Happy 70th Birthday, Terry Gilliam!

[DrWho42]

Gilliam with his coconuts. Image: Wikipedia
Terry Gilliam was born on this day in 1940 in Medicine Lake, Minnesota and grew up to become the only American member of the otherwise uber-British comedy troupe Monty Python. His vaguely disturbing animated segments using cut-out pictures helped put the edge on the already-strange sketch show, only matched by the extremely disturbing bit characters he tended to play. Gilliam was also co-director of the group's first film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the funniest movies ever made. If Gilliam's work as a Python was the only thing ever did, it would be enough to earn him a mention on GeekDad.

But Gilliam went on to become one of the most inventive and daring directors of our age. Without exception, whenever one of his films is mentioned, my first reaction is "That's my favorite movie!" — before realizing that all his other movies are also my favorite. His films draw liberally from scifi, legends and fairy tales, old movies and TV and even advertising. The film Brazil is the steampunk version of 1984, with a bit of Walter Mitty thrown in. 12 Monkeys, a remake of a French art film I first saw in high school, made me love two actors I had previously had no use for, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, simply by smearing them with some Pythonesque mud and surrealism. I'm looking forward to showing my cineaste younger son The Fisher King, which in some ways is Holy Grail but with Robin Williams.

And of course, there are Gilliam's films for kids, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Time Bandits,  and the recent The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (which I haven't yet seen but which my kids loved). They're not for everyone, but parents who don't mind their kids coming out a little warped will want to add them to their video collections as soon as their little ones are ready.

Happy Birthday, Terry Gilliam!

Source: Happy 70th Birthday, Terry Gilliam!

[Doctor Who?]

Yeah not only is he a member of my second favorite comedy team of all time but he made some of my favorite movies.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

   Happy Birthday, Mr. Gilliam....and many more!

[Doctor Who?]

Hey he has the same birthday as Doctor Who!

[Thrifty]

How did they do that thing with the coconuts in Holy Grail?  I don't mean how did they make the noise.  I mean how did they get the coconut halves?

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

How did they do that thing with the coconuts in Holy Grail?  I don't mean how did they make the noise.  I mean how did they get the coconut halves?

They found them.

[Thrifty]

How did they do that thing with the coconuts in Holy Grail?  I don't mean how did they make the noise.  I mean how did they get the coconut halves?

They found them.

In Mercer?

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

BTW - noticed just now that that reviewer forgot to mention Gilliam's Jabberwocky....which is par for the course.

An under-appreciated film.

"All characters portrayed in this film are entirely fictitious and bare no resemblance to anyone living or dead, except for one."

[DrWho42]

BTW - noticed just now that that reviewer forgot to mention Gilliam's Jabberwocky....which is par for the course.

The reviewer also called Brazil steampunk. 

[SJP]

That Brian Islam and Brucie animation above is probably my favorite Gilliam animation of all time.  I think the music is part of it, though...I'm guessing it's a washboard or one of those wooden things they have in every 2nd grade music class that no one ever remembers the name of but everyone had to learn how to play, but those little fart-like noises make it all the more absurd.

Yes, I'm a little tired of the term 'steampunk' being thrown around myself...for one, it's not set in the 1880s, there aren't really any giant robots, and I don't think a single person in the movie wears aviator goggles.  But hey, people call "Bioshock" steampunk, too, so I guess people just like to invent new ways to use words that only apply appropriately to about 6 or 7 actual works of fiction.   

Been awhile since I've seen Jabberwocky...though every time I've gotten it to rent, it seems like there's a scene missing that I remember seeing on television, where the wife tells the guy to hide under the bed when the husband comes home.  Every copy I've seen since then, the guy just seems to appear there with no explanation.

EDIT: Just found out...the music is the second half of "Banjoreno" by the Dixieland Jug Blowers.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

EDIT: Just found out...the music is the second half of "Banjoreno" by the Dixieland Jug Blowers.

Which is here.....if you have the right version of Real Player (which should only rot in hell).

[Thrifty]

Okay but seriously, about the coconuts.  How do you cut those things in half the way they did?  My knives only scratch it.  I hear you can use a saw, but how do you hold the coconut in place so that you get a clean, straight cut through the middle?  Do I need to fasten it to the table with some system of clamps?