Tonight at 5 PM (Los Angeles time), TCM is showing Brazil -- directed by Terry Gilliam, and starring Jonathan Pryce, with Robert DeNiro, Michael Pain, Bob Hoskins and others in supporting roles.  Written by Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown. It's a unique film -- which won Best Picture by the Los Angeles Critics Association for 1985.

But I bring this up for another reason.  It gives me a good reason to repeat an article I wrote almost a decade ago about a tremendous documentary on the making of the film by a good friend Rob Hedden, who I've mentioned here often, not just for his artistic talents, but also occasionally for his great love of squirrels -- which, in some ways, explains why the documentary is so wonderful.  And I've embedded the 30-minute film below.

And as biased as I am, the documentary is great.  Which isn't just my word for it.  But as the article notes, it too won awards -- winning both a CINE Award and a CINDY Award (Cinema in Industry), and was selected for exhibition at the Smithsonian.  So there!  I can't begin to tell you how unprecedented this is for a "Making of..." promotional documentary produced by a movie studio.  But that's how fun, offbeat, interesting and terrifically made it is.

                                           What is What is Brazil?
                                               January 31, 2016

Back in 1985, Universal Studios released the offbeat film Brazil which starred Jonathan Pryce (who six years later came to fame winning the Tony Award as Best Actor in a Musical for Miss Saigon) with Michael Palin and Robert DeNiro in supporting roles, along with Bob Hoskins and Ian Holm -- the latter to play Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings films.  It was directed by Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame, who co-wrote the screenplay with the estimable Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown.

It was a somewhat controversial film for the studio, in part because of the length which they wanted trimmed, and in part because of the title, which they found inexplicable.  I was working at the studio at the time, as an assistant production executive to the studio president Bob Rehme.  During the controversy, I had a chance meeting with Terry Gilliam who, though I know he was a demanding fellow and could be very difficult (which doesn't inherently mean he was wrong) endeared himself to me with our exchange.

I had to go up to Bob Rehme's office on a business matter, and Terry Gilliam was there waiting for a meeting with the studio head, standing outside for Rehme's preceding meeting, which was running long, to end.  Gilliam and I chatted a bit, but eventually it got around to the film's title, which I think was one of the points he was there to discuss.  I commented that I knew the studio wasn't crazy about the title, and Gilliam defended it by noting, among other things, "That DeNiro likes it," which seemed to be the point that proved it all.

I knew that one should walk carefully on egg shells with any filmmaker, and with Terry Gilliam in particular, but the conversation was personable enough, so I took a gamble (and in retrospect a huge gamble) and quipped, referring to the just-named actor -- making sure to have a smile on my face -- "But then he's a guy who put on 40 pounds for a movie role and banged his head repeatedly into a brick wall."

Needless-to-say, I wasn't sure how Gilliam would react, and there was a few-seconds pause.  And then a big smile broke out across his face, and he replied, "Well, yes, but I think that's the target audience for this movie."

I'm sure that if I ever got into an argument with Terry Gilliam, it would be rough.  But how could I not have fond memories of the guy for that?!

The title issue got settled for absolute certain when the movie won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Picture.  And Gilliam won for Best Director.  When a movie wins prestigious awards like that, you don't throw away the PR and change the name.  And so Brazil it stayed.

As it happens, a good friend of mine, Rob Hedden (who I've mentioned in this pages) had been hired to make a documentary about the making-of Brazil.  Rob is a wonderful screenwriter and director (who co-wrote the film Clockstoppers, was on the writing staff of McGyver and many other series, and has directed several feature films and half a dozen TV movies -- including, Any Place But Home, written by my pal, the oft-mentioned here Bart Baker.)  But this documentary came at the beginning of Rob's filmmaking career.

During the filming of Brazil, Rob and his wife Jan had flown over to England for several months -- a joy for me, because it gave me a place to stay when I went there for a brief vacation -- and were given extensive access to the movie production and actors.  Though the resulting 30-minute documentary was done for the studio and to help promote the feature film, it was a wonderful little film in its own right, more off-beat than most such "behind-the-scene" documentaries.  Not just showing How Wonderful it all is, but touching occasionally on problems and points of contention (though it was completed before the later studio battles).  And loaded with clips from the finished-movie.  It is terrifically crafted and with a quirky sense of humor -- starting with its own title and point of documentary:  what in the world is the feature film about and what on earth does the title mean??  And it has fun with participants at a loss -- including the two screenwriters and Gilliam himself -- attempting to explain.  Michael Palin makes a noble try, by calling it a "Viking musical."

(Palin is a special joy in the documentary, and according to Rob every bit as nice and supportive as his reputation.  Getting actors to sit down and being interviewed for documentaries is always a challenge.  Michael Palin however threw himself into it wholeheartedly and rather than do the traditional sit-down, actually played around with doing his interview as as a collection of skits and as characters, all the while making suggestions to help as much as he could.  I saw the raw footage, and there is a lot of material of Michael Palin that got cut which is so funny it could have made a hilarious comedy all on his own, as he made up these little sketches, but alas not everything ultimately just fit the final version.  And as if that wasn't enough, during the break in filming at his home he made the documentary film crew lunch.)

And by the way, just to prove that this isn't a friend saying how terrific something is when it really isn't -- the documentary really is that fun.  Indeed, the fact that it won both a CINE Award and a CINDY Award (Cinema in Industry, created 57 years ago), and was officially selected for exhibition at the Smithsonian is my evidence, your Honor.  The defense rests.

So, here is that documentary.  What is Brazil? it asks.  And to its humorous credit -- it never quite answers.
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Originally, I was going to post this because it’s Julie Andrews early in her career, appearing on The Garry Moore Show (which is likely where she met and became friends with Carol Burnett.)  It’s in 1961, when she was about 25 and had just starred in Camelot.  I liked the video because she sings one of my favorite Jerome Kern-Johnny Mercer songs, “I’m Old-Fashioned” – and just is sublime. 
 
However, it was when she finishes, and host Garry Moore comes on stage that convinced me to post this without question.  They don’t even perform anything together, though.  Just sit and chat on stools for a few minutes, that’s all.  But what they talk about --- what a find!  I don’t want to give any of the specifics away, but I’ll just say they do a quaint little comedy-bit talking about how Hollywood casts movies of Broadway shows.  And whatever you’re thinking, this transcends that.  Most especially remembering that this is 1961.  There’s a few moments you almost want to sit up and go, “Yipes!”

On this week’s episode of 3rd & Fairfax, the official podcast of the Writers Guild of America, the guests are  screenwriter-director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3, The Last Action Hero) and co-screenwriters Charles Mondry (Road House)  and Anthony Bagarozzi (Road House, The Nice Guys) who talk about collaborating on their new action crime thriller Play Dirty, adapting it from Parker book series, and more.

On this week’s Naked Lunch podcast, co-hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild’s guest is Pete Hammond -- Deadline's Awards Columnist/Chief Film Critic -- to "Lunch" at Phil's house to celebrate, as the show writes “the remarkable life and career of Robert Redford, the iconic actor, Academy Award-winning director and Sundance founder. They also discuss other breaking film news -- including Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed "One Battle After Another" -- as well as Pete's long career in Hollywood.” 

​Over the past few days, Trump has added several large, new tariffs -- including ones on big trucks, upholstered furniture (yes, really), cabinetry (yes, really) and drugs.  Because...oh, I don't know, to make kitchens great again, or something.

And then yesterday, Trump added one more.  On movies made in foreign countries.  I'll let him explain, because I don't have the heart to speak for him on this one.  (Note: The yellow highlighting was put in by them third-party person who posted this, not Trump.)

Trump hinted at this months ago -- and him actually finally getting around to doing it is not less ludicrous and ignorant about moviemaking now than it was then.

And it's very ludicrous and incredibly ignorant about moviemaking -- and on so many levels.  And just to explain that this is not hyperbole, yesterday I got calls from two friends who are filmmakers, and both asked, "Can you explain what's the point of these tariffs??  Because I don't understand."  To which I answered, no, because there is no point to them.  "I ask," they each said, "because that's not Hollywood works."  I know, I replied, that's what my article for tomorrow is is about.  And then they kept describing all the things that don't make sense to them.  To which I replied -- again -- that's what's in my article.

For a very basic starting point on what's so ludicrous and ignorant about how moviemaking works in this tariff, from what Trump says here -- because he says very clearly that this is about "all movies that are made outside the United States" -- the tariffs will include foreign movies made by foreign filmmakers shot overseas in their foreign home countries that aren't stealing anything from America.  Nothing, zero.  And that makes absolutely no sense.  (Furthermore, if that's just a slip of the tongue and he doesn't mean those foreign-made movies, then it's even more loony since Trump is then giving an advantage to foreign filmmakers over Americans.)
 
But back to the very basic starting point, here's just one recent example why this is ludicrous and ignorant.  There are, oh..., a great many thousands others.
 
Two weeks ago, I watched the movie Hytti Nro 6 (Compartment No. 6), a production from Finland that won the Cannes Grand Prix award.  The story of film is “A Finnish student and an uncouth miner slowly forge a hesitant connection when they throw together in cramped train quarters on a journey across Russia.”
 
I can assure you with almost near-certainty that if Finland filmmakers hadn’t make the movie, no one in the Hollywood, or anywhere in the United States would have.  In fact, it’s possible that if you had suggested it, you might have been laughed out of the studio executive’s office, after which he would have told his secretary, “If you let that person back in my office ever again, you’re fired.”  Zero American jobs were lost because of Compartment No. 6.  Going further, I suspect every year at the Oscars, when the Best International Film category comes up, tens of millions of Americans watching the broadcast are thinking, “Why do they even have this category??  I’ve never heard of these movies.  And I will never watch them.  I hate foreign films.  It’s people sitting around in berets smoking cigarettes and pausing in silence for minutes on end."  And these are the best of the foreign-language films.  (And no, that’s not what foreign films are.  The best of them especially are often remarkable.  But still Hollywood wouldn’t make most of them.)  Occasionally, Hollywood does remake a great foreign film – though when they do, it’s make here in the Good Old U.S. of A, with Good Ol' Amurican actors and crews.
 
And as I noted, there are mountains of other examples.

For that matter, if a U.S.-financed movie is shot overseas, yes, the jobs on that film will mostly be foreign -- but the revenue made will go to the U.S. company, on which it will pay taxes.  Moreover, many, if not most, movies today have co-production deals with foreign companies for the overseas market.  Those (even though filmed in the U.S.) are not "made" outside of the U.S. -- but some of the revenue goes outside the country.
 
But this isn’t even the main stupidity and ignorance of Trump's 100% tariff.
 
The U.S. film and television industry -- from global box office, licensing, home video, and streaming services -- is one of the biggest international revenue industries in the United States.  From international box office alone, its revenues are around $34 billion.  It’s actually doing really well. No one is stealing anything from Hollywood.  The concept is laughable.  If anything, it’s long been the very opposite.
 
But further, if a U.S. studio has a story about romance in Paris or exploring 19th century Brazil, or ancient Roman ruins, where does Trump expect it to be made? Pacoima?  Also, yes, California has lost some productions, but they have gone to other U.S. states offering major tax concessions, not to Europe!  They're still in the United States!  (In fact, within the past month, California just passed a state law to provide tax breaks in order to combat what’s known as “runaway productions”.  That’s what was needed – not tariffs, for higher taxes on American consumers. 
 
And even more, the most ignorant thing about putting tariffs on movies made overseas, is that it’s far more likely to devastate movie theaters in the U.S. than studios. Studios don’t rely on U.S. movie theaters – and that was true long before COVID upended how people watch movies with streaming.  In fact, studios don’t even necessarily rely on the U.S. for revenue – as hugely important as the U.S., of course, is.  But the world market is 2-3 times bigger than the U.S. market. 
 
Oppenheimer made a massive $330 million in the U.S.  Overseas, it made $645 million.
 
Avator grossed an ungodly $785 million in the U.S.  Internationally, it made $2.1 billion.
 
(Its 2022 sequel made $684 in the U.S. Around the rest of the world, it took in $1.6 billion.
 
Barbie made $636 million in the U.S.  Overseas , it made $811 million.
 
You get the point.  Although, no, you probably don’t.  Because most people in Hollywood don’t really get it.  Here’s what I mean.
 
When they made Bridget Jones Diary, it grossed $71 million in the U.S.  But the sequel, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, was considered a big flop by Hollywood experts, only making a paltry $40 million here.  But if you’re wondering why they’ve made two other Bridget Jones movies – that’s because that Edge of Reason sequel gross $224 million internationally!!
 
Or better still – the sequel to the hit comedy Johnny English with Rowan Atkinson was called Johnny English Reborn.  And it only took in a threadbare $8 million in U.S.  It wasn’t just considered a flop by Hollywood so-called experts, but a massive disaster.  However, around the rest of the world, it made – are you ready? -- $151 million!!!  That’s why there was a third Johny English film.  (Alas, it made a microscopic $4 million in the U.S.  Although – and yes, you may have figured this was coming if  you’ve figured the point out by now – it made an additional $154 million overseas.
 
So, yes, Hollywood loves the U.S. market.  It's huge.  Important.  Very important.  But as a core, overriding, foundational principle, no, it doesn’t need it.  The world market is 2-3 times bigger, sometimes much more. That's something most people, including Trump, haven’t grasped.  It's U.S. movie theaters who need it.  
 
Though, putting aside how ignorant this is on moviemaking --  I'm not sure what Trump is putting a tariff on.  When a film is made overseas and the footage is "brought" into the U.S., does Trump think that product – the raw stock footage, or the digital content -- is then “sold” to Americans???  Of course it isn’t.  A copy is shown in theaters for the public to watch, or its streamed into homes.  They don’t even make DVDs to sell anymore.
 
For that matter, for all I know, films could be streamed from Europe without even going through Customs.
 
But there’s Trump, trying to pretend he’s an expert on everything, this time on Hollywood and moviemaking.  Not beginning to understand it, not understanding how really well it’s doing for the United States and much revenue it brings into the country.  Not understanding what “runaway productions” really are – nor understanding that taxes were just lowered to address the problem.
 
I was asked by someone what in the world the point was to put tariffs on movies made overseas.
 
There is none.  Because this action is so ludicrous that it borders on insane.  The closest I could figure is that it’s Trump’s dementia.  His existing tariffs have been horrible for the economy already, and haven’t even seriously kicked in yet.  And then he’s started to pour out more tariffs – and then added even more, on big trucks, upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinetry, and drugs.  And now…movies made overseas???!  Tariffs are all his dementia obsessed mind can focus on.  So, it keeps repeating, and we get more and more and more.  And it will get worse because dementia is degenerative.  And there’s no one he’s put around him who is competent to help him – if they even wanted to, at risk of losing their jobs.
 
And this is not just about Trump.  It’s about the MAGOPs in Congress who enable and support him.  And are unwilling to vote to stop Trump’s declare “emergency” and take back their Constitutionally mandated authority as the only branch of government who can create tariffs.

When Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89 last week, it of course got covered.  But I was surprised by how perfunctory it was handled.  Sort of, “And in other news…”  It was almost a throwaway final story on Jen Psaki’s show, for instance.  But…but this was Robert Redford, for goodness sake.  Probably one of the most influential filmmakers in movie history.  Not just the major, high-quality films as an actor, but as a producer, as an Oscar-winning director, but also – the founder of the Sundance Film Festival.  And its offshoot, the Sundance Channel.  NBC, to their great credit, did air an hour special, which was very well done.  But everything else was pretty limited, considering the subject

So, it was a pleasure see Ethan Hawke last night when he guested on Jimmy Kimmel Live!  Almost right away, rather than talk about his new TV series, Lowdown, that he was there to promote, he said he wanted to talk about Robert Redford -- and how meaning he was not only to film, but to his life.  And that's all he talked about for his first segment, up to the commercial break.  All the better, the stories were "behind-the-scenes" material one wouldn't otherwise know, insightful, touching and often funny.

So, I felt it only proper to pass it along here.
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