Terry Gilliam Films

Long before the advent of digital special effects, Gilliam brought his brilliant, baroque mindscapes to life with good old-fashioned paper cutouts. His animated screen transitions for Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) became an instantly recognisable trademark of the series, and even later big budget spectaculars such as The Adventures of Baro... show more >

Long before the advent of digital special effects, Gilliam brought his brilliant, baroque mindscapes to life with good old-fashioned paper cutouts. His animated screen transitions for Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) became an instantly recognisable trademark of the series, and even later big budget spectaculars such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) retained the same handcrafted feel.

After Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Jabberwocky (1977) and the perennially enjoyable Time Bandits (1981), Gilliam gained serious critical attention with the sublime, nightmarish Brazil (1985), possibly his greatest film to date. The Fisher King (1991) and 12 Monkeys (1995) were Oscar-nominated hits, but even box office flops such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) have gained a solid reputation and a loyal cult following.

Despite his trademark visuals, Gilliam's films are, at heart, bittersweet human dramas in which dreamers and idealists are confronted with implacable bureaucracies and impossible obstacles. These themes also describe Gilliam's film-making career, as his projects have been beset by meddling producers, money trouble, natural disasters and tragedy.

Gilliam's struggle to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote was documented in Lost in La Mancha (2002), whilst Heath Ledger's death during the making of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) made headlines for Gilliam's unique solution in casting multiple actors to complete the role. < show less