Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil by byronco

Future Visualized in the Movie

Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy SS2021 KISD // WS Design Concepts in Movies Supervised by Jenz Großhans

Table of Contents Personal 1.1 Housing 1.2 Food 1.3 Fashion Public Space 2.1 Architecture 2.2 Transportation 2.3 Security Social Structure 3.1 System 3.2 Status Symbols 3.3 Sport 3.4 Consumption & Religion 3.5 Customs & Traditions 3.6 Relationships Conclusion Bibliography

02 05 06 09 15 16 17 19 21 22 23 24 25 27

Fig. 0.0

In the opening credits of Brazil, the world is established as taking place “somewhere in the 20th century”. (Fig.0.0) This idea sets a precedent for the stylistic tone and aesthetic feel of the movie. Because it takes place in a timeless & geographically unspecified location, the freedom to combine past & present1 in a loose manner allows for a distinctive sci-fi design aesthetic. Largely, designers drew inspiration from the 1930’s and 1940’s but subverted the styles by incorporating newer designs and materials. More importantly, the inspiration drawn from the 30’s and 40’s was often taken from idealized versions of the future in those decades. That historical familiarity set within ostentatious circumstances makes the visualization compelling, because it explores a potential future that “could” occur within the minds of viewers in 1985, and in some ways already has existed for decades.

1 [‘Present’ meaning the period of time at which the movie was being made: between 1984-1985.].

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Personal 1.1 Housing The future is visualized through the residences of characters in numerous ways, comparing the varying levels of social class and grounding characters within the bureaucratic society they inhabit. The world in which Brazil takes place is largely urban, with each of the characters living in different styles of apartment housing. The first home shown is the Buttle residence, where Archibald Buttle is taken by officers of the Ministry of Information after being mistakenly identified as a terrorist. The apartment recalls a home of the 1920’s, 1940’s and 1950’s combined: with a small black and white television in the corner of the living room, dainty but drab patterned wallpaper, and pronounced white molding on ceilings and walls. Glass block windows add a touch of art deco as well. What creates the futurism element is the ductwork present in the apartment. To viewers, it is obtrusive and unfamiliar in a domestic setting, adding an industrial “steampunk” feel to an otherwise retro-looking residence. Fig. 1.1A

03 In Sam Lowry’s apartment it becomes clear that the moderately affluent members of their world abide by the “machine for living” approach to domesticity. Sam’s home, a white box of modularity, has minimal ductwork exposed. It is neatly concealed behind a square ceiling and wall panel system. (Fig. 1.1B) The home itself is like an organism, and the “bypass” procedure done on the ductwork when the cooling system collapses further expands on this idea of the home being a breathing, living, thing made for “productivity” and bureaucracy. According to director Terry Gilliam, “[The ductwork] is more about the entire system of the body-- [I] felt the world of Brazil was like being inside of a body, and the body was this social body, this civilization that I created--and information now, I suppose, is more the nervous system than the guts of the thing.”2 Art Director Norman Garwood describes the aesthetic as follows: 2 Fearless, Ex Nihilo, & N’Guyen Minh, Y. (1992). The Making of Brazil. France, Paris. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzxro-ZcXQo

Fig. 1.1B

“‘The overall design was art deco with a futurist twist—I started to look at a lot of ’30s and ’40s, mostly ’40s magazines… these inventions they would find… it was almost like ‘the shape of the world to come’.”3 Sam’s apartment is completely automated, and upon waking up his home initiates a morning routine ritual. It begins by preparing a shower, turning on the television, and making coffee and toast (rather inefficiently) before Sam even gets out of bed. Objects like a telephone inspired by an old switchboard add to the idea of retro-futurism as the main design concept, as well as a shower drain plug (which looks like a cue-ball) (Fig. 1.1C) that descends from where the showerhead should be.

3 Pelan, T. (n.d.). Duct Soup: The Daffy, Dystopian Design Nightmare of Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’. Cinephilia and Beyond. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://cinephiliabeyond.org/duct-soup-the-daffydystopian-design-nightmare-of-terry-gilliams-brazil

Sam’s mother lives in an even more moneyed society, which her residence reflects. Her apartment, which is entered via a marbled and grandiose staircase, is styled in a palatial manner. (Fig. 1.1D) The interior is adorned with all things deemed “exotic” by western standards, with oversized plants and gilded, ornamental architectural flourishes. It recalls glamorous homes of the early Hollywood film stars and privileged members of early 20th century society. (Fig. 1.1E) While fantastical in style, the large pipes and ductwork permeating through each cluttered room adds a sense of strange utilitarianism in a space designed for leisure. In later scenes, the only single-family homes shown are idealized as symbols of peaceful domesticity on the outskirts of the city, and in the movie are abruptly air-lifted to reveal a highly polluted and domineering power plant taking its place. (Fig. 1.1F)

Fig. 1.1D

Fig. 1.1E

Fig. 1.1F

Fig. 1.1C

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

05 1.2 Food The most “sci-fi” meals found in the movie are presented in the restaurant scene, where Sam dines with his mother. The menus are somewhere between a precursor to a digital menu and a backlit plastic picture menu often found in takeout restaurants. (Fig. 1.2A) The meals themselves look nothing like the dishes pictured, however, and when served look more like astronaut food in a mushy, greenish tint. (Fig. 1.2B)

Fig. 1.2A

Fig. 1.2B

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

06 1.3 Fashion The costumes were inspired largely by 1930s & 1940s styles, with clear inspirations drawn from old military uniforms, corporate attire, and the haute couture fashions of designers like Elsa Schiaparelli.4 The film’s costume designer, James Acheson, stated that the police trooper uniforms were inspired by old Prussian uniforms, but enhanced underneath with American football padding to make them look larger and more menacing. (Fig. 1.3B) Other inspirations came from uniforms of past totalitarian regimes, as well as from catalogs of specialty police protective gear and vintage American military combat wear. (Fig. 1.3A) To add a level of futurism, helmets, badges, and other accents were made in a highly reflective chrome material. The wardrobe of Sam & his colleagues like Jack Lint & Mr. Kurtzman can also be seen as a type of uniform. The monotony of grey suits passing through equally monochromatic hallways at the Ministry of Information alludes to the conformist mindset that flourishes there. Interestingly, within this limited wardrobe lies a layer of social status indication. (Fig 1.3C) Hinted at by characters throughout the film, it is repeatedly expressed to Sam in a variety of ways that he “will never get anywhere in a suit like that”. Acheson describes his fashion transition from wearing a single breasted narrow 3-piece striped suit at the beginning of the film and following his promotion, wearing a “shiny double-breasted, broad-shouldered suit”.5 4 Mokrohajská, C. (2020, September 19). The Forgotten Couturier Elsa Schiaparelli: Surrealism, Art and Revolutionary Fashion. Daily Art Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.dailyartmagazine. com/elsa-schiaparelli-art/ 5 The Criterion Collection. (2021). Brazil - Costume Design [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=en7nAPWMles (Original work published 2012)

Fig. 1.3A (above); Fig. 1.3B (below)

Fig. 1.3C

07 A nod to the film noir style of the 1940’s & 1950’s, the men working at the M.O.I. leave the office wearing fedoras and long coats, and shown later in the movie, some characters (like Jack) opt to wear bulletproof protection beneath their suits. (Fig. 1.3D) For those working outside the corporate world, such as repairmen sent by Central Services, utilitarian uniforms are the basis of their costumes. The repairmen wear overalls (historically a blue-collar uniform), but in a garishly bright red and yellow color combination. In addition, Henry Tuttle’s repairman uniform combines spygear with dark utility wear to reflect his “incognito” repairman operation. (Fig 1.3E)

Fig. 1.3D (above); Fig. 1.3E (below)

The most ostentatious costumes were those found in the world of Sam’s mother. One of the most recognizable designs is the “shoe-hat” cheetah outfit, which is directly inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s 1937 look.6 (Fig 1.3F & Fig. 1.3G) Schiaparelli drew inspi-

Fig. 1.3F

ration from a picture of Salvador Dali wearing a shoe on his head, and the surrealist statement became iconic in the fashion world. In this sense, it was a futuristic design as well, because it would not have been worn in the 1930’s as a regular fashion item. By drawing from pop-culture & artistic movements at the time, innovative fashions of the past were reinvented as costumes of the future. 6 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). The Met Collection. Hat, Winter 1937–38, Elsa Schiaparelli, Italian. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/83437

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Fig. 1.3G

In addition to the flashy and fur-lined women’s wardrobes, the fixation on plastic surgery by women reflected a set of values that was becoming increasingly popular by the 1980’s.7 The trend is expanded upon in the movie to a laughable degree, showing two different “modern” techniques for surgery, mostly done at home with varying levels of success. In this futuristic visualization, all parts of the body can be modified with extreme results and perhaps a few “complications”. The color & freedom found in affluence is contrasted by the grey and drab environment that most other individuals in the movie live in. 7 Kita, N. (2020, May 16). The History of Plastic Surgery. verywell health. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-history-of-plastic-surgery-2710193

Equally important to the futuristic visualization of the costumes, is the backdrop in which they exist. By placing retro styles in a strange environment, a dissonance is created which is interpreted as “something new”.

Fig. 2.1A

Fig. 2.1B

Public Space 2.1 Architecture Environment and Control The world of Brazil is viewed from an isolated & claustrophobic perspective of the working man in a bureaucratic oppressive Government. This is visualized throughout the movie through many spatial interventions both interior and exterior.

The interior space of Brazil follows a monochromatic color spectrum with barely any colored influences. A few bright and colorful injections are realized in these monochromatic scenes at a later stage mainly when representing the “upper class” society. (Fig.2.1A & 2.1B) The exterior space is visualized through large-scale, dominating architectural structures and “forced natural” open spaces.

Translucency and Obstruction of Vision

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

The outside world is viewed through translucency rather than transparency. And that feeds into the feel of isolation. Through different instances across the movie, the outside world is reflected through shadow elements that are projected into the interior spaces. (Fig.2.1C) The resemblance of the exterior is represented by the use of the viewer’s imagination. In the moments in which the exterior is visible from the inside, it is obstructed. (Fig.2.1D)

Fig. 2.1C (above); Fig. 2.1D (below)

Fig. 2.1E

Fig. 2.1F

The translucency in viewing the outside world is translated through the use of the “Glass Blocks”. The Glass blocks are key architectural elements that are viewed in most interior spaces throughout the movie. (Fig.2.1E) Even when there is a clear difference in the representation of the “rich” environment in comparison to the “working class” environment, the element of the glass blocks acts as an interior constant in all the representations of space. Although established in the 1800s, the glass blocks were at their most prominent in the 1930’s. Glass blocks were efficient for their modern style as well as low cost; allowing them to be less expensive than other building materials. “Often the blocks were used as lighting elements, lowering the cost of artificial lighting and illuminating ‘dead’ spaces within any building”.8 The architecture of Brazil caters to the entire atmosphere of the movie. Monolithic structures were the main architectural style used in the film, mainly in the governmental buildings. The aesthetics used for the architecture give a sense of a mysterious hidden interior; almost a claustrophobic feel of the interior. The technique in which the exterior is visualized, welcomes a multi-dimensional world that exceeds the three-dimensional space observed. The urban city is barely visualized throughout the movie but in the scenes in which it is (particularly where Tuttle jumps from Sam’s balcony), the dimensional representation of the urban city is confused for a dream-like visualization of a “concrete jungle”. (Fig.2.1F)

8 Medina Glass Block, Inc. (2018, October 1). History of Glass Block. GBA Architectural Products and Services. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.gbaproducts.com/blog/2018/10/01/history-of-glassblock

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Exterior and Interior Spaces Most architecture structures used throughout belong to an art deco style with the use of motifs and decorations on the exterior facades (such as the eagle motifs). (Fig.2.1G) The lens of Gillian interprets the exterior scenes with a dramatic angle which sets a more dramatic and heavy presence of these structures. On the other hand, the outside world is not only depicted through shadows into the interior and monolithic structures. The “open/natural” world is also injected throughout the movie in an absurd and ironic way through ads, propaganda and literal irony of the clash between “natural” and “man-made”. (Fig.2.1H)

Fig. 2.1G (above); Fig. 2.1H (below)

The outside world, which is curated by the oppressor, is trying to convince the inhabitant that it is not oppressing nor isolating them through subliminal messages in billboards and advertisements. (Fig.2.1I) Governmental posters and messages are scattered all over the Governmental buildings sending out specific messages such as: “Don’t suspect a friend, report him” (Fig.2.1J) or “They work so we may dream”.9 This forceful propaganda

Fig. 2.1I

feeds into the mindset of the oppressed unconsciously creating a forced-natural habitat in the world of Brazil.

Fig. 2.1J

9 Gilliam, T. (Director). (1985). Brazil [Film]. Embassy International Pictures, Brazil Productions.

13 The interior spaces of the government buildings follow the same monolithic, monochromatic style of the exterior structures. The endless and useless governmental construct is depicted through the endless labyrinth of isolated hallways. (Fig.2.1K) These hallways are filled with numbered offices and confined with individual people. The endless hallway that is shown in the movie is ironically not a fully physical space whereas a drawing of a onepoint perspective. This endless infinite hallway adds to the despair of the dystopian world that they live in. In contrast to these imaginative endless hallways, the offices depict a more grounded sci-fi representation of a work space. The office of Sam follows a dystopian representation of the work cubicle that is quite familiar now. The qualities present in Sam’s office, such as the clear wall that cuts the original office into two spaces, the half-safe, the half-table, etc. clearly fed into the ironic exaggeration of a dystopian world that Gillian aimed at portraying. (Fig.2.1L) Distinctively to the small work cubicle, a larger interior space that plays an important role in the movie is the Torture room. (Fig.2.1M) The torture room is a space of oppression that expresses the same feelings and insights of an oppressed dystopia but on a larger scale. Initially an abandoned water tank, the rounded floor plan of the torture feeds into the oppressive and trapped atmosphere that the movie aims to portray. The spaces both small and large, are giving the same effects and outcomes regardless of their functions and sizes. Regardless of the function, the design of the interior spaces acts as a tool for oppressive and controlling visualization.

Fig. 2.1K (above); Fig. 2.1L (below)

Fig. 2.1M

Fig. 2.1N

“

Fig. 2.1O

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Duct-System At the heart of it, when I began, was the idea of the ministry as an organism that has to feed on whatever it is, and it has to keep itself going, so you create the problem, so that you can have more people trying to solve the problem. - Terry Gilliam10

10 BFI. (2014). Terry Gilliam on Brazil [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXrGL3wrNzI

A key element in the interior spaces of Brazil is the Duct system. This large, interconnected and quite intrusive industrial system requires a lot of visual attention. The central ducts are viewed everywhere in Brazil, from luxurious restaurant spaces (decorated and designed to fit the interior) to the basic citizen home (Sam’s neighbors). They permeate through society regardless of social status or wealth — they encompasses everything. The duct system represents a living organism that invades the lives of the people subliminally by merely existing in an exaggerated way in their everyday lives. (Fig.2.1N & 2.1O)

Fig. 2.2A

Fig. 2.2B

2.2 Transportation One form of transport that is found in the movie is the moving cubicle that acts as a metro or transport system. The transport station is made out of Glass blocks. These modular architectural elements form a sense of isolated conformity. Gilliam mentions that “They travel in cages all the time, people are caged in different ways”11 The obstruction of view to the exterior, even while being transported, aids in the injection of conformity and isolation. The space is represented as a literal box-ing of people through transportation. (Fig.2.2A)

11 Milchan, A. (Creator). (2019). Arnon Milchan Presents A Terry Gilliam Film “Brazil” [Audio]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgWE9oBUl5s (Original work published 1996)

Another form of transportation that is present in the movie which uses a “past-as-future” element is Sam’s tiny car. The Messerschmit (a german car) was released in 1955 and sold until 1964.12 Another caged-like form of transportation caters to the absurd oppression and confinement that Gilliam aimed to portray in Brazil. (Fig.2.2B)

12 D’Angelo, M., Murray, N., Phipps, K., Rabin, N., Robinson, T., Singer, M., & Tobias, S. (2013, August 6). Brazil Forum: style, gallows humor, the past as future, and more. The Dissolve. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/68-brazil-forum-style-gallows-humor-the-pastas-futur/

Fig. 2.3A

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Fig. 2.3B

2.3 Security The extensive and oppressive state that the film features deals with the notion of oppressive security and absurd surveillance. The surveillance tools used such as the robotic camera in the ministry of information is a combination of technological tools (camera, eyeball, dentist tools, etc.) combined together to act as a surveillance system. (Fig.2.3A) The inefficiency of tool usage is exaggerated throughout the movie where the uselessness is emphasized. People in this society have to pass their regular belongings through x-ray machines so that the government can check for potential weapons whereas terrorist attacks are always occuring in public spaces. Their technological inefficiency is evident in the movie where these surveillance and security machines are only present for appearance rather than effectiveness.

Fig. 2.3C

Social Structure 3.1 System

Fig. 3.1A

The world under an authoritarian government was designed in a harsh yet comedic way by staying true to the Orwellian retro-futuristic fantasy that Terry Gilliam imagined. At the beginning of the film, the dystopia is introduced by showing a salesman promoting designer ducts on television, which later explodes, presumably through a terrorist attack. The scene establishes the futuristic setting of the movie, giving a sense of an odd reality that is currently taking place. As the scene ends, another screen shows the deputy minister reassuring the public that a previous attack happened mainly because of beginner’s luck on the terrorists’ part, even though they have been constant events. (Fig. 3.1A) The clear gaslighting highlights the behaviour of a totalitarian state or political figures who like to control public perception.13 Throughout the film, the autocratic government deceives the public on multiple occasions. For example, the scenes with the road leading towards the outskirts of the city have billboards shielding the view from the degrading dystopian environment caused by the ineptitude of a selfish autocracy. Several scenes include the police exercising severe authoritarian practices. (Fig. 3.1B) 13 Sinha, A. (2020). Lies, Gaslighting and Propaganda. Buffalo Law Review, 68(4), 1088-2020. Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://digitalcommons.law. buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview/vol68/iss4/3

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Fig. 3.1B

While the lower to middle class face the harsh reality of this dystopian world, the upper class can afford to look away and shield themselves from the ugly truth. In the restaurant scene where another explosion occurs, the waiters hurriedly covered up the fire and debris with a room divider. Meanwhile, Sam, his extravagant mother, and the mothers’ equally extravagant friends nonchalantly continued on with their conversation and meal. A symbol of how privilege can cause a disconnect to reality.

Fig. 3.1C

19 3.2 Status Symbols As the social class divide in Brazil’s dystopia is obviously depicted, some characters consequently and consistently strive to climb the social ladder. Throughout the movie, Mrs. Lowry seems to be the driver of social status gain as she aims to maintain her own social status by going to expensive restaurants, shopping, not to mention, her on-call plastic surgeon. (Fig. 3.2A) The rewards of her social climbing and cosmetic enhancements are finally reaped at Mrs. Terrain’s funeral where she appears like a newly different person (Fig. 3.2B), surrounded and adored by younger men. The contrast in social structure can also be observed with the home decorations of Sam‘s extravagant mother. Standout Moorish design elements surround her home, while the middle class live in gray, worn-down, and monotonous apartment complexes.

Fig. 3.2A (above); Fig. 3.2B (below)

Fig. 3.2C (left); Fig. 3.2D (right)

Characters belonging to the upper class enjoy the benefits of their social status. Ordinary individuals, however, are left to dream of a better reality. Propaganda posters and billboards show this fake fantasy of where their hard-earned efforts can eventually reach. Unfortunately, these are placed as fake signs of aspiration. Similar to war-era advertisements from the 1920’s14, billboards often show feel-good messages for audiences who were suffering from depression & war. (Fig. 3.2C) 14 Cornwell, A. (2017, July 4). Dreams, Lies, and Flapper Girls: The Myth of the 1920’s. Our Great American Heritage. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://www.ourgreatamericanheritage.com/2017/07/ dreams-lies-and-flapper-girls-the-myth-of-the-1920s

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

The ads are a way to visualize a brighter utopian future. (Fig. 3.2D) Knowing that their world is controlled by a totalitarian state, the propaganda are all cover-ups to the senseless bureaucratic machine that only benefits the ones on top. In Brazil, social status symbols can only be observed among the rich & powerful.

21 3.3 Sport The single but iconic scene where a sport is being played in Brazil — people in hazmat suits are seen enjoying a game of volleyball while being in a visibly dangerous workplace environment. In an audio clip from a documentary about the movie, Terry Gilliam explains that this scene was inspired by a photograph in one of his own book collections. Even though unsourced, the image can be seen in the documentary which appears to be taken in the early 20th century.15 The scene fits the absurdity the world of Brazil is set in, where people would rather play volleyball amidst a flaming factory, avoiding all responsibilities and any sense of order.

15 Brazil - Designing the Film (D. Morgan, Writer) [Video]. (2012). The Criterion Collection. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krk7nIrcaH0

Fig. 3.3A (left); Fig. 3.3B (right)

3.4 Consumption & Religion The extreme consumerism in the world of Brazil evolved into a fictional cultish regime, which is literally depicted in a scene where the followers of a sect called “Consumers for Christ” (Fig. 3.4A) are seen parading in a shopping centre. On a more morbid but similar note, the coffin of Mrs. Terrain, who died from senseless competitive plastic surgery, is coloured bright pink complete with a giftwrapped bow (Fig. 3.4B), emphasising the extent of materialism in an extra capitalist society. The harsh reality that the general public are experiencing offers some interesting methods of coping, as visualized in multiple parts of the film. For instance, digital screens play an interesting role in the film, they are tools to escape the monotony. In one scene, Jill enjoys watching a movie through a tiny decrepit side mirror while taking a bath. In another scene, some men in the office immediately turn to a spaghetti western flick as their boss was returning to his office (Fig. 3.4C), seemingly enjoying the distraction from their less than interesting occupational tasks. The way the screens were designed also says a lot to how the filmmakers envisioned the dystopian world during the 1980’s. At that time, television screens occupied a lot of space. To visualize the future, screens are made more compact. Similar to how smartphones in the 21st Century offer a way to mindlessly consume media and also act as a form of escape.16 16 Delaney, B. (2019, October 31). In a world made small by smartphones, we crave escape into otherness. The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/ nov/01/in-a-world-made-small-by-smartphones-we-crave-escape-into-otherness

Fig. 3.4A

Fig. 3.4B

Fig. 3.4C

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

23 3.5 Customs & Traditions Brazil, even though named after a certain South American country, never shows any signs of a specific culture or place in the world where it exists. Many film facts point to a futuristic version of England17, but the movie predominantly remains non-specific in terms of customs and traditions. The only scene in the film where a hint of a traditional ritual is being performed, was in Mrs. Terrain’s funeral. People can be seen mourning her death due to an unhealthy amount of work done to her body. In the same setting, a Christian cross can be spotted as glass panes on a door. (Fig. 3.5A) The cross can also be found in different parts of the film like in Sam’s dream sequence. (Fig. 3.5B) In the sequence, Sam also appears as an archangel flying down from the heavens, which gives a nod to religious symbolism.

Fig. 3.5A

17 Delaney, B. (2019, October 31). In a world made small by smartphones, we crave escape into otherness. The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/ nov/01/in-a-world-made-small-by-smartphones-we-crave-escape-into-otherness

Fig. 3.5B

The movie perfectly illustrates how people living under an authoritarian regime behave. They follow orders like semi-futuristic robots, without questioning their own free will. Senseless bureaucratic tendencies conquer daily life as people give in to the system that was forced onto them. However, Sam Lowry, the protagonist, is the one who challenges this monotony. He questions his role as a low-level government technocrat in the Department of Records and chases after what he truly wants — a woman he discovers through a series of dreams. As a result, he gets captured and punished by authorities for following his dreams. As the fine line between reality and fantasy gets blurred, both for Sam and the audience, it’s clear that the need to escape is a reflex from a dreariness-filled bureaucratic world. Sam finds content in his eventual spiral into insanity.

3.6 Relationships Considering that the lead character, Sam, is more hesitant with the limelight and enjoys the anonymity of his job at the Ministry of Records, his daydreams gave him some sort of escape or enjoyment from the monotony that he‘s experiencing. His only source of contentment lies within his dreams where he is a winged hero gliding through heavens freely. (Fig. 3.6A) Ironically, the dream sequence is set in a sci-fi fantasy setting, yet it was shot in the most realistic way possible with practical effects to have the similar tone with the rest of the film. His dreams have this typical hero and damsel trope, which can be seen in a lot of sci-fi movies, where he fights to save his dream girl from an enemy, in this case, a giant Samurai warrior.

Fig. 3.6B

Fig. 3.6A

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

People living in this futuristic version of reality seem to be dehumanised by the technology and bureaucratic state of life. From the beginning, it’s clear that people living in this society are not normal, to the point of possessing sociopathic tendencies. The lack of empathy with other human beings, the police casually destroying an apartment building through an arrest, and the missing emotions that normally exist between mother and son, or even Sam and Jill. The filmmakers wanted to portray the potential detrimental effects of extensive technological advancement in human society. In the end, his form of escape and distraction by chasing his love eventually led to his downfall. What was going to be a happy ending turned out to be a delusion. As one can see from the retrofuturistic lobotomy scene, the doctor did not even have to lobotomize him. His fantasy eventually met reality and turned him insane as he hummed the song, Aquarela do Brasil, still trying his best to psychologically escape this dystopian world. (Fig. 3.6B)

Conclusion

While other dystopian films of the 1980’s like Blade Runner (1982) and The Terminator (1984) established specific points in time (i.e. 20 or so years in the future), Brazil works simultaneously as a retelling of the past, a mirror to the present, and a foreshadowing of the future without being so explicit in its boundaries. It is somewhere in the 20th century, but even in the 21st century we recognize it as futuristic. In addition to the social structures and design themes discussed, the use of absurdist humour in the movie differentiates the way in which the sci-fi aspects are expressed. These comedic elements are used to unfold moments of irony, or emotional discongruence in human interactions. The moments are also recognizable in our own reality, allowing the futuristic design elements to be understood as strangely familiar collages of time and place in our minds.

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

Fig. 4.0

Bibliography 1 [‘Present’ meaning the period of time at which the movie was being made: between 1984-1985.]. 2 Fearless, Ex Nihilo, & N’Guyen Minh, Y. (1992). The Making of Brazil. France, Paris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzxro-ZcXQo 3 Pelan, T. (n.d.). Duct Soup: The Daffy, Dystopian Design Nightmare of Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’. Cinephilia and Beyond. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://cinephiliabeyond.org/duct-soup-the-daffy-dystopian-design-nightmare-ofterry-gilliams-brazil 4 Mokrohajská, C. (2020, September 19). The Forgotten Couturier Elsa Schiaparelli: Surrealism, Art and Revolutionary Fashion. Daily Art Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/elsa-schiaparelli-art/ 5 The Criterion Collection. (2021). Brazil - Costume Design [Video]. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=en7nAPWMles (Original work published 2012) 6 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). The Met Collection. Hat, Winter 1937–38, Elsa Schiaparelli, Italian. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/ search/83437 7 Kita, N. (2020, May 16). The History of Plastic Surgery. verywell health. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-history-of-plastic-surgery-2710193 8 Medina Glass Block, Inc. (2018, October 1). History of Glass Block. GBA Architectural Products and Services. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https:// www.gbaproducts.com/blog/2018/10/01/history-of-glass-block 9 Gilliam, T. (Director). (1985). Brazil [Film]. Embassy International Pictures, Brazil Productions.

All images and screen captures belong to Embassy International Pictures, Brazil Productions, and The Criterion Collection.

10 BFI. (2014). Terry Gilliam on Brazil [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tXrGL3wrNzI

Future Visualized in the Movie Brazil // Byron Co, Jasmine Labrousse, Sally Loutfy

11 Milchan, A. (Creator). (2019). Arnon Milchan Presents A Terry Gilliam Film “Brazil” [Audio]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgWE9oBUl5s (Original work published 1996) 12 D’Angelo, M., Murray, N., Phipps, K., Rabin, N., Robinson, T., Singer, M., & Tobias, S. (2013, August 6). Brazil Forum: style, gallows humor, the past as future, and more. The Dissolve. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/68-brazil-forum-style-gallows-humor-the-past-as-futur 13 Sinha, A. (2020). Lies, Gaslighting and Propaganda. Buffalo Law Review, 68(4), 1088-2020. Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ buffalolawreview/vol68/iss4/3 14 Cornwell, A. (2017, July 4). Dreams, Lies, and Flapper Girls: The Myth of the 1920’s. Our Great American Heritage. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://www.ourgreatamericanheritage.com/2017/07/dreams-lies-and-flappergirls-the-myth-of-the-1920s 15 Brazil - Designing the Film (D. Morgan, Writer) [Video]. (2012). The Criterion Collection. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=krk7nIrcaH0 16 Delaney, B. (2019, October 31). In a world made small by smartphones, we crave escape into otherness. The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/01/in-aworld-made-small-by-smartphones-we-crave-escape-into-otherness 17 IMDB. (n.d.). Brazil (1985) Filming and Production. IMDB. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/locations