American writer and director Terry Gilliam kept the audience on the edge of his seat throughout his masterclass at the Lumiere Film Festival, where he presented a restored version of his 1995 cult film 12 Monkeys.
The former Monty Python alum, whose directing career began with the 1975 satirical comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, said that while he tended to approach difficult topics, he learned the secret to success from Mary Poppins.
“She taught me that sugar helps the medicine work,” he joked, to the delight of the crowd.
On a more serious note, Gilliam said his main goal as a director was to “make films that make you look at the world differently.”
Dismissing the media’s way of presenting reality, which he called “too limited,” Gilliam said it could be “more exciting, quirky and surprising.”
“However, I don’t make science fiction films because that doesn’t interest me. I’m interested in this battle, the tension between imagination and reality. The most important of our senses is not hearing, touch or taste, but a sense of humor. We live in an absurd world – as a species we are quite absurd – and if we can’t laugh at ourselves, I don’t see the point of living,” he told the crowd in Lyon.
Speaking about the making of 12 Monkeys and the remarkable performances of the lead actors, Gilliam explained that part of the film’s success was due to the fact that it gave Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt roles that were completely different from what they were used to playing. casting Willis as introverted prisoner James Cole and Pitt as mentally ill, psychotic Jeffrey Goines.
“Brad trained incredibly hard for the role – he went to psychiatric wards, visited mental hospitals… and on the first day of filming he exploded on set! It was fascinating, how funny he was, how strange, how psychotic, it was incredible! So at the end of the day, Bruce gave one of the best performances of his life, and so did Brad,” Gilliam said.
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In response to moderator Didier Allouche’s suggestion that films like Life of Brian or The Meaning of Life should no longer be made today, Gilliam expressed doubt, saying he had never lived through a time when people were so easily offended.
“The problem is that you don’t think we can do it now – and you might be right, but I’m happy to keep doing it and see what happens. People now self-censor themselves so much: you can’t say this, you can’t think like that – but who tells you to do or think like that? Nobody does this there, you do it to yourself – stop!” he claimed.
Although he was unusually coy about Apple TV’s upcoming adaptation of his 1981 hit Time Bandits—”Shhh, I can’t say anything”—Gilliam did share an anecdote about the original film.
“A couple of years after this success, representatives from Warner Bros. came to me. and they said, “We’d like you to make three mobster movies, and they were offering me millions of dollars.” They said, “We love the movie, but there’s just one caveat: no dwarfs.” My response was: “Fuck off!” Gilliam exclaimed, blowing a loud crimson trumpet that became a running joke throughout the workshop.
Gilliam has openly acknowledged his contentious relationship with Hollywood – citing a battle with Universal over the final cut of the cult sci-fi comedy Brazil in 1985 – and attributed his confidence to his years with the Pythons.
“That happy experience of being in Monty Python and being successful at what we thought was the best thing we could do, gives you a certain sense of arrogance, confidence, and you don’t want to give it up,” he smiled. before continuing: “My problem with Hollywood is that there are a lot of smart people who are paid very big money to be executives and make adult decisions.
“They are very scared because they don’t want to lose their jobs. And I don’t like it when my films – or anyone else’s films – are judged by scared people. I want people to be confident and inspired and feel those emotions.”
In keeping with the festival’s tradition of filmmakers presenting their own films whenever possible, Gilliam presented the restoration of 12 Monkeys at no fewer than three showings in Lyon, often staying at the start “to check the sound.”
12 Monkeys has been restored in 4K by Arrow Films and NBC Universal, led by Gilliam, and is scheduled for a November 8 DVD and theatrical release by Parisian distributor L’Atelier d’images.
The Lumière Film Festival will run in Lyon until October 22.