising images stick with you for life.

~PAd

 

I grew up on Gilliam's work with Python. His cartoons were half the reason I watched it back when I was too young to understand why a "Summarizing Proust Contest" was funny.

While I love everything he's done, I have to say that my favorite work of his is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." To have taken that short book and turned it into a movie of that caliber bespeaks a talent and vision few posses in the movie industry. As someone else posted, that book had been labeled by everyone as "unfilmable," but Gilliam pulled it off in a big way. BTW, the DVD version is worth the price.

I remember reading an interview with Alan Moore, in which he mentioned Gilliam's breif involvment with a theatrical version of Moore's "Watchmen" graphic novel. Sadly, it looks as if Gilliam passed on it. What a tradgedy, he would have done it justice.

 

I was dying to see what Terry Gilliam would've done with "Watchmen". He's one of the few directors that I believe could've pulled it off. I agree it is a bummer that we will never get to see it.



And now for something completely stupid...

My list of my favorite Terry Gilliam films:

Brazil
12 Monkeys
The Fisher King
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Monty Python & the Holy Grail

Films of his that I still don't totally love or hate:
Time Bandits
The Adventures of Baron Munchahausen
Jabberwocky

Did I miss any?

Regardless, even the movies by Gilliam that I don't totally love, still have some great visuals and interesting ideas in them. He is one of THE great directors alive today. But, it's been a while since he's done anything. Anyone know what's his next film? What ever happended to "The Defective Detective"?

 

Does anyone know anything about the new film he stars in called 'Lost in La mancha'???? I just read about it in a film magazine and it's the first I've heard about it.
Also I read a while ago that Terry is writing Time Bandits 2 which will be made as a TV movie, but he wont direct it. I also believe that two sequels are being made.
As for 'The Defective detective' I'm not sure about. I imagine that like many of his projects it will never happen. And watchmen is one of those projects that has had a lot of people attached to it, one day I'm sure it will be made (especially with this current boom of comic book adaptions).

 

Just thought I'd tell the terry Gillaim fans here that I aim to see 'Lost in La Mancha' next week and if I do I'll give you a full report. I believe that it wont be released till the autumn (your fall I believe) in the US. I've now read lots of articles and reviews onit and it sounds very good.
For those that don't know, it's a documentary film about his attempt to film his pet project 'The tales of Don Quixote' but after 6 days of shooting they abandoned due to weather and other problems.

 

I went to see 'Lost in La Mancha' today and it was brilliant. There's too much to talk about on my own but it gives a great insight into the world of Terry Gilliam, and man you just feel so sorry for him in the end when he realises that he wont be able to make his pet project. Brilliant, brillaint stuff, if you can go see it then see it now. It's an absolute must for the Gilliam fan.

 

So, the "Don Quixote" project is NEVER going to be finished or released then? Bummer. Can't wait to see "La Mancha" this fall!

 

At the end it said that terry Gilliam has re-begun working onit so who knows...it may one day be finished. But it was looking good and it's a real shame it didn't work out, and I'm sure you wont be disappointed with La Mancha.

 

I just got my Criterion Collection DVD of 8 1/2 and Terry Gilliam has a nice little commentary on it. That was a pleasant surprise.

What do we know so far about the Good Omens project? I'm behind on the times ...

~PAd