time bandits

THE FLICK: There are very few auteurs still working at the top of their game. Spielberg sold out. Scorsece has lost his edge. Even indies like Cronenberg and Lynch are only intermittently engaging. Yet maverick moviemaker Terry Gilliam continues to deliver fantastically challenging films full of comic genius and visual bravado. And “Time Bandits” is where it all started. After co-directing “Monty Python & The Holy Grail” (as well as the solo project, “Jabberwocky”), Gilliam came into his own with this imaginative take on the standard time travel story. Young Kevin (Craig Warock) is kidnapped by a gang of squabbling dwarves who drag him from one famous historical locale to another. Using a stolen “map of the known universe,” they loot from the likes of Napoleon (Ian Holm), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) and Robin Hood (John Cleese). Pursued by the “Supreme Being” (Ralph Richardson), the wacky group eventually becomes prisoners of “Evil” (David Warner) and must defeat him to save themselves and the world. Gilliam’s self-professed goal was to make a film “intelligent enough for kids and exciting for adults.” And like his later work, there’s a glorious sense of chaos inherent in every frame. Each sequence is loaded with sight gags, bizarre props and rapid-fire dialogue – so much so that the initial viewing is almost a sensory overload. Jumping from “Python-esque” comedy (such as Cleese’s smarmy Robin Hood) to extensions of Gilliam’s own animation roots (witness the giant who wears a working warship for a hat), “Time Bandits” is a twisted children’s bedtime story; innocent and subtly subversive at the same time. There are elements of Gilliam’s more mature films here, as well. And equally as enjoyable as the juvenile lunacy of the story itself is spotting the seeds of “Brazil” and “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” that were obviously rattling around in the director’s brain. THE FEATURES: The third incarnation to hit DVD (a Criterion Collection release and earlier Anchor Bay version still pop up from time to time), “Time Bandits” finally sees a blemish free anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital EX remastered sound. This two-disc special edition from Anchor Bay also adds the hour-long “Directors” special featuring Gilliam, clips from his films (up to “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) and comments from collaborators like Brad Pitt, Shelley Duvall and Madeline Stowe. Gilliam is very forthcoming (as usual) about his career, and comes clean about his frustrations (directing the Pythons, in particular) and early struggles to rise above the goofy animator label. Slightly more current is a 30-minute sit down with Gilliam and Michael Palin that speak specifically about “Time Bandits.” As a co-writer, Palin admits his likes and dislikes relating to the film. And together the two hit on some of the more memorable aspects of the movie’s financing (ex-Beatle George Harrison put up the money) and production anecdotes (casting Sean Connery was a lucky break, even though they wrote him into the script). Two trailers (both so alarmingly bad it’s a wonder the film made any money!), a Gilliam bio and the complete script on DVD-ROM go along with liner notes and a fold-out novelty “map of the universe.” The question for those who already own a version of the film on DVD remains, “Is this an upgrade?” Transfer wise, absolutely. Although the “Directors” segment is a great extra (particularly in regards to Gilliam’s early post-Python career), it would have been nice to see the commentary from the Criterion DVD tacked on, as well. Still, if you’re looking for the best presentation of “Time Bandits” to date, this is it! FINAL SCORE: Like the best of Gilliam’s work, “Time Bandits” exists completely within the director’s imagination. And watching the film is an out-of-body experience – dangerously unpredictable but addictively exhilarating.