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brazil film analysis
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Terry Gilliam’s dystopian film, Brazil (1985), lays out a visually stunning and ultimately sinister depiction of a future society hounded by an oppressive government’s desire for absolute control over the population. Of elementary focus in the film are the roles of technology and the subsequent dehumanization of the modern world and the myth of the “free man” under a totalitarian regime. Gilliam shows our current obsession with technology and information as an exasperating evolution of modernity that is, ultimately, leading us nowhere. Repeatedly, we see the shortcomings of a society that is overly reliant upon systematic response (as displayed by the constant demands for paperwork) and completely lacking in individualism and expression (as shown by the massive, colorless, unadorned structures that compose this future world.) While Gilliam’s film never really resolves any of these issues, his examination of them is thorough enough to merit further discussion.
Gilliam portrays technology throughout the film as a comical arrangement of Rube Goldberg devices; while everyone relies on it, is ultimately nothing more than a nuisance. Of immediate notice is the ductwork, streaming awkwardly through peoples homes and workspaces, imparting a distinctly industrial mood to every scene. It is a prime example of modern technology carried to absurd length. It causes trouble multiple times during the film, from the overheating and subsequent hyper-cooling of the protagonist’s (Sam Lowry’s) apartment to the bursting forth of documents at his workplace from a clogged tube. These breakdowns result in more inconvenience as bumbling public-works employees arrive causing further destruction of the ductwork and requiring frivolous filing of paperwork...
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...an regime. This, however, proves to be one final hallucination that pushes Lowry to the point where he is catatonic. In a society of such tight regulation and surveillance, the ‘free man’ is simply a myth and the only ‘freedom’ attainable is that offered by their own delusions.
Brazil creates and examines a world where certain current trends, such as technology, surveillance, and regulation, have been extended to absurd extremes. Perhaps Gilliam is attempting to give a wag of the finger to modern society, begging us to be wary of our desires for ‘progress’ and to value our freedom and hang on to it at any cost. He suggests that our world may be headed for a fate similar to that of Sisyphus, doomed forever to push the rock of technology up the hill simply so that it may roll back upon us. We must be careful not to trap ourselves within our own rules and regulations.
While researching for a book on the making of and feud over the American release of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, author Jack Mathews read virtually every review of the film printed in the United States and found that very few failed to refer to the film as "futuristic" or "Orwellian." "The comparisons are understandable, if inaccurate," says Mathews, "There isn't a futuristic element in Brazil. The story is Orwellian, in the sense that it is set in a totalitarian state where individuality is smothered by enforced conformity. But where George Orwell...was envisioning a future ruled by fascism and technology, Gilliam was satirizing the bureaucratic, largely dysfunctional industrial world that had been driving him crazy all his life"(Mathews). Terry Gilliam's Brazil, made in 1985, at first glance, seems much like Michael Radford's film version of George Orwell's 1984, made in 1984, in its setting and story. However, upon further examination of the two films, there are differences in style and tone that distance them from each other. 1984 is dark and gloomy from beginning to end while Brazil, though still dark, has a much lighter atmosphere. The love stories presented in both films are unmistakably similar and make the plots seem closer to each other, but this is the only strong link they share, for differences in tone distance the films from each other. Because of its dark humor, Brazil is a satire of the very society in which the story takes place, while 1984, though also a satire, lacks any humor whatsoever and is more of a horror story of a society that might await mankind.
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
Destruction of individuality is an idea both authors explore to expose the broad social wrong of an oppressive society. Both Orwell and Niccol use their protagonists to demonstrate how dictatorial governments that destroy any semblance of individuality are inherently wrong. Orwell uses third person narration, which directly follows his protagonist as he fights to maintain his individuality in a society driven to eliminate the capability of “love, or friendship, or joy of living” by making him “hollow”. By employing the use third person narration Orwell portrays to the reader that even an individual with powerful intent to remain different can be broken down and made to believe that “2+2 = 5”. Similarly, Niccol uses extreme close up shots focusing on Vincent’s cleaning process and the motif of constant DNA checks to reinforce how authoritarian societies can demolish all sense of individuality. Vincent, an “in-valid” must take extreme measures to overcome the prejudices of soc...
Throughout the world, failures seem to occur all around. Whether it be in the form of losing oneself or losing the people around the individual, many failures commonly occurs with the accumulation of power. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a low-ranking government official under the oppressive reign of his leaders, Big Brother. He is just one example of the many characters in written works that will eventually be defeated in one way or another. In British literature, it has become evident that characters affected by tyrannies have ultimately experienced loneliness, paranoia, and defeat.
Technology is the application of scientific knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment. It concerns itself with such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science and pure science and is utilized for practical purposes. Though technology offers a variety of gadgets that work to the advance of humanity, it can also harm society extensively by dispersing a certain degree of power to individuals that can be abused. In his essay, Neil Postman, a social critic contrasts the proposed future of George Orwell's in his novel 1984 (1948) with that of Aldous Huxley in Brave New World (1932). Postman maintains that Huxley's vision of the future is more pertinent to today's society than Orwell's mostly because the themes that he includes in his dystopian society are present and are very similar to those in Brave New World. Overall, it is safe to say that Huxley’s vision of the future is an indulgent one and is one that today’s society is prone to experience because of the increasing dependency on technology.
Society has made many vast advances over the past 50 years. Technology is one of the biggest industries that has made the most dramatic changes. Everyone loves new technology, so much that it almost takes over his or her lives. Ray Bradbury is a sci-fi author that seemed to have predicted the future of society and technology in his short stories. In most of his short stories, however, he criticizes what technology can become, and recognizes the problematic effects that can come with too much technology. Through Ray Bradbury’s short stories, he makes it apparent that his concerns with technology and modern day society are that technology has the ability to isolate people, advancing too fast can have catastrophic consequences and society could
Imagine a society in which its citizens have forfeited all personal liberties for government protection and stability; Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, explores a civilization in which this hypothetical has become reality. The inevitable trade-off of citizens’ freedoms for government protection traditionally follows periods of war and terror. The voluntary degradation of the citizens’ rights begins with small, benign steps to full, totalitarian control. Major methods for government control and censorship are political, religious, economic, and moral avenues. Huxley’s Brave New World provides a prophetic glimpse of government censorship and control through technology; the citizens of the World State mimic those of the real world by trading their personal liberties for safety and stability, suggesting that a society similar to Huxley’s could exist outside the realm of dystopian science fiction.
Today there are strong debates and questions about the extraordinary breakthroughs in science such as cloning, in communications through the Internet with its never ending pool of knowledge, and the increasing level of immersion in entertainment. People facing the 21st century are trying to determine whether these new realities of life will enhance it and bring life as they know it to a great unprecedented level, or if these new products will contribute and perhaps even cause the destruction of society and life. To many cloning, censoring, and total immersion entertainment are new, but to those who have read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the topics are reminiscent of the horror that is found in Huxley's fictional utopian world where the dehumanizing of man is achieved in the interests of "Community, Identity, Stability," the world state's motto.
1984, by George Orwell, depicts the psychological progression of Winston Smith, a rebellious citizen among an oppressive government. In such a government, each ministry deals with the polar opposite of its namesake, stupidity is as necessary as intellect, and Big Brother is always watching. Conformity is not the ultimate goal of the Party. It is a side effect of Two Minutes Hate, relentless torture, and a lack of meaningful relationships aside from the love of Big Brother. Orwell so vividly illustrates the crushing brutality of the Party in order to warn the reader that an absolute government with the power to drive a citizen to his or her breaking point will inevitably destroy the core of human drive and independence. Those with the power to exploit personal fears and control levels of commitment through torture can crush anyone, for “in the face of pain, there are no heroes” (Orwell 213).
de la Garza, Alejandro. "From utopia to dystopia: technology, society and what we can do about
As a child develops into an adult there are critical developmental steps that are necessary for a complete and successful transition. The physical transition is the most obvious change, but underneath the thick skin and amongst the complex systems, exists another layer of transitions. Ideas, rationales, ideologies and beliefs all dwell within this layer of each being. It could be said that a nation can also fit this transitional framework. A nation grows in both size (wealth, population, power), and in ideological maturity (emancipation of slaves, civil rights, women’s rights…etc). This constant evolution of ideas and size is the foundation of a successful government. Without change and growth, the system currently in effect will grow stagnant and inevitably harmful to the public. The United States encourages an “American Dream”. Deeply rooted within the capitalistic, republican values of the nation, the American Dream has been pursued by generations. The concept is simple: to attain one’s stake, your slice of the pie, all that is required is good old fashioned hard work. There is no room in the American Dream to question authority or pursue truth. Of course, one must not think of the activity that hums quietly in the background, that’s just government protecting you and your interests. Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam, is a film that brings into light often hidden aspects of the American Dream, exposing the bold contradictions that turn the greatest symbol of personal drive into a hauntingly apparent contradiction. The film succeeds in pulling the fallacies of establishment out of the murky soup of facades, and in conveying them using the perverse decomposition of the character ...
David R. Morrow stated in his article, When Technologies Makes Good People Do Bad Things: Another Argument Against the Value-Neutrality of Technologies, “the use or invention of technology is not wrong it is the users who have ‘‘vicious’’ or condemnable preferences that will affect the outcome.” Orwell used technology in a way that many people of that time would never have imagined possible and created a fear of the future for his readers. How could a man, who was unaware of what the future would hold, be so acute and on point with how the world would be today? In his last interview Orwell said, “Always there will be the intoxication of power and always and every moment there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on the enemy who is helpless.” Orwell tried to warn people not of the technology but of the danger technology might cause in the future if it landed in the wrong hands. In this paper, I will be exploring how the world of technology mimics that of Winston’s world and how “privacy” has lost its meaning due to technology just like in 1984 but the biggest issue I will research is why do we allow it the government to monitor our
The social construct of humanity is a very delicate and complex piece of art. The creators of this construct are the ever-growing force of technology and its consequences, which manipulate the human race. “Alone Together”, by Sherry Turkle, tackles the authenticity of human interactions by using technology and whether the consequences have debilitated mankind to socialize amongst themselves without technology. As the creators of their destiny, however, humans have a tendency to deconstruct what is before them and in its place create a new world, which holds infinite possibilities. If technology is the architect of human intimacies then humans are the builders of their own universes, and the consequences are not due to the change of technology
In summary, both the article and the novel critique the public’s reliance on technology. This topic is relevant today because Feed because it may be how frightening the future society may look like.
Nevertheless, many fears to technological advancement have been expressed similarly to that of their predecessors by the ‘Neo-Luddites’ of today (Stewart 1996, p.13). A prime advocate, author of The End of Work and US economist, Jeremy Rifkin asserts that technology is a ‘revolution’ which has taken over the world, posing a significant restructuring of the workforce and quality of life (Wyndham 1997, p.