Terry Gilliam: Difference between revisions
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As for his philosophical background in screenwriting and directing, Gilliam said on the TV show ''[[First Hand]]'' on [[RoundhouseTV]]: "There's so many film schools, so many media courses which I actually am opposed to. Because I think it's more important to be educated, to read, to learn things, because if you're gonna be in the media and if you'll have to say things, you have to ''know'' things. If you only know about cameras and 'the media', what're you gonna be talking about except cameras and the media? So it's better learning about philosophy and art and architecture ''[and]'' literature, these are the things to be concentrating on it seems to me. Then, you can ''fly...!''"<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v7YjOCC-cM Terry Gilliam] on ''RoundhouseTV'', uploaded to YouTube by RoundhouseTV themselves</ref> |
As for his philosophical background in screenwriting and directing, Gilliam said on the TV show ''[[First Hand]]'' on [[RoundhouseTV]]: "There's so many film schools, so many media courses which I actually am opposed to. Because I think it's more important to be educated, to read, to learn things, because if you're gonna be in the media and if you'll have to say things, you have to ''know'' things. If you only know about cameras and 'the media', what're you gonna be talking about except cameras and the media? So it's better learning about philosophy and art and architecture ''[and]'' literature, these are the things to be concentrating on it seems to me. Then, you can ''fly...!''"<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v7YjOCC-cM Terry Gilliam] on ''RoundhouseTV'', uploaded to YouTube by RoundhouseTV themselves</ref> |
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His films are usually highly imaginative [[fantasy|fantasies]]. His long-time co-writer Charles McKeown comments about Gilliam's recurring interests, "the theme of imagination, and the importance of imagination, to how you live and how you think and so on ''[...]'' that's very much a Terry theme."<ref>Stubbs, Phil (2008). [http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/parncmck.htm ''Charles McKeown on writing the ''Dr Parnassus'' script''], Dreams</ref> Most of Gilliam's movies include plot-lines that seem to occur partly or completely in the characters' imaginations, raising questions about the definition of [[Personal identity (philosophy)|identity]] and sanity. He often shows his opposition to bureaucracy and authoritarian regimes. He also distinguishes "higher" and "lower" layers of society, with a disturbing and ironic style. His movies usually feature a fight or struggle against a great power which may be an emotional situation, a human-made [[Cult image|idol]], or even the person himself, and the situations do not always end happily. There is often a dark, [[paranoia|paranoid]] atmosphere and unusual characters who formerly were normal members of society. His scripts feature [[black comedy]] and often end with a dark [[tragicomedy|tragicomic]] twist. |
His films are usually highly imaginative with several midgets[[fantasy|fantasies]]. His long-time co-writer Charles McKeown comments about Gilliam's recurring interests, "the theme of imagination, and the importance of imagination, to how you live and how you think and so on ''[...]'' that's very much a Terry theme."<ref>Stubbs, Phil (2008). [http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/parncmck.htm ''Charles McKeown on writing the ''Dr Parnassus'' script''], Dreams</ref> Most of Gilliam's movies include plot-lines that seem to occur partly or completely in the characters' imaginations, raising questions about the definition of [[Personal identity (philosophy)|identity]] and sanity. He often shows his opposition to bureaucracy and authoritarian regimes. He also distinguishes "higher" and "lower" layers of society, with a disturbing and ironic style. His movies usually feature a fight or struggle against a great power which may be an emotional situation, a human-made [[Cult image|idol]], or even the person himself, and the situations do not always end happily. There is often a dark, [[paranoia|paranoid]] atmosphere and unusual midget characters who formerly were normal members of society. His scripts feature [[black comedy]] and often end with a dark [[tragicomedy|tragicomic]] twist. |
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As Gilliam is fascinated with the [[Baroque]] due to the historical age's pronounced struggle between spirituality and logical rationality,<ref>"The clash between the baroque and the Newtonian view of the world is my message in a bottle.", [http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/bmfact.htm ''Dreams: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'']</ref><ref name="hamel">"In Weber’s view, the technological world of modernity tries to eliminate any need for magic, fantasy, or any irrational forces. Gilliam presents this idea of change 'from without' through certain aspects of his mise-en-scene.", Hamel, James Keith. [http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue06/features/brazil.htm ''Modernity and Mise-en-scene: Terry Gilliam and ''Brazil], from ''Images: Journal of Film and Popular Culture'', issue 6</ref> there is often a rich baroqueness and dichotomous eclecticity about the movies, with, for instance, high-tech computer monitors equipped with low-tech magnifying lenses in ''Brazil'', and in ''[[The Fisher King (film)|The Fisher King]]'' a red [[knight]] covered with flapping bits of cloth. He also is given to incongruous [[juxtaposition]]s of beauty and ugliness, or antique and modern. Regarding Gilliam's theme of modernity's struggle between spirituality and rationality whereas the individual may become dominated by a tyrannical, soulless machinery of [[Disenchantment|disenchanted]] society, film critic James Keith Hamel observed a specific affinity of Gilliam's movies with the writings of economic historian [[Arnold Toynbee]] and sociologist [[Max Weber]], specifically the latter's concept of the ''[[Iron cage]]'' of modern rationality.<ref name="hamel" /> |
As Gilliam is fascinated with the [[Baroque]] due to the historical age's pronounced struggle between spirituality and logical rationality,<ref>"The clash between the baroque and the Newtonian view of the world is my message in a bottle.", [http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/bmfact.htm ''Dreams: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'']</ref><ref name="hamel">"In Weber’s view, the technological world of modernity tries to eliminate any need for magic, fantasy, or any irrational forces. Gilliam presents this idea of change 'from without' through certain aspects of his mise-en-scene.", Hamel, James Keith. [http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue06/features/brazil.htm ''Modernity and Mise-en-scene: Terry Gilliam and ''Brazil], from ''Images: Journal of Film and Popular Culture'', issue 6</ref> there is often a rich baroqueness and dichotomous eclecticity about the movies, with, for instance, high-tech computer monitors equipped with low-tech magnifying lenses in ''Brazil'', and in ''[[The Fisher King (film)|The Fisher King]]'' a red [[knight]] covered with flapping bits of cloth. He also is given to incongruous [[juxtaposition]]s of beauty and ugliness, or antique and modern. Regarding Gilliam's theme of modernity's struggle between spirituality and rationality whereas the individual may become dominated by a tyrannical, soulless machinery of [[Disenchantment|disenchanted]] society, film critic James Keith Hamel observed a specific affinity of Gilliam's movies with the writings of economic historian [[Arnold Toynbee]] and sociologist [[Max Weber]], specifically the latter's concept of the ''[[Iron cage]]'' of modern rationality.<ref name="hamel" /> |
Revision as of 01:47, 4 June 2010
Terry Gilliam | |
---|---|
Born | Terrence Vance Gilliam |
Occupation(s) | Actor, animator, director, producer, screenwriter |
Years active | 1967–present |
Spouse | Maggie Weston (1973–present) |
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam (pronounced /ˈɡɪliəm/; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films including Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Fisher King (1991), and 12 Monkeys (1995). He is the only "Python" not born in Britain, but gained British citizenship in 1968.
Early life
Gilliam was born in Medicine Lake, Minnesota, the son of Beatrice (née Vance) and James Hall Gilliam,[1] who was a traveling salesman for Folgers before becoming a carpenter. Gilliam has two siblings: a sister two years younger, and a brother ten years younger.
The family moved to Panorama City, California, in 1952 because of his sister's bout of pneumonia. Gilliam attended Birmingham High School where he was class president and senior prom King, was voted "Most Likely to Succeed", and achieved straight As. During high school, he discovered Mad magazine, which was then edited by Harvey Kurtzman; this later influenced his work.[citation needed]
Following high school, he attended Occidental College, studying physics and fine arts before finally majoring in political science. Gilliam contributed to the college magazine, Fang, becoming the editor during his junior year and turning it into a tribute to Kurtzman, to whom he later sent copies. While in college, Gilliam was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After finishing college, Gilliam worked briefly for an advertising agency before Kurtzman offered him a job at Help! magazine.
Gilliam later spoke to Salman Rushdie about defining experiences in the 1960s that would set the foundations for his views on the world, later influencing his art and career:
I became terrified that I was going to be a full-time, bomb-throwing terrorist if I stayed [in the U.S.] because it was the beginning of really bad times in America. It was '66–'67, it was the first police riot in Los Angeles. [...] In college my major was political science, so my brain worked that way. [...] And I drove around this little English Hillman Minx—top down—and every night I'd be hauled over by the cops. Up against the wall, and all this stuff. They had this monologue with me; it was never a dialogue. It was that I was a long-haired drug addict living off some rich guy’s foolish daughter. And I said, "No, I work in advertising. I make twice as much as you do." Which is a stupid thing to say to a cop. [...]
And it was like an epiphany. I suddenly felt what it was like to be a black or Mexican kid living in L.A. Before that, I thought I knew what the world was like, I thought I knew what poor people were, and then suddenly it all changed because of that simple thing of being brutalized by cops. And I got more and more angry and I just felt, I've got to get out of here—I'm a better cartoonist than I am a bomb maker. That's why so much of the U.S. is still standing.— "Salman Rushdie talks with Terry Gilliam"[2]
Career
Animations
Terry Gilliam started his career as an animator and strip cartoonist; one of his early photographic strips for Help! featured future Python cast-member John Cleese. When Help! folded, Gilliam went to Europe, jokingly announcing in the very last issue that he was "being transferred to the European branch" of the magazine,[2] which of course did not exist. Moving to England, he animated features for Do Not Adjust Your Set, which also featured future Pythons Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
Monty Python
Gilliam was a part of Monty Python's Flying Circus since its outset, at first credited as an animator (his name was listed separately after the other five in the closing credits), later as a full member. His cartoons linked the show's sketches together, and defined the group's visual language in other media (such as LP and book covers, and the title sequences of their films). Gilliam's surreal animations have a distinctive, memorable style, mixing his own art, characterized by soft gradients and odd, bulbous shapes, with backgrounds and moving cutouts from antique photographs, mostly from the Victorian era.
Besides doing the animations, he also appeared in several sketches, though he rarely had any main roles and did considerably less acting in the sketches. He did however have some notable sketch roles such as Cardinal Fang of the Spanish Inquisition, "I Want More Beans!" and the Screaming Queen in a cape and mask singing "Ding dong merrily on high."
More frequently, he played parts that no one else wanted to play (generally because they required a lot of make-up or uncomfortable costumes, such as a recurring knight in armour who would end sketches by walking on and hitting one of the other characters over the head with a plucked chicken) and took a number of small roles in the films, including Patsy in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which he co-directed with Terry Jones, where Gilliam was responsible for photography, while Jones would guide the actors' performances) and the jailer in Life of Brian.
Directing
With the gradual break-up of the Python troupe between The Life of Brian in 1979 and The Meaning of Life in 1982, Gilliam became a screenwriter and director, building upon the experience he had acquired during the making of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Gilliam says he used to think of his films in terms of trilogies, starting with Time Bandits in 1981. The 1980s saw Gilliam's self-written Trilogy of Imagination about "the ages of man" in Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible."[3] All three movies focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination; Time Bandits, through the eyes of a child, Brazil, through the eyes of a thirty-something year old, and Munchausen, through the eyes of an elderly man.
Throughout the 1990s, Gilliam directed his Trilogy of Americana, The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), which were based on scripts by other people, played on North American soil, and while still being surreal, had less fantastical plots than his previous trilogy.[4]
Themes and philosophy
Well, I really want to encourage a kind of fantasy, a kind of magic. I love the term magic realism, whoever invented it – I do actually like it because it says certain things. It's about expanding how you see the world. I think we live in an age where we're just hammered, hammered to think this is what the world is. Television's saying, everything's saying 'That's the world.' And it's not the world. The world is a million possible things.
— Terry Gilliam: Salman Rushdie talks with Terry Gilliam[2]
As for his philosophical background in screenwriting and directing, Gilliam said on the TV show First Hand on RoundhouseTV: "There's so many film schools, so many media courses which I actually am opposed to. Because I think it's more important to be educated, to read, to learn things, because if you're gonna be in the media and if you'll have to say things, you have to know things. If you only know about cameras and 'the media', what're you gonna be talking about except cameras and the media? So it's better learning about philosophy and art and architecture [and] literature, these are the things to be concentrating on it seems to me. Then, you can fly...!"[5]
His films are usually highly imaginative with several midgetsfantasies. His long-time co-writer Charles McKeown comments about Gilliam's recurring interests, "the theme of imagination, and the importance of imagination, to how you live and how you think and so on [...] that's very much a Terry theme."[6] Most of Gilliam's movies include plot-lines that seem to occur partly or completely in the characters' imaginations, raising questions about the definition of identity and sanity. He often shows his opposition to bureaucracy and authoritarian regimes. He also distinguishes "higher" and "lower" layers of society, with a disturbing and ironic style. His movies usually feature a fight or struggle against a great power which may be an emotional situation, a human-made idol, or even the person himself, and the situations do not always end happily. There is often a dark, paranoid atmosphere and unusual midget characters who formerly were normal members of society. His scripts feature black comedy and often end with a dark tragicomic twist.
As Gilliam is fascinated with the Baroque due to the historical age's pronounced struggle between spirituality and logical rationality,[7][8] there is often a rich baroqueness and dichotomous eclecticity about the movies, with, for instance, high-tech computer monitors equipped with low-tech magnifying lenses in Brazil, and in The Fisher King a red knight covered with flapping bits of cloth. He also is given to incongruous juxtapositions of beauty and ugliness, or antique and modern. Regarding Gilliam's theme of modernity's struggle between spirituality and rationality whereas the individual may become dominated by a tyrannical, soulless machinery of disenchanted society, film critic James Keith Hamel observed a specific affinity of Gilliam's movies with the writings of economic historian Arnold Toynbee and sociologist Max Weber, specifically the latter's concept of the Iron cage of modern rationality.[8]
Look and style
Gilliam's films have a distinctive look not only in mise-en-scene but even more so in photography, often recognizable from just a short clip; in order to create a surreal atmosphere of psychological unrest and a world out-of-balance, Gilliam makes frequent use of unusual camera angles, particularly low-angle shots, high-angle shots, and Dutch angles. Roger Ebert has said "his world is always hallucinatory in its richness of detail."[9] Most of his movies are shot almost entirely with rectilinear ultra wide angle lenses of 28 mm focal length or less in order to achieve a distinctive signature style defined by extreme perspective distortion and extremely deep focus. In fact, over the years, the 14mm lens has become informally known as "The Gilliam" among film-makers due to the director's frequent use of it since at least Brazil.[10]
The wide-angle lenses, I think I choose them because it makes me feel like I'm in the space of the film, I'm surrounded. My prevalent vision is full of detail, and that's what I like about it. It's actually harder to do, it's harder to light. The other thing I like about wide-angle lenses is that I'm not forcing the audience to look at just the one thing that is important. It's there, but there's other things to occupy, and some people don't like that because I'm not pointing things out as precisely as I could if I was to use a long lense where I'd focus just on the one thing and everything else would be out of focus. [...]
[M]y films, I think, are better the second and third time, frankly, because you can now relax and go with the flow that may not have been as apparent as the first time you saw it and wallow in the details of the worlds we're creating. [...] I try to clutter [my visuals] up, they're worthy of many viewings.— Terry Gilliam, "Gilliam's 'Imaginarium': Surreal And All-Too-Real", Fresh Air, National Public Radio[11]
In another interview, Gilliam also once mentioned in relation to the 9.8mm Kinoptic lens he had first used on Brazil that wide-angle lenses make small film sets "look big".[12] The widest lens he has used so far is an 8mm Zeiss lens employed on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.[13]
Production problems
Gilliam has made a few extremely expensive movies beset with production problems. After the lengthy quarreling with Universal Studios over Brazil, Gilliam's next picture, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, cost around US$46 million,[14] and then earned only about US$8 million in US ticket sales. The film saw no wide domestic release from Columbia Pictures, which was in the process of being sold at the time.
In the mid-1990s, Gilliam and Charles McKeown developed a script for Time Bandits 2; the project never came to be. Several of the original actors had died. Gilliam also attempted to direct a version of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, which collapsed due to disagreements over its budget and choice of lead actor.[citation needed]
In 1999, Gilliam attempted to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, budgeted at US$32.1 million, among the highest-budgeted films to use only European financing; but in the first week of shooting, the actor playing Don Quixote (Jean Rochefort) suffered a herniated disc, and a flood severely damaged the set. The film was cancelled, resulting in an insurance claim of US$15 million.[citation needed] Despite the cancellation, the aborted project did yield the documentary Lost in La Mancha, produced from film from a second crew that had been hired by Gilliam to document the making of Quixote. After the cancellation, both Gilliam and the film's co-lead, Johnny Depp, wanted to revive the project. The insurance company involved in the failed first attempt withheld the rights to the screenplay for several years[15] but the production was finally restarted[clarification needed] in 2008.
Gilliam has attempted twice to adapt Alan Moore's Watchmen comics into a film. Both attempts (in 1989 and 1996) were unsuccessful.[clarification needed] Most recently, unforeseeable problems again befell a Gilliam project when actor Heath Ledger died in New York City during the filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
On the other hand, Gilliam's first successful feature, Time Bandits (1981), earned more than eight times its original budget in the United States alone; The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) was nominated for four Academy Awards (and won, among other European prizes, three BAFTA Awards); The Fisher King (1991) (his first film not to feature a member from Python) was nominated for five (and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress); and 12 Monkeys went on to take over US$168 million worldwide; whilst The Brothers Grimm, despite a mixed critical reception, grossed over US$105 million worldwide. According to Box Office Mojo, his films have grossed an average of $26,009,723.
Recurring collaborators in Gilliam's films
Ever since his first Python-independent feature Jabberwocky, Gilliam has shown a propensity to work with particular actors in numerous productions. Up until the 1990s, each of Gilliam's non-Python films was to feature at least one of his fellow Monty Python alumni (particularly Palin, Cleese, and Idle), and for his finished projects Gilliam has worked with the following actors more than once (in order of first film appearance):
- Derrick O'Connor (Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, Brazil)
- Ian Holm (Time Bandits, Brazil)
- Peter Vaughan (Time Bandits, Brazil)
- Jack Purvis (Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen)
- Jim Broadbent (Time Bandits, Brazil)
- Charles McKeown (Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
- Katherine Helmond (Time Bandits, Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
- Jonathan Pryce (Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Brothers Grimm)
- Simon Jones (Brazil, 12 Monkeys)
- Robin Williams (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King; also was to play Cavaldi in The Brothers Grimm until objections by producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein)
- Jeff Bridges (The Fisher King, Tideland)
- Michael Jeter (The Fisher King, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
- Christopher Plummer (12 Monkeys, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
- Christopher Meloni (12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
- Johnny Depp (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; held the title role in Gilliam's first attempt at directing The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in 2000)
- Verne Troyer (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
- Heath Ledger (The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
- Peter Stormare (The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
Other recurring collaborators include Gilliam's cinematographers Roger Pratt (Brazil, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys) and Nicola Pecorini (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, Tideland, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), and his co-writer McKeown.
Gilliam and Harry Potter
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is a fan of Gilliam's work. Consequently, he was Rowling's first choice to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2000. Warner Bros. refused to consider Gilliam as director, instead selecting Chris Columbus for the job.[16] Recently, Gilliam stated in relation to this episode, "I was the perfect guy to do Harry Potter. I remember leaving the meeting, getting in my car, and driving for about two hours along Mulholland Drive just so angry. I mean, Chris Columbus' versions are terrible. Just dull. Pedestrian."[17]
Despite rumors to the contrary, Gilliam has stated that he will never direct any Potter film. In a 2005 interview with Total Film Magazine, he stated that he would not enjoy working on such an expensive project due to interference from studio executives.[18]
Secret Tournament
In 2002, Gilliam directed a series of television advertisements called Secret Tournament.[19] The advertisements were part of Nike's Football World Cup campaign and featured a secret three-on-three tournament between the world's best football players inside a huge tanker ship, with the Elvis Presley song "A Little Less Conversation" playing during the advertisements.
Slava's Diabolo
In 2006, Gilliam directed the stage show Slava's Diabolo created and staged by Russian clown artist Slava Polunin. The show combines Polunin's clown style, characterized by deep non-verbal expression and interaction with the audience, with Gilliam's rich visuals and surrealistic imagery. The show premiered at the Noga hall of the Gesher theater in Jaffa, Israel.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed and co-written by Gilliam, was released in 2009.[20] In January 2007, Gilliam announced that he had been working on a new project with writing partner Charles McKeown. One day later, the fansite Dreams reported[21] that the new project was entitled The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. In October 2007, Dreams confirmed that this would be Gilliam's next project and was slated to star Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits.[22] Production began in December 2007 in London.[23]
On 22 January 2008, production of the film was disrupted following the death of Heath Ledger in New York City. Variety reports that Ledger's involvement had been a "key factor" in the film's financing.[24] Production was suspended indefinitely by 24 January,[25] but in February actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell reportedly signed on to continue Ledger's role, transforming into multiple incarnations of his character in the "magical" world of the film.[26][27] Thanks to this arrangement principal photography was completed 15 April 2008 on schedule. Editing was completed November 2008.[28] According to the official ParnassusFilm Twitter channel[29][30] launched on 30 March 2009, the film's post-production FX work finished on 31 March.
During the filming, Gilliam was accidentally hit by a bus and broke his back.[31]
The UK release for the film was scheduled for 6 June 2009 but was pushed back to 16 October 2009. The USA release was on 25 December 2009. The film has had successful screenings including a premiere at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. The director stated his intent to dedicate the film to Ledger.[32] Depp, Farrell, and Law donated their proceeds from the film to Ledger's daughter.[33]
Projects in development or shelved
Gilliam has several projects in various states of development, including an adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy novel Good Omens. Other projects Gilliam has been trying to get off the ground since the 1990s are an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (starring Mel Gibson), an adaptation of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (which has been adapted into movies several times before), and a script entitled The Defective Detective that Gilliam has co-authored with Richard LaGravenese (who wrote Gilliam's The Fisher King before).
It was rumoured that Gilliam may direct – or be involved in the production of – the animated band Gorillaz' movie. In a September 2006 interview with Uncut magazine, Damon Albarn was reported saying "... we're making a film. We've got Terry Gilliam involved."[34] However, in a more recent interview with Gorillaz-Unofficial, Jamie Hewlett, the co-creator of the band, stated that since the time of the previous interview, Damon's and his own fixation on the film had lessened. In an August 2008 Observer interview, Gorillaz band members Albarn and Hewlett revealed the nature and title of the project, Journey to the West, a movie adaptation of the opera of the same name based on a 16th-century Chinese adventure story also known as Monkey.[35] In January 2008, while on set of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Gilliam stated that he was looking forward to the project, "But I'm still waiting to see a script!"[36]
Future projects
After regaining the rights to the screenplay of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Gilliam restarted pre-production in 2008, with Johnny Depp still attached to the project.[37] The film will be reshot completely, and Rochefort's role will be recast. Michael Palin reportedly entered talks with Gilliam to step in for Rochefort and play Don Quixote.[38] However, Gilliam revealed on Canadian talk show The Hour on 17 December 2009, that Robert Duvall had been cast to play Quixote.[39]
On 24 January 2009, it was announced that Gilliam would direct a project entitled Zero Theorem, produced by Richard D. Zanuck, and set to star Billy Bob Thornton. With a screenplay by Pat Rushin, the film is about a reclusive computer genius who is working on a project which deals with the absurdity of the meaning of life. Filming was set to start on 1 May 2009.[40] However, Gilliam revealed to Dreams in late June that he has since shelved Zero Theorem in favor of reviving The Man Who Killed Don Quixote to be shot in 2010.[41]
Personal life
Gilliam has been married to the British make-up and costume designer Maggie Weston since 1973. She worked on Monty Python's Flying Circus, many of the Python movies, and Gilliam's movies up to The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. They have three children, Amy (b. 1978), Holly (b. 1980), and Harry (b. 1988), who have also appeared in several of Gilliam's films.
It is speculated that Terry has a top secret midget fetish.
In 1968, Gilliam obtained British citizenship, then held dual American and British citizenship for the next 38 years. In January 2006 he renounced his American citizenship.[42] In an interview with Der Tagesspiegel,[43] he described the action as a protest against then President George W. Bush, and in an earlier interview with The Onion AV Club,[44] he also indicated that it was related to concerns about future tax liability for his wife and children. As a result of renouncing his citizenship, Gilliam is only permitted to spend 30 days per year in the United States, fewer than ordinary British citizens.[43] Gilliam also maintains a residence in Italy near the Umbria-Tuscany border. He has been instrumental in establishing the annual Umbria Film Festival,[45] held in the nearby hill town of Montone.
Filmography
Feature
Directed by Gilliam
- Jabberwocky (1977)
- Time Bandits (1981)
- Brazil (1985)
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
- The Fisher King (1991)
- 12 Monkeys (1995) (inspired by Chris Marker's La Jetée).
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
- The Brothers Grimm (2005)
- Tideland (2005)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Upcoming films:
- Zero Theorem (dropped in pre-production stage; on hold)
- The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (in pre-production)
Co-directed by Gilliam
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (co-directed with Terry Jones)
Shorts
- Storytime (1968) (animated short)
- The Miracle Of Flight (1974) (animated short)
- The Crimson Permanent Assurance (1983) (a short supporting feature that accompanied Monty Python's The Meaning of Life)
Advertisements
- Secret Tournament (2002)
- The Rematch (2002)
Awards, nominations and honours
- Brazil (1985)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best film, director, and screenplay
- 1 Academy Awards nominations Best Original Screenplay
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
- 3 BAFTA Awards Best Costume Design, Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design
- 3 Silver Ribbons awarded by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design
- 4 Academy Awards nominations Best Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup
- 4 Saturn Awards nominations Best Costumes, Best Fantasy Film, Best Make-Up, Best Special Effects
- Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation
- The Fisher King (1991)
- Academy Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mercedes Ruehl)
- 4 Academy Awards nominations Best Actor in a Leading Role (Robin Williams), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Music, Original Score, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
- Venice Film Festival Silver Lion Winner
- Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award Winner
- Twelve Monkeys (1995)
- 2 Academy Awards nominations Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Brad Pitt), Best Costume Design
- Berlin Film Festival Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost" – 3rd Place
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
- Cannes Film Festival Official Selection[46]
- The Brothers Grimm (2005)
- Venice Film Festival Official Selection
- Tideland (2005)
- San Sebastian Festival Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize[47]
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
- 2 Academy Awards nominations Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction
- 2 BAFTA Awards nominations Best Production Design, Best Make Up & Hair
- Best Fantasy Film nomination by the Costume Designers Guild of America
- British Independent Film Awards nomination for Best Achievement in Production
- International Press Academy Satellite Award Best Costume Design, 3 more nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction & Production Design, Best Original Song
- Voted Best Fantasy Film of the Year by readers of the Total Sci-Fi Online magazine.
- An asteroid, 9619 Terrygilliam, is named in his honor.
- Gilliam was given the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 2009 for his contribution to motion picture arts.[48]
- Terry Gilliam awarded the Fellowship of the Kermodes, by film critic Mark Kermode.[49]
- Gilliam was honored with the Director with Unique Visual Sensitivity Award at the Camerimage film festival in Łódź, Poland in 2009.[50]
Further reading
- Gilliam, Terry and Christie, Ian (Ed.) (1999). Gilliam On Gilliam. Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-19190-8
- McCabe, Bob (1999). Dark Knights And Holy Fools: The Art And Films of Terry Gilliam. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 0-7893-0290-X
- From Fringe To Flying Circus: Celebrating A Unique Generation Of Comedy, 1960–1980 – Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980.
References
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/80/Terry-Gilliam.html
- ^ a b c "Salman Rushdie talks with Terry Gilliam", The Believer, March 2003
- ^ Matthews, Jack (1996). Dreaming Brazil (essay accompanying Criterion Collection DVD release).
- ^ Pirie, Chris (2002). Gilliam the Snake Charmer, Imagine Magazine (backed up on Dreams by Phil Stubbs, used with permission
- ^ Terry Gilliam on RoundhouseTV, uploaded to YouTube by RoundhouseTV themselves
- ^ Stubbs, Phil (2008). Charles McKeown on writing the Dr Parnassus script, Dreams
- ^ "The clash between the baroque and the Newtonian view of the world is my message in a bottle.", Dreams: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
- ^ a b "In Weber’s view, the technological world of modernity tries to eliminate any need for magic, fantasy, or any irrational forces. Gilliam presents this idea of change 'from without' through certain aspects of his mise-en-scene.", Hamel, James Keith. Modernity and Mise-en-scene: Terry Gilliam and Brazil, from Images: Journal of Film and Popular Culture, issue 6
- ^ "The Brothers Grimm Review"
- ^ Stubbs, Phil: "Terry Gilliam talks Tideland," Dreams
- ^ Bianculli, David (2009). "Gilliam's 'Imaginarium': Surreal And All-Too-Real", 21-minute streaming radio interview (quote taken from host's question and Gilliam's answer at running times 16:23–18:34) on the program Fresh Air on National Public Radio, 22 December 2009
- ^ Sheehan, Henry (2006). "A shot to remember: Terry Gilliam on Brazil's rescue scene", DGA Quarterly, Fall 2006
- ^ Shell, Theresa (2009). "EXCLUSIVE! Nicola Picorini, Director Of Photography, Talks To Dr. Parnassus Support Site About The Film, Heath Ledger & Terry Gilliam"
- ^ Box Office Mojo
- ^ Dreams: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
- ^ IMDb: Biography for Terry Gilliam. Accessed 22 April 2007.
- ^ Terry Gilliam Bitter About Potter
- ^ Gilliam Vows Never To Direct Harry Potter
- ^ 'The Secret Tournament' – the Nike World Cup 2002 Advert
- ^ Shawn Adler (15 November 2007). "Ledger A Big Joker When It Comes To New Gilliam Film". MTV. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- ^ Dreams: The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, a Terry Gilliam film
- ^ Stubbs, Phil. "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus". Dreams. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Gilliam, Ledger reteam for film". Variety. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- ^ Adam Dawtrey (23 January 2008). "'Parnassus' team faces dilemma". Variety. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
- ^ Christine Kilpatrick (24 January 2008). "Production Suspended on Heath Ledger's Latest Movie". People. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
- ^ "Moriarty" (15 February 2008). "AICN EXCLUSIVE! We Know Who's Paying Tribute To Heath Ledger In DR. PARNASSUS Now!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
...we're going to see Heath Ledger's work in Terry Gilliam's new film, and that we're also going to see three very interesting actors step up to offer interpretations of him...now we've got the names verified... JOHNNY DEPP. ... JUDE LAW. ... COLIN FARRELL.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Shawn Adler (15 February 2008). "Heath Ledger's Final Film To Go Forward – With Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell in His Role". MTV. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
Report: The three actors have signed on to complete film. ... Heath Ledger died last month at the age of 28, but his final performance will live on – thanks to a little creativity and some famous friends. ... Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell have all signed on to film scenes as Ledger's character in Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,' a magical re-telling of the Faust story, according to Aintitcoolnews.com. The announcement serves as a tribute to the man many have called one of the best actors of his generation.
- ^ [Dreams: 2008 News Blog http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/tgnews08.htm]
- ^ http://twitter.com/ParnassusFilm
- ^ [Dreams: 2009 News Blog http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/tgnews09.htm#Mar
- ^ Hugh Hart (7 January 2010). "How Terry Gilliam Weathered Loss of Heath Ledger to Finish Fanciful Imaginarium". wired.com. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ Natasha Stoynoff (28 January 2008). "Show Will Go On for Heath's Last Movie, Says Costar". People. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
- ^ Jessica Salter (18 August 2008). "Heath Ledger's daughter given wages of stars in Terry Gilliam's Dr. Parnassus". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
- ^ Williamson, Nigel (November 2006 issue, pg 88). "West London Calling". Uncut. Retrieved 11 October 2006.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Monkey magic, The Observer, 10 August 2008
- ^ Dreams: 2008 News Blog
- ^ Alica-Azania Jarvis (4 August 2008). "Pandora: Don Quixote rides again, says delighted Gilliam". London: The Independent. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
- ^ "Monty Python – Palin to act alongside Depp?". Contact Music. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/ID=1362888191
- ^ Brendon Connolly (24 January 2009). "Terry Gilliam's Zero Theorem to Shoot in May, Billy Bob Thornton to Star".
- ^ Gilliam talks to Dreams about Parnassus, Zero Theorem and Quixote, edited by Phil Stubbs
- ^ CBS News "ShowBUZZ": Terry Gilliam Sounds Off, 6 October 2006
- ^ a b oew/dpa/ddp (10 February 2006). Kopflos am Potsdamer Platz. tagesspiegel (Template:De icon, retrieved 15 September 2007)
- ^ Umbria Film Festival web site
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
- ^ 2005 FIPRESCI
- ^ "Film Winners in 2009". bafta.org. BAFTA. Retrieved 8 February, 2009.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "BBC – The Culture Show: The Kermodes 2009: For the Record". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 23 February, 2009.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Terry Gilliam Presents Dr. P and Receives Honor At Plus Camerimage Fest In Lodz Poland 11/29, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Support site, Saturday, 28 November 2009
External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Dreams – exclusive interviews with Gilliam and coverage of his films
- Senses of Cinema: Terry Gilliam
- The Terry Gilliam Files – Interviews and behind-the-scenes production stories
- Extensive Terry Gilliam Filmography and Biography
- Terry Gilliam's Cinématon. A 4 minutes portrait by Gérard Courant
- Terry Gilliam: BAFTA A Life in pictures
- Terry Gilliam Interviewed by Jonathan Derbyshire “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" on New Statesman
- 1940 births
- American animators
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- American film directors
- American immigrants to the United Kingdom
- BAFTA winners (people)
- British animators
- British film directors
- Copywriters
- Living people
- Monty Python members
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- British people of American descent
- Occidental College alumni
- People from Hennepin County, Minnesota