Finally watching Gilliam’s Brazil. The action sequences are great!

Physical violence is one of the most difficult parts of shoestring film development. In Brazil lots of the physical blows are done across camera cuts, so you never actually see them hit.

When you’re doing film you want to show as little as possible — just jump between the important parts.

Susan wants a sandwich, gets on the elevator, crosses the lobby, crosses the street, lines up, orders, pays, crosses back, heads up the elevator, sits at her desk, and eats the sandwich. Except on film. Then she: Wants a sandwich, maybe she orders or pays, and then she’s eating it back at her desk. You just show the key points.

That’s what the physical violence is like in Brazil: We see a kick, we see someone flying backwards. The impact is superfluous, implicit, which makes those sequences easier to film as well. You shoot someone kicking off camera. You shoot someone falling over. Edit-edit-edit and movie magic presto-chango you’ve got violence without stunt people or specialists.

Good ‘ol Gilliam. I loves it.

[Added: And a clear Bronyenosyets Potyomkin reference in the climactic gun battle! It really is everywhere.]