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Terry Gilliam: Difference between revisions
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'''Terrence Vance Gilliam''' was the only American in the [[Monty Python]] troupe (although he does have British citizenship) but added the most surreal elements of the show through his many animations. As the series progressed he also did many small roles the other actors didn't want to perform for various reasons, and had very few speaking parts (one of his most notable lines is "I want more beans!" He was also Cardinal Fang of the Spanish Inquisition). He also wrote a number of the sketches, and from there co-wrote the troupe's three films based on original material with the rest of the troupe; he also co-directed ''[[Monty Python and
From there he moved into writing and directing non-Python films, though some of his fellow troupers have appeared in and/or co-wrote them. His specialties are fantasy and science fiction films, often laced with dark humor (one could construe his worldview as "We're all doomed! Isn't that hilarious?"), and he was J. K. Rowling's choice of director for the ''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter]]'' movies -- however [[Warner Brothers]] decided against it.
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In the 1990s, things were looking up with ''[[The Fisher King]]'' (1991), ''[[12 Monkeys|Twelve Monkeys]]'' (1995), and ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]'' (1998). Then at the [[Turn of the Millennium]], his films became a parade of [[It Got Worse]] situations behind the scenes. ''The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'' was never completed thanks to trials and tribulations covered in the documentary ''Lost in La Mancha''. ''[[The Brothers Grimm (film)|The Brothers Grimm]]'' (2005) was beset by [[Executive Meddling]], this time via Bob and Harvey Weinstein. ''[[Tideland]]'' (also 2005) made it to theaters, but was overlooked (plus it was set in, and filmed in a desert, but it ''just kept raining'' during filming). And finally, perhaps saddest of all, ''[[The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus]]'' (2009) became [[Heath Ledger]]'s final film when [[Author Existence Failure|he died before completing his role]].
Bad luck simply doesn't cut it: the man's '''cursed'''.
''[[The Onion]]'' once joked that if Terry Gilliam were to have a barbecue, [http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32920 it would be beset by production delays]. But his perilous productions have resulted in a portfolio of fascinating, if not always successful, films.
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* [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy]]: ''[[The Brothers Grimm (film)|The Brothers Grimm]]''
* [[Cool Horse]]: Bucephalus, [[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|Baron Munchausen]]'s horse.
* [[Deranged Animation]]: It doesn't come more deranged than [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVgAzbuKjZY&feature=fvw that].
* [[Doing It for the Art]]
** ''[[Tideland]]''. A fairy tale of the sort modern people do not tell any longer. Absolutely unsuitable for commercial purposes.
** Gilliam in general is a fine example of this. Most filmmakers would have called it at day after barely surviving ''[[Brazil (film)|Brazil]]'' and the ensuing [[Executive Meddling]]. The rest would have certainly thrown in the towel after ''The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'' collapsed. Not Mr. Gilliam.
* [[The Dung Ages]]: Along with the other Pythons, popularized the trope with ''[[Monty Python and
* [[Executive Meddling]]: Boy howdy!
* [[Grimmification]]: ''[[The Brothers Grimm (film)|The Brothers Grimm]]''
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