Terry Gilliam names his five favourite films of all time
Terry Gilliam has made countless masterpieces over the course of a stellar career, ranging from the claustrophobic nightmare that is Brazil to the psychedelic haze of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It goes without saying, Gilliam’s sense of humour and unique visual style is nothing short of a match made in heaven.
Gilliam’s sensibilities were further developed during his time as a part of the Monty Python group, which revolutionised the world of comedy. His later directorial efforts always contained traces of Monty Python’s irreverence and comedic style, but he made them feel fresh by incorporating his own vision.
During a conversation with Rotten Tomatoes, Gilliam was asked to name five masterpieces that had a definitive impact on him. The filmmaker began by citing Pinocchio, which introduced him to the magic of cinema and animation. In fact, he actually began his career by working as an animator/cartoonist.
He also cited Stanley Kubrick’s seminal war masterpiece Paths of Glory. While recalling the experience, he noted: “I was sitting there, and this black-and-white thing came on. I was utterly blown away, because it was the first film that I really appreciated the injustice in the world that’s waiting for all of us, and just the tracking shots through the trenches.”
According to Gilliam, Citizen Kane and Paths of Glory were the two films that convinced him to become a director. He said: “Once you see [Citizen Kane], either you want to be a movie director, or you just want to give up, one of the two. He [Welles] got it right. He did everything right. Then when you think he was only, what, 25 years old at that time? Extraordinary.”
Check out the full list below.
Terry Gilliam’s favourite films:
- Pinocchio (Multiple directors, 1940)
- Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
- Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
- The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
- Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Alongside the aforementioned works, Gilliam included some classics from world cinema by two formidable auteurs – Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa. While Gilliam was influenced by Bergman’s ideas, he was equally moved by Kurosawa’s techniques.
He commented: “With Kurosawa using the tracking shots, the way he… the energy, just the kinetic energy on screen was amazing, especially with Japanese-style acting, which is very structured and very formalised, which then breaks out, and you’re slashing somebody in half. That is pure filmmaking.”
