Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam has well and truly flown form his Monty Python perch and has long been an established Hollywood movie director. However, while with the group, he published the still-fascinating Animations Of Mortality...

Terry Gilliam: Animations Of Mortality

"...I acquired this book when I was in high school, having just discovered Monty Python. I was fascinated by the strange cut-out animations that joined the skits, and that's what drew me to the book originally. Now, it is a rare, classic treasure. Mainly, it is a book overviewing cut-out animation...

...as a bonus, you get a running gag about a black spot and a badger that keep trying to hijack the actual book as you read it.... Technically beneficial to animators, a Holy Grail of acquisitions to Gilliam fans.." Rae Schwarz Amazon reviewer.

However Gilliam soon left cut-out animation and has worked as a movie director since. His movies include:

Jabberwocky 1977
Time Bandits 1981
Brazil 1985
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen 1988
The Fisher King 1991
12 Monkeys 1995
Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas 1998
Don Quixote...abandoned 2000...resurfacing in Lost In La Mancha 2002 (documentary)
Brothers Grimm 2005
Tideland 2005

Gilliam is considered something of an enfant terrible in Hollywood, with budgets on a number of his movies going through the roof...but it's undeniable that he has shot some of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history.

I hope to be presenting reviews of all Terry's films by mid-2009.

Gilliam On Gilliam

"...As someone said on the back cover...Gilliam On Gilliam...is paranoid, neurotic, nutty, and (a) fascinating look at filmmaker Terry Gilliam...with the book, in total, an interview with the filmmaker. Gilliam talks about the battle for Brazil, his frustrations in the early Python films (was was stigmatized as the arty image guy), and his intricate intentions in later films. Amazon reviewer Paul Kedrosky

"...I don't recommend this much to Python fans. Certainly, a good part of it talks about the Python days, but it doesn't talk about their creative process much - it's more about the making of the films and Gilliam's animations..." Amazon reviewer Pedro Pontes

"...Arguably the most fascinating parts of the books are his discussions of his best films, notably The Time Bandits, Brazil and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This is a incredibly refreshing read, resurrecting the belief in the potential of the filmmaker as auteur, from a man whose works, even if you dislike them, are amongst the greatest visions of the twentieth century..." Amazon UK reviewer A. Customer