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Time Bandits (1981)

 
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 8:33 am    Post subject: Time Bandits (1981) Reply with quote

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The Wikipedia article on this one says it best — this was Terry Gilliam's 1st of 3 efforts about escaping the rigors of our rigid reality (the later ones being Brazil in 1985 and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in 1988) via fantastical methods.

Time Bandits may be more of a fantasy than sci-fi, but the sci-fi staple of time travel governs the plot. The fantasy aspect is that it just comes across like some kid's fantasy dreamed up one day and events happen for no particular reason.

This is most evident in the opening scenes.

For no particular reason, a group of time traveling dwarves show up at a kid's bedroom, preceded by the sudden appearance of a knight on horseback. Secret portals and hallways are revealed, showing that most things are not as they seem. It's not long before the kid is off with the dwarves on a series of adventures.

The theme is clear from the start: the kid's parents are rather typical British middle class bores. The boy is constrained, trapped in a sense. The big difference is that Gilliam's later films involved adults trying to escape; here, it's from a boy's perspective.

There is some plotting in the mix. The dwarves (said to be representations of the various Monty Python members) are on the run from their master, The Supreme Being (eventually revealed as Ralph Richardson), because they made off with a special map in their plan to get rich.

The group first end up with Napoleon (Ian Holm), who has a big chip on his shoulder about being short. He usually spends his time giggling and yelling at his generals. He's friendly to the group, since they are all of a small size

Unfortunately, the group is also targeted by the Supreme Being's opposing counterpart, Evil (David Warner) and the boy gets separated from the rest, ending up in ancient Greece, where he's quickly adopted by warrior king Agamemnon (Sean Connery).

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The film comes to life with the intro of Connery as this mythical ruler who also engages in combat with some kind of creature or strange warrior. Connery's charisma always benefited whatever film he was in. But, his role is brief.

The same goes for John Cleese, who pops up as an officious, anal version of Robin Hood (and with the most bizarre version of Maid Marian).

The rest of the time, the film tries too hard to rack up satirical points about the various eras and the famous personages — Robin Hood especially is given a severe shellacking in this version of his legend. But, I have to admit it's pretty amusing most of the time, in Gilliam's dark sort of way, mixed in with Gilliam's penchant for surprising, even grotesque violence.

The two opposing entities — The Supreme Being and Evil — are obviously Gilliam's versions of God and the Devil, the governing forces of the universe.

BoG's Score: 7 out of 10



BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Here's the trailer for this movie.
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_______ Time Bandits (1981) ORIGINAL TRAILER


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IMDB has an interesting trivia item.
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~ In the original script, King Agamemnon was introduced as: "The warrior took off his helmet, revealing someone that looks exactly like Sean Connery, or an actor of equal but cheaper stature." To Terry Gilliam's surprise, the script ended up in Connery's hands. He expressed interest in the part, and his agent approached them for the role.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________ Time Bandits 1981 Trailer


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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
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~ In the original script, King Agamemnon was introduced as: "The warrior took off his helmet, revealing someone that looks exactly like Sean Connery, or an actor of equal but cheaper stature."

To writer, producer, and director Terry Gilliam's surprise, the script ended up in Connery's hands. He expressed interest in the part, and his agent approached them for the role.


Note from me: That funny line is undoubtedly what lured Sir Sean Connery into the role. Very Happy

~ No studio wanted to make this movie, so executive producers George Harrison and Denis O'Brien mortgaged their office building in Cadogan Square to raise the $5 million to make it.

Note from me: If at first you don't succeed, take out a mortgage! Confused

~ Sir Ralph Richardson took his role so seriously that he submitted his own red ink edits, complete with the message "God wouldn't say that."

Note from me: If the character of God only said things that God would say, it certainly wouldn't be funny. Like, duh! Rolling Eyes

~ The cowboys, Greek archers, tank, spaceship (Micronauts Mobile Exploration Lab), and all of the attackers that fight Evil Genius (David Warner) at the end were the counterparts of the same toys seen in Kevin's (Craig Warnock's) room.

In some shots, as Kevin runs through Evil Genius' fortress, giant "Lego" blocks can clearly seen as part of the fortress. Keven also mentioned to his parents that the Greeks had to learn forty-four styles of hand-to-hand combat.


Note from me: I guess in a way that makes this movie similar to The Wizard of Oz!

~ Terry Gilliam laughed so hard while shooting the table scene with Sir Ian Holm as Napoleon Bonaparte that he had to leave the set, to avoid ruining any takes of said scene.

Note from me: Having never seen this movie (Yes, I know . . . shame on me), I wonder if I'll find that scene as funny as Terry did when I finally see it.

~ On his first day of filming, Craig Warnock was reportedly so overwhelmed at meeting Sir Sean Connery that their close-ups had to be shot separately, until the boy had adjusted to the veteran actor's presence, reportedly at Connery's own suggestion.

In his part of the audio commentary, Warnock says he remembers Connery being "very friendly, and down to Earth", and joked that the scene where he rode off into the desert with Connery on horseback, probably made more women jealous than kids.


Note from me: It's good to know that the late Sir Sean Connery was a nice guy.

~ Executive producer George Harrison was frustrated with writer, producer, and director Terry Gilliam's stubbornness, as evident by the lyrics to Harrison's song "Dream Away". Harrison even once told Gilliam he reminded him of John Lennon, because he was so difficult and "bolshie". It was the thing that Gilliam was most proud of that Harrison ever said to him.

Note from me: Wait . . . what song?
Confused

___ George Harrison - Dream Away (Time Bandits)


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Ooooh! THAT song! Laughing

~ Sir Ralph Richardson came up with the idea to dispose of the pieces of Evil Genius in the post box.

Note from me: Ah-ha! So they DO loose stuff like mail-in ballots!

~ It took several weeks to train the horse to jump out of the closet.

Note from me: It's a well-known fact that horses are reluctant to reveal their sexual orientation if they aren't heterosexual, because they're so proud of being hung like a horse. Wink

~ Derrick O'Connor (Robber Leader) came up with the idea to make the bulk of his dialogue unintelligible.

Note from me: I'm glad I was warned about that, because otherwise I'd be worried that my hearing was going bad due to my advancing age . . . or that I just needed new headphones.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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