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    About This Item

    Unique ID Code: 0000006028
    Added by: DVD Reviewer
    Added on: 24/6/2000 19:00
    View Changes

    Brazil: Criterion Special Edition (Region Free)

    10 / 10
    2 votes cast
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    Inline Image

    It`s only a state of mind
    Certificate: none
    Running Time: 326 mins
    Retail Price: $59.95
    Release Date:

    Synopsis:
    Gathering footage from both the European and American versions, Director Terry Gilliam has assembled the ultimate 142-minute cut of his most celebrated film. Criterion is proud to present its landmark special edition of Brazil in an exclusive three-disc set.

    DISC ONE: The restored windscreen transfer of the film with a remastered Dolby Surround soundtrack and Gilliam`s shot-by-shot commentary.

    DISC TWO: A treasure-trove of Braziliana: the 30-minute on-set documentary What is Brazil?, Criterions original expose The Battle of Brazil: A video History reassembles the players in the battle over the film`s U.S. release; plus, hundreds of storyboards, drawings, and publicity and production stills; rare raw and behind-the-scenes footage; exclusive video interviews with the production team; and the original theatrical trailer.

    DISC THREE: The 94-minute "Love Conquers All" version of Brazil, with all the changes Gilliam refused to make and an audio essay by journalist David Morgan.

    Special Features:
    Disc 1:
    Audio Commentary By Terry Gilliam

    Disc 2:
    30 Minute On Set Documentary
    60 Minute Criterion Documentary By Jack Matthews
    Screenwriters Tom Stoppard & Charles McKeown On The Script
    Production Designer Norman Garwood On The Look Of Brazil
    Costume Designer James Acheson On The Couture Of Fantasy & Fascism
    Storyboards Fro Gilliam`s Original Dream Sequences, Many Of Which Didn`t Make It Into The Film
    Composer Michael Kamen Unveils The Sources Of His Score
    A Study Of The Special Effects Includes Raw Footage Of Unfinished Effects
    Theatrical Trailer, Plus Publicity & Production Stills

    Disc 3:
    94 Minute Cut Of Brazil Includes All The Changes That Gilliam Refused To Make, From The Alternate Opening To The Controversial Happy Ending
    Audio Commentary By Gilliam Expert David Morgan

    Video Tracks:
    Widescreen Letterbox 1.85:1

    Audio Tracks:
    Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English
    Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 English

    Directed By:
    Terry Gilliam

    Written By:



    Starring:
    Jim Broadbent
    Kim Greist
    Peter Vaughan
    Ian Richardson
    Michael Palin
    Bob Hoskins
    Ian Holm
    Katherine Helmond
    Robert De Niro
    Jonathan Pryce

    Casting By:
    Irene Lamb

    Soundtrack By:
    Michael Kamen

    Director of Photography:
    Roger Pratt

    Editor:
    Julián Doyle

    Costume Designer:
    James Acheson

    Production Designer:
    Norman Garwood

    Producer:
    Arnon Milchan
    Patrick Cassavetti

    Distributor:
    Criterion

    Your Opinions and Comments

    10 / 10
    Oh my.

    This is one of those discs that arrive and the second you open it you know you`ve got something special - right from the see-thru clouded cover to the discs themselves this reeks quality.

    Disc by disc - the first is the film itself in it`s full widescreen glory. I can`t comment on any anamorphic picture as I`ve just got a big normal screen but I can say that I`ve never seen it like this on video or the TV. Colours jump right out, especially during the dream sequences, and somehow it all looks rather like a film from last year, not 1985. Detail is consistently excellent and I didn`t spot a single artifact. Sound and dialogue is crystal clear and explosions pleasingly thumpy (big badda boom!)
    Special note should be made of the glorious front menu - just the big neon Brazil floating down a neverending corridor of filing cabinets to the strains of the eponymous tune - very satisfying.

    The second disc with all the extras is... comprehensive. Best I can tell anyhows, with more background detail than you could shake several sticks at. A few more hours are gonna be spent before I`ve gone through all of this! Quality is more variable here.

    The third disc with the Love Conquers All version is a mixed bag. It`s very interesting to have, especially with the critic`s commentary - watching one after the other is alarming, the editors knife is a cruel instrument. This is, oddly, in full-frame 4:3 and the print quality is significantly lower than the first disc. Still very enjoyable, in a retrospective kind of way.

    If you like this film GET THIS VERSION!!! You will be telling all your mates about it for days hehe
    posted by Iain M on 24/1/2001 15:22
    10 / 10
    An amazing and ironic chronical of a bit of Hollywood history, this boxed set is a must for movie lovers. Besides that it is the most imaginative movie to come out of the eighties.
    posted by linc on 24/11/2003 22:44