Terry Gilliam On The Most Sublime Shot Of His Whole Career

[Brendon Connelly]

Still promoting his beautiful short film The Wholly Family, which will hopefully be available for purchase very soon, Terry Gilliam has submitted to a Q&A about his career and artistic process with The 99%.

That's as in "99 percent perspiration" not, you know, the wealth gap.

Now, I'll leave 99% of the article alone at the source (okay, more like 96%, but anyway) but here's Gilliam on his favourite shot in all of his films:

Actually, the most sublime shot, there is one. It's in Baron Munchausen. There's a scene where they go to the moon, and there's this big storm and then suddenly we cut to what looks like a starscape. And then the little boat comes in, but it's upside-down, it's the wrong way around, and then the stars disappear and become sand. It was all done in one shot, which I knew what I was trying to do. But it wasn't until we actually turned the film and pulled that, and we did the light change, and I actually went "ohhhhhh, that's fantastic." And that was one of those moments that all the planning wasn't as good as the final result. The final result was a quantum leap. Those are nice moments.

This shot is more than a nice moment, it's one of the most incredible things in all of cinema.

There's no online version, that I can see, that does the shot justice at all. I recommend, of course, the Blu-ray. Both the US and UK versions are region free, and nicely priced.

[Ian Coke]

Still promoting his beautiful short film The Wholly Family, which will hopefully be available for purchase very soon, Terry Gilliam has submitted to a Q&A about his career and artistic process with The 99%.

That's as in "99 percent perspiration" not, you know, the wealth gap.

Now, I'll leave 99% of the article alone at the source (okay, more like 96%, but anyway) but here's Gilliam on his favourite shot in all of his films:

Actually, the most sublime shot, there is one. It's in Baron Munchausen. There's a scene where they go to the moon, and there's this big storm and then suddenly we cut to what looks like a starscape. And then the little boat comes in, but it's upside-down, it's the wrong way around, and then the stars disappear and become sand. It was all done in one shot, which I knew what I was trying to do. But it wasn't until we actually turned the film and pulled that, and we did the light change, and I actually went "ohhhhhh, that's fantastic." And that was one of those moments that all the planning wasn't as good as the final result. The final result was a quantum leap. Those are nice moments.

This shot is more than a nice moment, it's one of the most incredible things in all of cinema.

There's no online version, that I can see, that does the shot justice at all. I recommend, of course, the Blu-ray. Both the US and UK versions are region free, and nicely priced.

What does Blu-ray involve? It seems expensive, and a pain in the arse.

It's ... a bit irritating, to be constantly told that because you haven't watched this or that movie on whatever the new home entertainment format is, you haven't really seen it. What's wrong with just going to the cinema, if you care that much about the director's intentions?

[Harley Quinn Romance]

What's wrong with just going to the cinema

You're then at the mercy of a local cinema actually choosing to show the film.

[brou]

Any news about what Gilliam might potentially direct in the coming months/years ?

[The Xenos]

I should get that and a few other Gilliam films on blu ray. Haven't seen it since I was a kid and sublime is certainly a word for it.

[Joe Kalicki]

Munchausen is my favorite non-Python Gilliam, but God does every second with Robin Williams on screen suck.

[Brendon Connelly]

What does Blu-ray involve? It seems expensive, and a pain in the arse.

It's ... a bit irritating, to be constantly told that because you haven't watched this or that movie on whatever the new home entertainment format is, you haven't really seen it. What's wrong with just going to the cinema, if you care that much about the director's intentions?

I do go to the cinema. All of the time - almost literally ALL of the time. But you'd be hard pressed to find a screening of Munchausen in the cinema any time soon.

Blu-ray is a HD format offering a very high definition, progressive image at the same frame rate as the film was filmed in. It's really a wonderful way to see films at home - there's been no better.