1985/2006
If anything, Terry Gilliam's surreal fantasia about an overwhelming, nightmarish bureaucracy has become more eerily prescient with each passing year " "Brazil" is one of the great films from the Eighties and a work steeped in barely contained passion. It's a sprawling, dense and willfully odd film that builds breathlessly to a stark, chilling climax that lifts the satire into the realm of masterpiece.
Previously available in a thorough three-disc set, The Criterion Collection has returned to this cult classic and spruced up the transfer, rendering it anew with a crisper, high-definition anamorphic wide-screen image. For those gnashing their teeth about already owning the now out-of-print three-disc set, the folks at Criterion have rereleased both the boxed set and a stand-alone version of the remastered film for those interested in an upgrade; the supplements on the set are unchanged.
Whether you're a "Brazil" devotee or neophyte, Criterion's sharp rerelease merits a look for fans of boundary-pushing films. "Preston Jones
