MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2004
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
SUTTON PLACE HOTEL, STOP 33
955 BAY STREET

Terry Gilliam is one of the most singular talents in film, and among the most wildly imaginative directors working today. Born in Minneapolis, Gilliam emigrated to England in 1967 where he worked on “Do Not Adjust Your Set,” a children’s TV show, developing his eccentric cartoons: a hodgepodge of images animated with a surreal stream-of-consciousness narrative drenched in black humour. He went on to become the only American member of the “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” troupe, responsible for writing, crafting the animated sequences and occasionally performing for the wildly popular television show.

Gilliam’s iconoclastic vision first reached moviegoers with their debut film, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (75), co-directed with Terry Jones. He had his first outing as a solo director with JABBERWOCKY (77). Gilliam then directed TIME BANDITS (79), a surreal journey through history led by a small boy and several dwarves. Bearing many similarities to his previous film, its brisker pace did better at the box office and put Gilliam in the ranks of directors to watch. After co-directing MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE (83), he made what many consider his masterpiece, a dystopian satire of a technocratic future: BRAZIL (85). In addition to critical praise and a Los Angeles Film Critics’ award for best film, Gilliam received an Academy Award® nomination for best original screenplay. It was four years before he directed THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (89), a return to historical fantasy, which was followed by his most accessible work, 1991's THE FISHER KING. Foregoing much of his familiar ornate visual style, the director focused on characters rather than spectacle; the film won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Gilliam returned to the director’s chair in 1995, achieving his biggest hit to date with the star-studded science fiction epic 12 MONKEYS. The film was a critical and commercial success, allowing Gilliam the freedom to take even more creative risks. His next project, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (98), was an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 novel starring Johnny Depp. Gilliam then attempted to film his lifelong dream, THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE, in late 2000, but severe problems led to the production’s being shut down despite his wishes. In 2003, Gilliam was filming THE BROTHERS GRIMM in Prague, starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger.

At present Gilliam is in pre-production on another feature film scheduled to shoot later in September in Saskatchewan. It is co-produced by Gabriella Martinelli’s Capri Films (the subject of a Mavericks session this year) and Jeremy Thomas. This year’s Master Class is sure to be a wild ride. Gilliam will amaze you with tales chronicling his career; a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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