Time Bandits (1981)
DVD from Criterion Collection/Home Vision Enterainment
Directed by Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King) and written
by Gilliam and fellow ex-Monty Python member Michael Palin, Time
Bandits concerns Kevin (Craig Warnock), a young English lad
who lives with his boring, game-show addicted parents. Kevin's
lonely world is almost literally turned upside-down one night
when several diminutive adventure-seekers emerge from his closet.
Hitherto employed by the "Supreme Being," this gang
of vagabonds have absconded with a map which enables them to
travel through time, and their intent is to loot the entire universe.
Taking Kevin accidentally in tow, the gang traverse
an extraordinary array of historic episodes in their quest for
riches. John Cleese is memorable as a particularly goody-two-shoes
Robin Hood while Ian Holm makes for an insecure, megalomaniacal
Napoleon Bonaparte. All the while, the gang is pursued by the
Supreme Being (who wants His map back) and by the character of
"Evil" (David Warner), who wants the map for himself.
Time Bandits is a wonderful film, invested
with both a childlike wonder and a satirical sarcasm. Being the
work of ex-Pythons, the tone of the film is predictably comedic-that
is, until Kevin is separated from the gang and winds up in in
the court of King Agamemnon (Sean Connery, in one of his finest
performances). Here, the story shifts into its most touching
episode as Kevin finds a father figure in Agamemnon and, for
the first time in his life, a sense of belonging. But the film
progresses into more surreal territory as Evil closes in on the
gang, and a remarkable climax ensues within his fortress of darkness.
Beyond the cleverness of the script, Time Bandits
is an amazing-looking film. Not generously budgeted, the film
instead relies on Gilliam's brilliant resourcefulness. His ability
to create truly epic sequences on the cheap is remarkable, and
the sets, art direction, and costumes are the envy of any big-budget
epic.
The DVD release does not exactly offer a cornucopia
of extras, but terrific audio commentary from Gilliam, Palin,
and some of the stars more than makes up for it.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2004
Stratford, CT 06615 USA
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com