Gilliam's sudden inspiration and investigation of famous songs that led to the birth of "Brazil"

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2020.08.26Atsunobu Ushizu

How did the famous actor De Niro come to appear?

Incidentally, this film stars Robert De Niro as a plumber who rebels against a controlled society. Why did such a big name accept to play such an eccentric supporting role?

When I read up on the book I have, it says that a producer named Arnon Milchan acted as an intermediary.

Speaking of Milchan, he is an Israeli producer who worked with De Niro on " The King of Comedy " (1982) and " Once Upon a Time in America " (1984), and was already known as a creator who prioritized creativity over profit. However, he also had a mischievous side, and many of his acquaintances apparently warned Gilliam not to get involved with him (in 2013, it was revealed that Milchan had been involved in arms procurement as an agent of the Israeli intelligence agency for many years/*see 1). However, perhaps because they liked each other as outcasts, they hit it off and decided to make a film together.

As the production of "Brazil" progressed, Universal, which holds the distribution rights in the United States, expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation in which only lesser-known actors were cast, and demanded that "an American actor should be involved." Milchan, as a producer, had a responsibility to respond to this. So he looked around and the choice of De Niro came to mind.

No one would complain about such a Big. When deciding on a specific role, Gilliam apparently suggested to De Niro, "It might be interesting to try playing a simple role sometimes." I don't know if that was a killer phrase, but surprisingly, De Niro accepted the offer to play the plumber Tuttle.

However, his introduction, which takes a completely different approach from the other performers, caused some confusion on set. In any case, De Niro was thoroughly prepared for the role, and when Gilliam said, ``This guy is a plumber, he's like a surgeon,'' and he went to see a neurosurgeon. He even went there to observe brain surgery. In addition, while a typical actor would only need 3 or 4 takes, De Niro had to repeat over 30 cuts. Is he being serious, or is he just taking it too far?

For him, throwing himself into the world of Gilliam must have been an exciting experience that he could not have had in Hollywood alone, and for Gilliam, casting this great actor must have been a series of scary, sometimes head-wrenching moments. Even if both parties had various intentions, there is no doubt that this encounter with the Close Encounters of the Third Kind ultimately deepened the film into something even more "mysterious."

Later, when Gilliam had an outside brawl with Universal, De Niro, who is known to dislike the media, appeared on an American TV talk show together with Gilliam and defended him. What a reassuring thing this must have been. Perhaps a more special bond than we had imagined had developed between the two. If you watch this film with this background in mind, De Niro's style stands out clearly despite his short screen time, and you will feel a different flavor from the previous films.

Reference 1)

"Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan says he spied for Israel"(BBC article)

Reference materials)

"Terry Gilliam/Filmmaker talks about himself” (1999/Film Art Publishing) Written by Ian Christie, translated by Akiko Hiroki

"Terry Gilliam video complete collection” (1999/Kawade Shobo Shinsha) Written by Bob McCabe, translated by Atsuko Kawaguchi

"Robert De Niro/Challenge is my life” (1997/Kyodo Press) by John Parker, translated by Yukiko Nakagami

『Brazil” Blu-ray recording “Making of: What is “Brazil”?”

Text: USHIZU ATSUNOBU

Born in Nagasaki in 1977. When he was 3 years old, he saw ``Superman II'' with his father and became fascinated with movies. After The Graduate from Meiji University, he worked for a movie broadcasting channel and then became a movie writer. Currently, in addition to writing for Eiga.com, EYESCREAM, Real Sound Movie Club, etc., he also contributes to media press and theater programs.

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"Brazil"

Blu-ray now on sale 1,905 yen + tax

Released by: Walt Disney Japan

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