Time Bandits
In the wake of our Demons and Wonders summer program, it seemed only natural to showcase a filmmaker like Terry Gilliam — a true alchemist of fantastic cinema, whether in an absurd, exhilarating or disturbing vein. From his first steps with the Monty Python to his long-standing quest to adapt Don Quixote, his fantastical odyssey has taken him through adventure films, black comedies, science fiction, and fairy tales. From one film to another, he never ceased to celebrate dreamy children and extravagant adults, opening magical portals between reality and imagination.
In this fantastic voyage through time and space from Terry Gilliam, a boy named Kevin escapes his gadget-obsessed parents to join a band of time-traveling dwarfs. Armed with a map stolen from the Supreme Being, they plunder treasure from Napoleon and Agamemnon—but the Evil Genius is watching their every move. Featuring a darkly playful script by Gilliam and his Monty Python cohort Michael Palin, Time Bandits is at once a giddy fairy tale, a revisionist history lesson, and a satire of technology gone awry. (Janus films)
Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam is an American-born British filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He started his career as an animator and strip cartoonist. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. He first joined them as an animator, but eventually became a full member and was given acting roles. He collaborated on the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, which he also co-directed), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). Gilliam transitioned to directing serious films with themes exploring imagination and oppositions to bureaucracy and authoritarianism. His films are sometimes set in dystopian worlds and involve black comedy and tragicomedic elements. He has directed 13 feature films, gaining acclaim for Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). The only Monty Python member not born in Britain, he became a naturalised British citizen in 1968 and formally renounced his American citizenship in 2006. In 2009, Gilliam received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.
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