tideland (2005)

terry gilliam's most recent film, the financially underwhelming (now theres a surprise...) "tideland" proved to be an enriching experience. the overtly joyful story set amongst incredibly bleak surroundings draws obvious comparisons with guellermo del toro's "pan's labyrinth" and "the devils backbone".

jodelle ferland stars as the young girl jeliza-rose, in a performance that is best described as outstanding, especially when you consider the nature of the story and the fact that shes playing several roles (the dolls etc), and the fact that for the most part she is the sole actor on screen. brendan fletcher plays dickens, a heavily mentally handicapped boy in a role that saw my thoughts turn those i had upon initially seeing rinko kikuchi playing a deaf in babel; i presumed that it must be a genuinely disabled person playing the role. alas i was wrong, which only serves to show how impressive the performance was. there are cameo appearances from jeff bridges and jennifer tilly as jeliza-rose's ill-fated parents.

while the film took its time to get going, once it did i was obsessed with what was going on, which surprised me a great deal. the film is about being a child, as explained by gilliam's introduction to the work, and more importantly, it feels like you are watching the film as a child. gilliam clearly has a lot of passion for "tideland", and that projects clearly on to the project.

the adventures of baron munchausen (1989)

terry gilliam's long considered flop is a much more interesting and therefore successful film than one would have presumed. the films is an obvious follow up to time bandits, both visually, narratively and content wise. ''the adventures of baron munchausen" is much more ambitious though, which is presumably why its supposed failings are amplified. the film takes place, like "time bandits", in many different locations, and while that may not seem out of the ordinary when the locations include the moon (taken straight out of melies) and the inside of a fish that looks like an island, then obviously that matters. the sheer scale of the film is rather breathtaking. in a new transfer on dvd the film looks barely a year old, it hasnt aged at all. the fact that the film is 20 years old is beyond my comprehension! while the film is a fantasy comedy at heart there are traces of science fiction and serious drama throughout. the whole subplot regarded death catching up with the baron, while ultimately rather pointless adds a serious weight to proceedings. and while its not a genre per se, the film at times reminds of a cartoon, with the exagerated nuances that one would expect with such things showing through (the feet whilst running etc)

john neville leads a solid cast, featuring appearences from gilliam mainstays jonathan pryce, jack purvis and valentina cortese alongside early roles for sarah polley and uma thurman. gilliam's monty python partner eric idle also features as do robin williams and, most bizarrely, oliver reed.

the special effects are of note, with the combination of all manners of technique, from stop frame animation and computer generated imagery to real mechanical props all making an appearance. theres even an early version of ''bullet-time''! amazing cinematography compliments the special effects, with some genuinely beautiful scenario's on display.

with a film like "the adventures of baron munchausen" in his oeuvre its difficult to understand why gilliam didnt get the oppurtunity to work on some of the bigger fantasy franchises of late. gilliam's style would have been perfect for the harry potter films, alas im under the impression that he turned the producers down. gilliam's influence can be seen in the work of guillermo del toro though, through the use of clockwork, mechanical props alongside old-fashioned, man in costume-type solutions when creating larger than life characters, see the grim reaper design in "the adventures of baron munchausen" as an example.

in all, while its not my favourite of gilliam's films its still an incredibly beautiful looking film that has a heart to match. this all bodes rather well for the recent announcement that gilliam is back working on his don quixote project, i expect the two projects will have much in common.

time bandits (1981)

terry gilliam's miniature epic is one of the few films that have genuine crossover value for both adults and children alike. the story of a young boy, kevin, who somehow ends up on an adventure throughout time and space with a band of dwarves works on many levels. primarily the story is great; the characters have heart and are genuinely appealing and the constant flow of cameo appearances keeps the pace of the film flowing rapidly (sean connery, john cleese and michael palin all make appearances). visually the film is stunning, utilising the bizarre mind of its creator for all its worth, resulting in some truly bizarre visages. despite the fairly basic premise the film has a strong undercurrant of deeper context. the use of bureaucracy and technology to suggest a negative impace on imagination is key. time bandits is thought of as the first part in gilliam's "trilogy of imagination", which also includes "brazil" and "the adventures of baron munchausen". each film features a protagonist of a particular age, with kevin representing youth, "brazil'' lead sam representing adulthood and the baron of "the adventures of baron munchausen" being old age, and the way in which they express their imagination. control of ones imagination by external forces, be it government, god or parents is explored heavily through each of the films.