Kermode Uncut: My Top Five Terry Gilliam Films

www.bbc.co.uk/markkermode - There's a new film out from Terry Gilliam this week - The Zero Theorem. He's one of my favourite filmmakers and here is my selection of his best films.

[@TheFesta01]

Nobody ever mentions 'fear and loathing'. I think he did a fantastic job with it. Just because it's not a Gilliam original and largely associated with Hunter Thompson it largely gets glossed over. I think he nailed it and it deserves more recognition.

[@Freshette]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen! So tender and loving in the middle of such a lot of wonderful harsh nonsense... I adore it!

[@MWeistra]

Film as art = Brazil (visionary) Film as a medium to tell an effective story = The Fisher King (i was invested the most with these characters and story)

[@bennoclassico]

Agreed...my top 2 Gilliam films

[@angrygoldfish]

The Fisher King I saw for the first time the other day. It was beautiful. The editing & the script were so strange & unorthodox, yet it worked so well. The performances were equally strange & eclectic, but again, it worked. Terry Gilliam is the master of making odd storytelling seem relatable.

[@ThisCharmingMan1984]

I think 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' is one of his greatest films. It's an amazing piece of work, but it's greatness lies in it's handling of the source material. I can't think of many directors out there that could handle a Hunter S. Thompson novel. Look at Bruce Robinson's 'Rum Diary'. This is the man that made 'Withnail and I', one of my favourite films of all time, yet failed with his adaptation.

[@bennoclassico]

I was gonna say something similar to this. Not seen The Rum Diary yet but from what I've heard it's nothing on Fear and Loathing in terms of successfully adapting Thompson's prose.

[@ThisCharmingMan1984]

velocirapta Yeah, it's just a bit weak, really. It's not an awful film, it just doesn't have anything memorable about it. And that's the most damaging thing. Something I wouldn't have expected from an adaptation of Thompson's work, nor from someone capable of making 'Withnail and I'.

[@Mumfypython]

Fear and Loathing in las Vegas

[@lucidmoment71]

12 Monkeys is a masterpiece. Time Bandits, I went to see at the cinema when it was released in 1981 at the age of ten, ty Terry Gilliam for getting me into quirky films.

[@michaelglasgow6523]

Even though it's not his best film my favourite film of Terry Gilliam is the imaginarium of doctor parnassus. It opened my eyes to film

[@gringochucha]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, what a wonderful movie. It has amazing performances (including one of Robin William's best), it's absolutely beautiful and it captures the spirit and myth of Munchausen perfectly. I can watch it again and again.

[@SpentAgesOnThisName]

My favourite film was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I felt Gilliam's imagery combined with the roller coaster narrative of the source material was a superb marriage.

[@johncodee9175]

Jabberwocky will always be my favourite Gilliam film since being a kid! The opening scene with Terry Jones as the poacher being stalked by the beast, used to scare the crap out of me! On the other hand, scenes such as the 'hangman door bell' had me in stitches! Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, and other great British actors of the day appeared in it. Brazil is a close second favourite!

[@BenJOram]

I always had a soft spot for The Fisher King. Perhaps not the greatest, no.1 Gilliam masterpiece, but it might be milling around just outside the top 5. A wonderful, fantastic piece of work.

[@mister-monkeyman]

1:33 aged really, REALLY well now in retrospect

[@bobbypaycheque]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Time Bandits are my favorite of his films. I really like that in a sea of CGI grey and brown Gilliam films have vibrant colours and imagination in all aspects of design.

[@adamtaylor7896]

Fear and Loathing blew my mind apart and Fisher King damn near brought me to tears. So glad there is a new Gilliam film coming out!

[@duophonix]

At the end of watching Brazil for the first time, I was so conflicted to whether I was about to laugh or cry. I have never had a film touch me on such opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, the sense of bittersweet resolve encapsulated my feelings towards life in general. Hope and optimism in grim and difficult circumstances, fighting for what is important in life, true love, and of course, bureaucracy. I have the wonderful soundtrack on my itunes library, just a few bars of the music brings back the flood of emotion of that last shot of the realisation that *SPOILER ALERT* he didn't manage to escape, and that he has lost himself in his fantasy world. I first watched it, not realising it was a comedy - it was the scene where the mother/wife is signing the documents after having her husband incorrectly arrested which gave the game away. At the very end of the film - I found myself re-evaluating whether it indeed was a comedy, or whether the comedic elements are simply part of the realistic narrative construct- in the same way life is naturally comedic at times, and naturally tragic. Brazil, like Synecdoche New york - leaves a mark on you forever. Watching it again is like revisiting a past youthful relationship - you can enjoy the memories of the good times, but must also be reminded of how it came to a tragic end.

[@bennoclassico]

Probably why Synecdoche, New York, much like Brazil, is one of my favourite films of all time!

[@gioberi]

Jabberwocky, my favorite Gilliam (not counting Monty Python) and one of the most underrated film of all. Plenty of mud and filth as well.

[@bennoclassico]

True, and a great double-bill with either Grail or Time Bandits (or Erik the Viking, if you're that way inclined)

Fisher King. Hearfelt, sad, beautiful. A brilliant cinematic treatise on love, friendship and madness.

[@happyfistcutscrap]

Terry Gilliam is one of my top 5 favorite directors. Here's my Top 5 favorite Gilliam films: 1. TIE: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (my #1 favorite movie of all time) Brazil (my 8th favorite film of all time) 2. Twelve Monkeys 3. Time Bandits 4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (brilliant and faithful adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's great novel) 5. The Fisher King

[@jaydy71]

I'm glad to see Tideland in his top 5. Such an under appreciated film. But yeah, Brazil is my favourite too. How can it not be?

[@mvjonsson]

Brazil is definitely his best film. I also have a soft spot for his first solo feature film Jabberwocky, which partly builds on the Medieval theme and visual style of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but takes it in another direction.

[@Elizabeth-bz2mi]

The Fisher King. Because it does such an excellent job of portraying the effects of trauma.

[@NickHunter]

Number one film of all time. Stunning

[@_Pro.Bot_]

I know that I am late to this video by leaps and bounds but this style of KZbin video is well done and straight to the point. Much appreciated -Man from the Future

[@AceIOMUK]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is probably my favourite as its the first film of his I saw when I was about ten.

[@1qwasz12]

Brazil is easily one of the best films ever made. Even when he's "gone", he has, in his mind, crossed over and love does conquer all.

[@fanuvmusic]

Finally! Someone in the world appreciates Tideland. Rotten Tomatoes calls it unwatchable. I think its absolutely brilliant with one of the best child performances ever by Jodelle Ferland.

[@leebronock887]

It also has, hands down, the most menacing sense of dread I've seen in years. The scene with the little girl and boy on the couch ranks up there with the murders in "M." Schlock horror film directors should watch Tidelands continuously over a weekend. What they learn will make them better horror film makers.

[@crowmollymedia6480]

It's artistic genius. Rotten tomatoes is cuttin muffins again.

[@DuncanUdaho67]

Rotten Tomatoes isn’t a monolith.

[@yanivsh16]

Totally agree!!!

[@quidestveritas659]

Time Bandits for me; as I recall, JK Rowling wanted Gilliam to direct the first Harry Potter, but the studio chose...

[@orbojunglist]

*sits and contemplates how awesome it could have been

[@BFMachine]

I appreciate Tideland for it's grittiness and unconventional camera work. It's the most adult Gilliam film since Fear and Loathing

[@brucegorham6097]

Favorite... I can't decide. Here are my top 3: 12 Monkeys, Brazil, and Fisher King.

[@JoshyyLT3]

You've always got your hands in the air Kermode

[@myamyone]

Time Bandits is my all time favorite followed by The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Brothers Grimm and Brazil. Also, I'm excited about the upcoming release of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. I've waited decades for Gilliam's take on Don Quixote.

[@aliensondope789]

I agree: Brazil is Terry Gilliam's best, although I love everything he's done. Mr. Gilliam could make a movie about dirt and I'd watch it.

I really appreciate your list but I would have also mentioned The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as it is a tribute to Meliés fantasy cinema and Gilliam's illustrations coming to life. In addition to that it is a beautiful ode to the origins of surrealism. Which fits like a glove with Gilliam.

[@hudsonrobert49]

Thank you Mark, I did not know this existed (Tideland) I'm going to check it out on Sunday.

[@duduchefromparis]

I definitively share his point of view "Brazil is one of the best film ever made" Extremely powerful with imagination, love, poetry to face a stupid, dictatorial and inefficient administration (thereby politics)

[@bennoclassico]

Great shouts Mark - I may disagree with you on some things but these are indeed very fine choices. Time Bandits I revisited recently and safe to say thanks to Arrow Films who restored it, it was like watching a whole other film - I'm only 23 so I didn't see it in the cinema when it was released and instead saw it much later on DVD. My favourite Python film is still The Holy Grail as you said yourself - for the atmosphere. It has more grit and melancholy to it than its predecessors and part of that is surely Gilliam's hand. Tideland is definitely his best film of recent years - best since Fear and Loathing I would say - and was difficult on first watch but something else entirely on second. It's a film to return to now and again, and oddly despite its pessimistic veneer I would rather return to it than most other coming of age fantasies. Brazil is definitely my favourite Gilliam film by a long shot. It ingrained itself in my memory when I saw it as a child, and was a noirish dream at the back of my mind that I didn't return to until early teens when I got into Gilliam. Twelve Monkeys is another great film - although often praised alongside Marker's La jetée, I feel they are very different works and in a way I do prefer the Marker film if I was to compare. But that's not to say it's not one of Gilliam's best - or Willis' for that matter - because it is. A few films you didn't mention that are surely Gilliam's best - The Fisher King, a film I was late to introduce myself to and an instant hit. I already love Williams in full crazy mode anyway but tied with an arrogant-cum-sweet Bridges it makes for a thrilling adventure and probably my favourite only second to Brazil. Hugely underrated. Another is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is by far one of my favourite road trip films (heavy emphasis on trip) and also by far Depp's best film - I have fun every time I watch it and it is a truly all-encompassing experience. My last mention would've been Jabberwocky but this comment is already getting too long so I'm going to settle it by reminding everyone of his short film The Crimson Permanent Assurance that played before The Meaning Of Life. A film that condenses everything rebellious about Gilliam into a true adventurous vision, and probably the most fun someone could have in the space of 15 minutes...it actually overshadows most of the Python's most memorable sketches and should be duly recognised.

[@bennoclassico]

Predecessors? Sorry I meant successors!

[@heatrayzvideo3007]

I can not wait to see this film, Gilliam has wonderful magic in his films and tender touch even when dealing with untender subjects

[@gawainebailie]

The Imaginarium of doctor Parnassus. For me superb surreal, tinkered moral metaphor.

[@Aalborg42]

I was absolutely obsessed with Brazil..many many years ago when I went "to school" I would actually get up about two hours before I had to and watch Brazil... and then go to school. We are talking about 1987-89 .. I tried so hard to find the soundtrack.. impossible at the time.

[@zenithoclock1048]

It's so difficult picking a favourite Gilliam film because they are all so utterly unique. In addition to his work I am a huge fan of the films about his films, The Hamster Factor, The Battle of Brazil and Lost in Mancha are all extraordinary protraits of a creative genius deep in the process of creating something never seen before. Gilliam is endlessly fascinating and we get to see how utterly obsessed he is about film making, and there is something special about people who are that driven. As Guillermo Del Toro said, "Terry Gilliam is a living treasure, and we are squandering him foolishly with every film of his that remains unmade"

[@thezombiemuffins]

This is an awesome video!! Kermode, please do a Top 5 David Lynch, Cronenburg, or Hitchcock film video!!!

[@moz050384]

Glad to see a few mentions for The Fisher King; often overlooked - a melancholic, beautiful, and redemptive love story.

[@MatsMovieReviews]

I’m missing kermode uncut 😢

[@bellevueace6]

Has anybody seen Sam Lowry..?

[@nuclear_warrior]

Adventures of Baron Munchausen

[@Floyd1138]

Brazil is indeed a masterpiece

[@samidejong106]

As much as it hurts to see time bandits above the holy grail, I can always appreciate your reasoning behind it

[@yosharian]

My favourite Terry Gilliam film: any film directed by Terry Gilliam

[@MrStephenJBarr]

I really liked the Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Not usually a fan of surrealist works but I thought it was an amusing allegory on war and old age.

[@bobtehgardean]

The Fisher King's up there on my list. A film which, like Heavenly Creatures, uses fantasy as a tool to expose the heart of its characters. So many Gilliam films get lost in the ideas, the look, but this one really pulled me into its romantic vision.

[@BlackHoleBrew42]

Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas

[@funkyjim]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Not just my favourite Gilliam film, but my favourite film all together.

[@jaydy71]

Tideland invoked the same sort of feeling I got from the similarly spectacularly overlooked film Reflecting Skin (which I think is a masterpiece). If you've seen Reflecting Skin (which you probably didn't) and liked it, give Tideland a try. The same goes the other way around.

[@davelister1]

Classic films !

[@James-Ram]

Alright, Time Bandits made the list!

[@jktomas]

The Holy Grail is my favorite. And you don't have to british or from the 70s to understand it or love it.

[@murasakiryu]

Time Bandits is one of the best films of all time.

[@ghostfires]

The Holy Grail was directed by Gilliam and Jones.

[@yanivsh16]

Those actually are my top two. Sometimes 12 monkey is at no. 1 and sometimes it is Brazil You surprised me with Tideland. I love it and no one else loved it. Thanx for that ! Fisher king and fear and loathing are high up there with my all time favorites

[@PopsicleSponge]

For myself i prefer The Adventures of Baron Munchausen to Timebandits, I think its worth a special mention. Definitely Agreed on Brazil i have to say.

[@sajirshad2261]

Jabberwocky silly fun absolutely love it

[@wrmty56413]

My faves are "Brazil", "Time Bandits" and also "Baron Munchausen" (very under-rated and I never understood why it bombed so badly). Glad to see many other people here like it too :-) Oh and Gilliam also deserves honorable mention for the Spiny Norman animation in Monty Python's "Piranha Brothers" sketch...."Dinsdale!....Dinsdale!"

[@Bluebuthappy182]

It's funny when I started looking down the comments to see other peoples suggestions all I was doing was saying to myself, "Oh yea that's a good one, Oh I forgot about that one I haven't seen that film in ages, that's a good one too. I remember watching that film when I was a kid, I loved it." Just shows you how good he is.

[@howard81]

Battersea Power Station didn’t feature in Brazil - the end sequence was filmed in one of the cooling towers of Croydon Power Station, its since been demolished and there’s an Ikea on the site now. To be honest I’d probably take the chair over a visit to Ikea.

[@JackMellor498]

Actually that iconic shot of the closeup baby doll face was filmed at Croydon Power Station in one of its six cooling towers before they were demolished.

[@danjackson4149]

fisher king is in the mix

[@edobriensgrin]

The Fisher King is my favourite Gilliam film. Brazil is his BEST film but it only ranks number 3 on my list of favourites (2 being Tideland)

[@allaboutdmagic]

Hopefully seeing Zero Theorem this week, but it LOOKS a lot better than Brothers Grimm and Imaginarium put together, which seems to place it among Terry G's really good work.

[@EdPlays1997]

Good Doctor, can you do a top 5/10 of your favourite William Freidkin please?

[@Richard_Jones]

What no 'Fisher King?'

[@whitelight7733]

The Fisher King. Great show!

[@josephpoole4697]

My Top 5 Gilliam Films: (in no particular order) - Monty Python and The Holy Grail - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Time Bandits - The Fisher King - Brazil

[@usergently]

The Fisher King.

[@chrishall5440]

My favorite is Munchausen. I also love Fisher King and Fear and Loathing as well as Brazil, Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Meaning of Life, 12 Monkeys, and Brothers Grimm.

[@EdgarFitzgerald]

1. Brazil 2. Time Bandits 3. Fisher King 4. Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus 5. Adventures of Baron Munchausen I wouldn't really count Holy Grail, and I still need to see Tideland, Fear and Loathing, and Brothers Grimm! Really looking forward to Zero Theorum.

[@Rhubba]

Jabberwocky

[@DeepEye1994]

"Brazil" and motherfu*king "The Adventures of Baron Münchausen" are two of my favorite movies EVER.

[@shogunblade]

I know Brazil has its fans, so if the good doctor wouldn't mind sitting next to me and giving me an education on it as it would be going on, I'd pay him a ticket to the U.S. to explain it to me. OT: M.P. Holy Grail is wonderful, and it is my favorite. Short of that, I need to catch a lot of his films, but Zero Theorem looks Breathtaking. I want to see it here very soon!

[@Bleste011]

My Terry Gilliam top 5 1 Brazil 2.12 Monkeys 3. Time Bandits 4. The Fisher King 5. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas Haven't seen Tideland now that you mention that Terry made this film during Post production of Brothers Grimm i now need to see this film. Holy grail is the best Monty Python film but Terry said he directed half the film. I remember he jokingly said his the only director to have made 12 and a 1/2 films. Jabberwocky would have to be his most underrated film.

[@lupianwolf]

I'd add Baron Munchausen

[@orbojunglist]

which of the five would you swap it with though? I adore terry gilliam, but munchausen was just too erratic to make this top 5 (imo)

[@uk1988tb303]

Never got around to seeing Tideland but the other 4 concur with my favorites. So I'll add The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as number 5 and agree with Mr K.

[@baronmunchausen9252]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen!!!!!

[@jimblomqvist3055]

I’m a bit late to the crime scene and while I agree with your picks, I’d argue that ”Grail...” isn’t a Gilliam film in the true sense but rather a Python film. I’d swap that for ”Jabberwocky”, which I think is seriously underrated!!!

[@speedfire4555]

For me its the imangarium of doctor panasus but not just for brilliance of the film but how they manage to get around the tradgedy of leading man Heath ledgers during production

[@Davross]

Brazil Holy Grail Fear And Loathing 12 Monkeys Time Bandits. Tideland was also good. Thought I was the only person in the world who liked it. Glad someone else does. Was tired of being called a hipster when I defended it.

[@GoldenGyroBalls]

My personal fave are Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, 12 Monkeys, Monty Python and The Holy Grail and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

[@CiceroSpeaketh]

The Fisher King

[@lostintechnicolor]

I have a soft spot in my heart for Baron Munchausen.

[@RonaldReaganRocks1]

"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was Gilliam's best film.

[@gigahoe42]

Imagine what he'd make of Transformers. Now there's a reboot I'd actually want to see!

[@zylo2246]

1) Brazil 2) Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas 3) Twelve Monkeys 4) The Fisher King 5) Time Bandits Runners Up. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Tideland Jabberwocky And Holy Grail (But I never count it because it was co-directed with Terry Jones, and the whole picture is more Python that Pure Terry Gilliam to me. Though I too can nearly recite the entire film.)

[@OsofoGriot]

Not even a mention for Fear and Loathing?

[@Hairyfoot_Studio]

For me its Jabberwocky, when Michael Palin rows up to the Griselda Fishfingers house and Warren Mitchell is taking a dump out the window is comic genius

[@knowyourhistory]

I completely forgot The Brothers Grimm existed.

[@christianstephens2752]

My favorite is Baron Munchausen. I haven’t seen all his work yet, tho I’ve seen most.

[@fuzzylumpkin49]

I love "Tideland". "The Fisher King" would definitely be in my top five.

[@gstone8255]

I like the Brothers Grim.

[@Hyman74Roth]

Brazil for me, nothing can top that...Baron Munchausen comes close though, I REALLY love that movie.

[@StanWilks]

Concert For George was a great film by Jerry. Without a doubt his work that hit me the most has to be, Monty Python's Life Of Brian. Absolutely brilliant, fantastic comedy and story telling.

[@dpw81]

Who's Jerry? And Gilliam didn't direct Life of Brian, or Concert for George. Other than that, I totally agree...

[@StanWilks]

Jerry Gilliam. I'm calling him by his first name. I know he is the screenwriter but I still count him as one of the crew. But he is a great guy.

[@dpw81]

It's Terry.

[@dpw81]

The clue is in the video title.

[@StanWilks]

Yes I know, it was only a typo.

[@snakey973]

Tideland was amazing but terrifying. Monty Python and the Holy Grail- comedic perfection!