List of differences in the versions of Brazil
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This article is a list of differences between various versions of the film Brazil. During the film's American release, handled by Universal Studios, Universal's then-head Sidney Sheinberg wanted the film edited for a clichéd Hollywood movie. The film's director, Terry Gilliam, didn't want this to happen and pressured Sheinberg to release it uncut, causing it to be Sheinberg's most famous case. The edited version was pushed aside for a 131-minute version that was released in US theaters and on VHS and Laserdisc. A longer, 141-minute European edit of the film was released on DVD for the first time in 1999 by the Criterion Collection; the Sheinberg edit, dubbed "Love Conquers All" by Gilliam, was also included with this DVD release.
The changes in each version are as follows:
Contents |
[edit] Scenes Missing in the British Cut
These are scenes missing in the UK release of the film and what Americans saw in US theaters. The reasons for excluding these scenes from the UK version and adding them to the US version are unknown.
- Clouds open and close the film in the American Release, some of the footage of these clouds was extraneous footage from The Never Ending Story. The clouds were in fact present in the original script; Gilliam confesses that he used the opportunity of the American edit to put them back in, because he actually liked it both ways.
- After watching Mrs. Lowry's first plastic surgery treatment, Sam exclaims "My God, it works!"
- Jack says "You look like you've seen a ghost, Sam..." to Sam at the entrance of the Ministry of Records when Sam sees Jill Layton. This scene is also present in the Sheinberg cut of the film.
[edit] Scenes Missing in American Cut
These are scenes missing in the US release of the film and what British audiences saw in UK theaters. These scenes were edited for the US release by Sheinberg because he thought that an American audience would be highly disturbed and unsettled by their content and length.
- Shortly before the troops storm Mrs. Buttle's home, her daughter says to her "Father Christmas can't come if you haven't got a chimney." Mrs. Buttle replies with "You'll see."
- A brief scene involving Sam and his mother, Ida, entering the restaurant where they meet Mrs. Terrain and Shirley. They have to pass through a metal detector in order to gain entrance, and Ida's present to Sam (one of the "Executive Decision Makers", seen later in the movie) sets off the alarm.
- Part of the beginning of the first "Samurai" dream sequence, where Sam explores through the concrete labyrinth he finds himself in. The American version makes this sequence three separate ones while the UK release it's one whole sequence.
- A scene where Sam and Jill lie in bed after the implied consummation of their relationship. Jill has taken off the wig she was wearing in the scene before, and has a pink bow tied around her naked body. She says to Sam: "Something for an executive?" and he unties her.
- The "Interrogation" scene, where Sam is charged with all of the violations of the law he committed throughout the film, including "wasting Ministry time and paper."
- The "Father Christmas" scene where Helpmann visits Sam after his booking, Helpmann is dressed as Santa Claus. Among other things, Helpmann informs Sam that Jill Layton has been killed...twice.
- The European release begins abruptly with the "Central Services" advert about ducts, and ends with a held shot of Lowry in the cooling tower without clouds present in the American release.
[edit] The Sheinberg Edit (Love Conquers All/TV Edit)
The Sheinberg Edit also aired on syndicated TV for time restrictions on some occasions and it pleased Gilliam as it showed how bad the studio cut of the film was.
- When the ministry building is blown up, the piece of paper that is shown is a "deleted" form for Harry Tuttle.
- It is made clear in this version that Tuttle is a terrorist. Examples include the man in the white lab coat in the beginning (that kills the beetle that causes the film's events) isn't watching an interview with Helpmann, but a "Arrest and Detainment" show about Tuttle and Sam's fellow employees watching the film without music with gunshots left.
- The scene at the restaurant starts the film with Shirley offering Sam the salt remaining and the explosion in the restaurant.
- Extended, more romantic dialogue between Sam and Jill is added after Tuttle switches the sewage and air pipes at Sam's flat. This is one of many scenes between Jill and Sam that was cut out of Gilliam's cut and re-added for this one.
- You don't see the inflamed guard when the Police vehicle crashes during the chase.
- It is never stated that Buttle is dead, only asked by his wife.
- Lots of curse words were replaced with tamer dialogue, often very badly.
- The "Something for an executive" scene is intact, however, afterwards, only Sam is captured while Jill is not killed.
- The film ends with a brief sequence where Jill wakes Sam in their country hideaway. Sam says "I don't dream anymore," looks at a picture on the wall of himself wearing the dream-sequence wings, and the film ends with them flying up into the heavens. Jack Lint and Mr. Helpmann don't interrupt the ending of the fantasy (thereby altering the ending of the film).
- Many of the fantasy sequences are missing, or slightly different, like having an opaque surrounding the scene.
- After Sam blows up the Ministry of Information, a piece of paper flutters down with a wanted message for Sam on it.
- Extended dialogue between Jill and Sam outside his apartment, and while in the truck is added.
- Extended dialogue in the scene where Sam meets Jack at Information Retrieval is added as well, and Jack has his daughter in his office.
- A cut of Casablanca featuring the line "Here's lookin' at you, kid." right after Sam leaves Kurtzmann's office.
- Jack says "You look like you've seen a ghost, Sam..." to Sam at the entrance of the Ministry of Records when Sam sees Jill Layton. This scene is also in the American cut.
