Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Time Bandits (1981)

Director: Terry Gilliam

Writers: Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam

Composer: Mike Moran

Starring: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Ralph Richardson, Peter Vaughan, David Warner, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis, Tiny Ross, Craigh Warnock, David Daker, Sheila Fearn, Jim Broadbent

More info: IMDb

Tagline: All the dreams you've ever had and not just the good ones

Plot: A young boy accidentally joins a band of dwarves as they jump from time-period to time-period looking for treasure to steal.



My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

I expect this picture is a lot more fun for those of us who grew up with it.  I was barely in High school when I discovered Monty Python in 1984 and after that I was voraciously hungry for anything and everything any of the Python boys did.  That was probably around the time this film might have been on HBO where I first saw it.  The cast as fantastic.  Seeing  Cleese, Connery, Palin and especially David Warner in a fun fantasy like this is nothing short of a treat.  Rappaport as the kid, Randall, is great, too, along with his companions in time, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Jack Purvis and Tiny Ross.  I love the different worlds we get to visit.  Gilliam would later revisit this structure with the even more wonderful, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1988).  I just love Gilliam's sets and special effects.  He's a wizard injecting his movies with magic and fun.  This is escapism. Sure, it drags from time to time but you're transported back in time along with this band of thieves but it's worth it. 

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