DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES by Terry Gilliam

[romanD]

finally got a copy of this cool book, which tells the story of the making of BROTHERS GRIMM.

You just get headaches and heartburns by reading it and you get a glimpse of how stressful it must be to make such a movie. I just can't believe that it is like this on all the summer blockbusters, there must be some nice and intelligent people, otherwise a movie like WOTW or even VAN HELSING can't be made within a year.

Amazing and very entertaining read with very honest opinions and quotes. I wonder what Lena Headley must think when she reads this...

Highly recommended and a wonder how good BROTHERS GRIMM turned out in the end after this desasterous production... but well, it isn't a Terry Gilliam movie...

at least the cast was very nice and easy to work with, but that was the least of Terry's problems I can tell you... (but Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp`s wife seems quite a diva, which she was already on LOST IN LA MANCHA... Im sure Terry hates her! Basically Johnny Depp turned the movie down shortly before shooting, because "she doesn't like Prague!")

great book!

[AndyDursin]

I disliked nearly every aspect of BROTHERS GRIMM.

Apparently Gilliam's TIDELAND is possibly even worse! (who knows, they've never bothered releasing it).

Might check the book out, though, if it's honest...

[mkaroly]

That's an appropriate book title for Gilliam's career....

I'm torn. On the one hand, he's an interesting visionary who has really developed his own style and on that level I enjoy his stuff. On the other hand, this martyr complex he has for himself has passed a point of tolerable. It is immature and he needs to grow up. For someone who has worked in the industry as long as he has, this continued "they won't let me make the film I want to make" attitude is childish.

For BRAZIL, it was fun to see someone fight the studios. Now it's silly.

[AndyDursin]

That's an appropriate book title for Gilliam's career....

I'm torn. On the one hand, he's an interesting visionary who has really developed his own style and on that level I enjoy his stuff. On the other hand, this martyr complex he has for himself has passed a point of tolerable. It is immature and he needs to grow up. For someone who has worked in the industry as long as he has, this continued "they won't let me make the film I want to make" attitude is childish.

For BRAZIL, it was fun to see someone fight the studios. Now it's silly.

That's exactly how I felt after watching LOST IN LA MANCHA. Sure things went wrong and there was lots of bad luck, but Gilliam doesn't seem to help himself any, either.

[romanD]

yeah, at some points I thought "well, what is so bad about casting someone else and why do you have to insist for so long on Sam Morton?", but still, the whole pre-production goes back and forth between Terry and the Weinsteins that is simply beyond belief. And when the new DOP arrives it goes into absolute overdrive... loved when one assistant asks the new DOP how his name is spelled for the credits and he says "well, I don't know whether I want my name on this!" lol

have to check what Tom Siegel did, because he acts like he is the greatest DOP (and director) on Earth.

The book is overall not taking sides I'd say... it just shows how horribly wrong a production can go and has interesting facts about the pre-production, casting ideas (Diane Lane or Michelle Pfeiffer as the Queen?!!), deals... so I can really recommend it.

TG sometimes appears pretty wild and crazy, but you have to admit that he felt right that nobody really was interested in the TG-aspect and just wanted a hire-director... what is clearly evident in the final movie, besides some wild designs.

[Carlson2005]

Loathe as I am to do so, I have to agree with the Weinsteins over Samantha Morton. Ive never been impressed by her work, but more than that I don't think there's anyone in the British film industry with a worse reputation to work with (and that includes Clive Owen). She's gone from getting the director fired on River Queen to being dropped from Nic Roeg's new movie because they couldn't find a leading man who'd work with her to being fired from a Colin Farrell movie mid-shoot because she was so impossible to deal with. Can you imagine the potential for disaster if she'd been allowed to work with Gilliam?

[AndyDursin]

Loathe as I am to do so, I have to agree with the Weinsteins over Samantha Morton. Ive never been impressed by her work, but more than that I don't think there's anyone in the British film industry with a worse reputation to work with (and that includes Clive Owen). She's gone from getting the director fired on River Queen to being dropped from Nic Roeg's new movie because they couldn't find a leading man who'd work with her to being fired from a Colin Farrell movie mid-shoot because she was so impossible to deal with. Can you imagine the potential for disaster if she'd been allowed to work with Gilliam?

And she's not exactly the most beautiful gal on the block either!

[mkaroly]

That's an appropriate book title for Gilliam's career....

I'm torn. On the one hand, he's an interesting visionary who has really developed his own style and on that level I enjoy his stuff. On the other hand, this martyr complex he has for himself has passed a point of tolerable. It is immature and he needs to grow up. For someone who has worked in the industry as long as he has, this continued "they won't let me make the film I want to make" attitude is childish.

For BRAZIL, it was fun to see someone fight the studios. Now it's silly.

That's exactly how I felt after watching LOST IN LA MANCHA. Sure things went wrong and there was lots of bad luck, but Gilliam doesn't seem to help himself any, either.

BTW- I loved LOST IN LA MANCHA. Great movie.