Watch: Brazil

Video Watch: Brazil Links to an external site. (1985) 2 hr 12 min 

Still from Brazil from Film-Grab Links to an external site.

 

Now watch Terry Gilliam's 1985 film Brazil to continue our exploration of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. This film is also a great for studying cinematic space and set design.

The film follows Sam Lowery, who is a bureaucrat stuck in a bureaucratic, dystopian society dominated by a totalitarian regime. Sam seeks freedom from conformity to form his individuality. The film is directed by Terry Gilliam, the co-director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He was responsible for the psychedelic cut-out animated sequences from the film. He translates that unique aesthetic to the production design of Brazil, using vibrant colors and rigid, surreal structures to comment on the loss of freedom in routine. 

You will need to screen this film in order to complete this week's assignments.

 

Watch ThisWhile Watching...

  • How can Brazil be compared to “Plato’s allegory of the Cave?” Are there any ways in which the film contrasts the theory?
  • What cinematic techniques does Brazil utilize to create the mise-en-scene and imply the film’s diegesis?
  • What set design elements or cinematic techniques (movement, performance, framing, composition etc.) contribute to the film’s overarching critique of government control?
  • Consider the film's representation. How does the film's representation of gender, race, sexuality etc. affect its meaning? Were there moments in the film where you found this representation lacking? 
  • What does the contortion of character's bodies in the frame or costume design of key characters say about the film's world? 

You can watch the film at the link above or here: Watch Brazil Links to an external site.. 

Continue on to learn more about the two activities you will complete based on your viewing of this film.

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