Sam Lowry is a harried technocrat in a futuristic society that is needlessly convoluted and inefficient. He dreams of a life where he can fly away from technology and overpowering bureaucracy, and spend eternity with the woman of his dreams. While trying to rectify the wrongful arrest of one Harry Buttle, Lowry meets the woman he is always chasing in his dreams, Jill Layton. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy has fingered him responsible for a rash of terrorist bombings, and both Sam and Jill's lives are put in danger.
Written by Philip Brubaker <coda@nando.net>
The dream scenes were initially meant to form just one long sequence in the middle of the film, but technical difficulties made this impossible. The most important part of the dream sequence was intended to be a scene where Sam flies over a field of eyes, which then start slowly moving to follow his descent on a pillar. The eyes were made of snooker balls with false irises added; the eye symbol is also seen in other Terry Gilliam films including
Twelve Monkeys. The decision was later made to split the remaining dream scenes to fill the "empty" spaces between chapters.
See more »
Goofs
Continuity:
When Harry Tuttle escapes from Sam Lowry's flat, he is wearing a hood covering his head. When Harry starts to zip-line off the precipice, he is replaced by a stunt double wearing a baseball cap.
See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Singers:
[TV commercial jingle]
Central Services: We do the work, you do the pleasure. TV commercial pitchman:
Hi, there. I want to talk to you about ducts. See more »
Crazy Credits
The closing shot of Lowry incarcerated humming to himself provides the backdrop for the end credits.
See more »