LIFE LIST UPDATE – No. 944: Watch “Brazil” (1985)

It seems that every time you hear a discussion or read about “cult movie" favorites, 1985’s “Brazil” always gets a mention. Oddly though, despite the apparent popularity of this movie, it’s not shown on television very much, and most people have never watched it (or even heard of it). I’ve heard about this movie for years and have had it on my “life list” for some time now, but I’d never taken the time to watch it until this past Saturday.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Brazil,” it’s a British science fiction fantasy film that’s set in a hellishly absurd dystopian, industrialized future. The movie centers on an office worker named Sam Lowry, who gets caught up in a disastrous series of events that stem from a dead bug that caused an automatic typewriter to misspell a man’s name. Lowry is also on the hunt for the “girl of his dreams,” having never met her and only having seen her in his dreams.

“Brazil” was directed by Terry Gilliam and was released in the U.S. in December 1985. Jonathan Pryce starred in the main role of Sam Lowry, and other cast members included Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Bob Hoskins and Ian Holm. It was written by Gilliam, Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown.

Strangely “Brazil” is not set in the country of Brazil. Instead, the movie takes its name from the title of a song, “Aquarela do Brasil,” which is played over and over again throughout the movie. Portuguese for “Watercolor of Brazil,” this 1939 song is one of the most popular Brazilian songs of all time. I’m not sure why the movie’s creators decided to name the movie after it, but almost the entire soundtrack is composed of some variation of the song.

Also, when I say that this movie is a “cult favorite,” that’s not to say that it’s about a cult or a movie popular among people who are in a cult. “Cult favorites,” also sometimes called “cult classics,” are movies that have a large and dedicated group of fans. Other movies that are commonly called “cult classics” include “This is Spinal Tap,” “Blade Runner” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

If you’ve never watched “Brazil,” fair warning, it’s weird. I’d sum it up by saying it’s some bizarre mix of a lot of other movies I’ve seen. At times, it reminded me of “1984,” “A Clockwork Orange,” Tim Burton’s “Batman,” “Blade Runner” and “Dark City.”

That’s not to say this movie isn’t worth watching. Entertainment Weekly ranked it No. 13 on its list of “Top 50 Cult Films” of all time, and Wired magazine ranked “Brazil” No. 5 on its list of “20 Best Science Fiction Movies.” Time magazine also ranked it among the “100 Best Films of All Time,” and Empire magazine ranked it No. 83 on its list of “500 Greatest Films of All Time.”

In the end, I enjoyed scratching another item off my “life list.” How many of you out there have seen this movie? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Let us know in the comments section below.