CMLIT 153

Reading Questions

"Brazil", dir: Terry Gilliam, 1985

Information on Terry Gilliam and the making of "Brazil"

http://www.trond.com/brazil/Default.asp

1. What vision of society does "Brazil" present? How is "Brazil" similar to and different from Orwell's 1984?

2. Describe the dream sequences. Can you tell the dreams apart from Sam's waking life? What devices (visual, auditory, narrative) does the film use to differentiate the dream world from the real world which does it use to blurr the two?

3. Notice the slogans and sayings repeated throughout the film. What effect do these have upon the viewer?

4. How do the elements of Sam's dream world find their way into the real world?

5. During which moments is it particularly difficult to know whether Sam is dreaming, fantasizing?

6. What do the various elements of Sam's dream world symbolize? How would you interpret his dreams?

7. How do you interpret the scene where Sam sees his own face when he removes the mask of the giant?

8. At what point in the film do the boundaries between real and illusion seem to break down completely?

9. How many different endings does the film seem to offer? How do you interpret the very last scene before the closing credits? Is Sam mad?

10. Think about the theme of escape: how does Sam attempt to escape from his life? Is escape possible in a centralized, totalitarian society? If so, how?

11. How does "Brazil" reflect societal, cultural and political concerns of the mid-1980s? How does it play today in the 21st century?

12. What is the role of technology in the film? What types of technology proliferate and what is the relationship between humans and machines in the world of the film?