Knocking 56 years old and this is still my favourite film of all time. Dark, funny, artistic, imaginative masterpiece that stands up as well today as it did when released.
Absolutely. I was born in 1977 and watched this movie for the first time when I was a kid and between 3 to 5 years old. I still remember the feelings I had back then. I was frightened as well as fascinated. I just can remember many moments and emotions I had as a (young) child. It is a gift and a suffering all at once sometimes... . But it is as it is. And it has always been this way to me. I got used to it and in a way I am thankful for that gift. I have been watching this masterpiece many many times since I was watching it back then. Many times. This movie never grows old and has so many aspects in every possible way. Well, it is just fantastic. As a child it woke my later interest in movies, history, mythology, science(-ficition) and so many other "things" like as later politics, philosophy, religions, lyrics, ... . But Time Bandits as I think is not a movie made for kids. Not at all. Watership Down is a good example, too. Many "adults" back then didn't realize and many just could afford VHS-players and color TV's for the first time in their life and this stuff was totally new back then. They just would grab something for the children at the local video store when they would rent some "adult" movies for themselves. Many would just take a short look at the cover and think those movies were made for children... . How wrong they had been.
Probably the most amazing part of the movie is when Warner's devil character says "I'm studying computers, I want to control people with them in the future" (paraphrased). How prophetic, keep in mind this was 1981. And now it's come true.
@@mr.t-talk5220 It would not be the same if he said i want to study drugs to control everybody. addiction is a problem in general not some sci-fy story
RIP David Rappaport. One of my favourite actors of all time in one of my favourte movies of all time and he steals the show. Reading about his personal struggles breaks my heart every time.
I met David Rappaport a few times in the early 80's at the Albion hippy fairs when he was performing as his Shades character playing drums as part of a music duo. As teenage youths, we were a bit starstruck but he was always happy to chat with us & memorably, he stayed in-character as Shades (sunglasses on) throughout, which made it really cool...! Really miss him tbh, a lovely man. 👍
DUDE i think I’m more excited than I should be that so many people have seen this movie. It’s a gem that my brother and I found I a box of movies at a yard sale when we were kids. Have loved it ever since. Anytime I try to show people this movie they thinks it’s dumb and won’t give it a chance unfortunately.
As if the music debt we owe to George Harrison isn't enough... there is also his role in film we owe him for... these were NOT insignificant films he funded when no one else would. He actually managed to save a few masterpieces that otherwise wouldn't have been created. Whether a fan of music or film, you have to give a little thanks to George now and again.
And Mary Poppins, don’t forget, for the two obvious reasons: that too is British and second, it too is about (two youngsters) who get to go on such wonderful adventures, courtesy of a “magical being,” i.e., in this case a nanny who can fly, thereby also capable of taking Jane and Michael on other wonderful outings, simply by her, cockney boyfriend Bert and her two charges “jumping through one of his sidewalk paintings,” as everyone knows.
Time Bandits is another one of those movie's that age's like wine. It's still as watchable as it was in the 80's. Very imaginative and with the Monty Python humour.
One of the greatest movies ever made! It always makes my top 10 list. I even built concentrated Evil‘s costume for a convention many years ago, using 50-year-old velvet theater curtains and real human finger bones for the headpiece (before you get all creeped out, I purchased the bones from a biological supply company in Connecticut. They sold me two bags of finger bones for about $95. I then had to borrow a copy of Grey’s Anatomy from the library in order to sort them all out).
He's one of those actors that epitomize the adage "There are no small parts, only small actors". He never, ever phones it in, no matter how small the production. Christopher Plummer's another one. Compare them with someone like Bruce Willis, who seems to have spent the last decade or so getting paid buckets of money for staving off narcolepsy. That's the difference between actors and movie stars, I guess.
*marry men?, well perhaps not per se ...more of a resigned non medicated jocularity of mutual consensus to be honest but it's the best we can expect during this time in history given the unstable social and economic development and stratified cultural upheaval we are currently experiencing...best not dwell on the negativity of the moment and just enjoy life until the plague takes us all...oh, those are nice looking shoes you've got there, mind if I take them from you? you won't be needing them soon*
You are not alone! I'd go so far as to put Time Bandits in my top 5 of all...time. Excellent direction, fantastic writing, and amazing cast. It's a bizarre romp that satisfies but doesn't make you diabetic with a sugary sweet ending.
I can't remember if Gilliam's commentary brings it up, but I'm _sure_ that all the Bandits absolutely _loved_ being in this film - for the simple reason that apart from a couple gentle gags (like Fidget noting that Kevin's "bigger than any of us!"), they were playing as _normal_ _size_ people. . When you're a little person actor, you might get a lot of film work - but you're invariably _playing_ a little person, i.e., you got the part because they needed someone to play Mini-Me or something. Thats got to get pretty annoying after a while. . In this film, they were cast as actual characters - who just happened to be shorter than humans. (This isn't really explained - maybe the Supreme Being has access to "alternate versions" of humans when hiring help or something.) . Imagine if you were a little person who just got done sitting in a can for six months playing R2-D2. And you just wearily turned down your zillionth "court jester" role. And then, out of nowhere, this crazy Gilliam guy offers you a role where you can act _normally_ - and do it as an ensemble, against five other guys your size! You'd be so stoked. (Remember how the gang was acting when they were living it up on the Titanic? They weren't prancing about, or glaring at insults from the normal-sized hero/villain. They were doing exactly what normal-sized rich people would be doing - spending their money and living it up, and no one dared give them any crap.) It might be the most fun some of those actors had in their whole career. You can tell they're having a total blast throughout the movie.
The "Trilogy of Imagination" series is possibly the greatest cinematic masterpiece of our generation. I think Gilliam would have to be my consistently favourite director; a creative and visionary genius who also makes you CARE about his characters and keep you entertained.
Sequal? Noooooo! No re-boots, no all female version, no "re-imagining for the modern era". Let's all pray that no-one ever decides to despoil this memory.
I had this on VHS, loaned it to a friend in the early 80's and his machine ate it, and it got stuck, he took it to a repair shop and got it fixed, but I never got my tape back. Its been this long and Im still PISSED.
LMAO! I knew I couldn't be the only one to hold onto shit this long! My brothers roommate, stole a watch pendant my dad gave me the night we rented this movie. To this day I wouldn't spit on that jackass if he was on fire.
One more trivial observation about the movie is the pirate ship. Yes, the pirate ship that was on top of the giant's head. I'm sure the ship on the giant's head was a model, but the ship when the characters first boarded was an actual real boat that floated on the water. The pirate ship still exists today and is now used as a tour boat on Big Bear Lake in California, USA. The boat is called "Time Bandit" and daily tours around Big Bear Lake are available. During the tour the guide will give a brief history of the Time Bandit pirate ship in addition to the tour. The pirate ship was originally constructed by a father and son in San Diego, California simply to make a 2/3's scale of a pirate ship for the fun of it. After many years of construction, and still unfinished, the ship was sold to a movie studio where it was completed and used in the movie. I wish I could say more, but this comment would get scrapped for sounding like an ad for the tour.
Saw this upon original release back in the day... I cannot tell you how many times I watched this film when it first hit cable. This film will always mean something to me.
It was fun watching the movies in the '80s as the viewers during those days were really focused on the screen. Nowadays, we get lots of distractions from smartphone alarms and noisy people who should be placed in the time portal and be sent far away to the future.
That is why I love going to one of the Alamo Draft house theaters where I live in AZ. They give one warning and then you get kicked out of the theater with no refund, also it is 18 up only if you are a kid or teenager you can't even go into a movie there unless you are with your parents it's awesome
I was lucky enough to meet Kenny Baker in 2007. Total legend - so down to earth and friendly. He's so funny in time bandits, it's a shame R2-D2 overshadowed his natural comedy gift. RIP Kenny.
Best Scene.... Robin Hood: How long have you been a robber? Strutter: 4 foot 1 Robin Hood: Good Lord! Jolly good!, 4 foot 1! Strutter: Yes Robbin Hood: Well that, that, that, that, that, is, is, is a long time, isn't it!
It definitely traumatized me a bit as well. I was pissed off at what happened to his parents and him being left all alone. What was he supposed to do now? Did he have grandparents to stay with? Did some kindly neighbors adopt him?
If he knew how to read it, that is. The bandits did since they helped make it, but the kids only watched them use the map, not actually figure out the details of how.
Ain't that the truth, rather typical of adventure movies taking place in London, involving children such as Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, courtesy of some kind of "magical being or beings."
As a kid, I loved Time Bandits, even if it’s bizarre, surrealistic story left me somewhat afraid for Kevin the whole time. I remember Randall made me feel the most st ease and was sort of my hero. All the other characters were content in this sort of “off balance” reality but it seemed like Randall was able to talk to Kevin and related to him more on a personal level. Ever since, I was always happy to see David Rappaport on screen. I was so sad when I heard he took his own life.
David Rappaport was supposed to be in a Star Trek The Next Generation, episode "The Most Toys" where a wealthy recluse kidnaps Data. Rappaport took his own life before filming had completed, so they had to scrap it and go with a substitute - Saul Rubinek. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CDRpGOoLSC8.html
We were so lucky to have these fantasy movies throughout the 80s and early 90s. This, Legend, The Never-Ending Story, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Hook, The Princess Bride, The (BBC version) of The Tales of the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Return to Oz, The Last Unicorn, not to mention the Disney animated movies that carved a special place on many a heart: Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King. Then also horror fantasy like Monster Squad, IT (the miniseries), Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside, The Addams Family, Howard the Duck etc... etc... Thanks for making tv time awesome and thx Blockbuster for carrying them.
Watching this channel has made me realize there were a hell of lot of good movies from the eighties. Flash Gorden, Highlander, this one, never ending story. I loved Brazil and I believe I owned a copy and watched it countless times. If I remember there was a mini-movie at the beginning where accounts became pirates sailing their building through the country side (or was this in another one of his films). This was brilliant. He is a creative genus.
I Bought the special two Disk DVD of ("The Time Bandits") with some Special Features on the the second Disk /so the Chapter Selections Booklet turns into the Pullout Full Size Map that was Stolen from God by the Time Bandits.
Would that be the Divimax release from Anchor Bay?: www.amazon.com/Bandits-Two-Disc-Special-Terry-Gilliam/dp/B0000844JJ (looks at description: * Fold-out map of the universe and liner notes) and there you go!
Quite Correct and Astute of You it is indeed the Divimax version from Anchor Bay. I Got my copy however at a Former ("Borders") Store in Plattsburgh NY.
You ain’t wrong. I absolutely loved “Time Bandits” as a kid and still love it to this very day. I have to be quite careful though when watching it or simply recalling it, because Harrison’s song gets stuck in my head for friggin’ weeks afterward. I dig these videos, keep it up, brother. I am a little puzzled by the pronunciation or mispronunciations of some of the actors/directors/crew names but I imagine that’s mostly to do with the accent or specific pronunciation differences. Seriously, thanks for making these, they’re very entertaining. I hope to knock out as many as possible whilst I’m laid up with an illness and am pretty grateful for some cool content to bing.
Saw this movie in the theater at least 100 times...more than Rocky Horror when I got a bit older. Bought the published script too. Still love it to this day, as does my whole family. Thx for the upload.
Wonderful video Minty! One of my favourite movies also. I have it ranked just under Munchausen. Here's a little thing you may not have known. We all know the vehicles in the big battle are based off the toys on Kevin's floor, but the spaceship is based off parts from the Micronauts/Microman Mobile Exploration Lab.
I saw this at the Premier in Dallas, TX all those years ago. Even got interviewed coming out afterwards. LOVE THIS MOVIE! Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I didn't care for Brazil or Baron Munchausen so glad at Time Bandits was so great!
So, if the Time Bandits are in the Marvel universe.... could they be called upon to stop Thanos by stealing the Infinity Gauntlet? They are professional thieves afterall.
A lot of great, and underrated, movies came out around that time that I absolutely loved. Funny, that it doesn't seem like it was that long ago when this movie came out. I find it hilarious that from '75 to '85 seems to me like a huge amount of time and yet, 10 years now, doesn't seem like that long a span of time. This feeling that grows as I get older does make relating to younger people a bit harder and I have to keep that feeling of wonder and impatience in mind.
When you are ten 1 year is a tenth of your life, and you don't remember most of the first half and a year seems to last forever. when you are 30 a year is a 30th of your life and you remember more of it, so a year feels shorter. When you are 60 a year is a 60th of it and a year just seems to fly by.
onus gumboot, - You are so right! One of the kids was talking about how far away Halloween is, and to him, yes... It is a very long time for him. To me, it seems like we just celebrated New Years and this year is flying passed at rocket speed. He's eight years old and movies that came out when he was five are almost ancient to him.
You can tell by watching Sean Connery that he really, really enjoyed his part. The man honestly looks like he's having a great time, maybe because he wasn't playing James Bond for a change, lol. I had to pause the film while watching during John's Robin Hood performance, it was so funny. His Robin Hood is such a great parody of the stereotypical "Royal Walkabout", filled with cheerful inane banter. That and the fact that Robin's dressed so immaculately, as compared to his grimy merry men. Also -- check out at the end, when the camera pulls up and away from the burnt house, the smoke is going DOWN into the cinder piles that were the parents, instead of going upward.
Got taken to see this by my dad who’s a huge Python fan, there were about a half dozen of us in the cinema. It’s been a part of our family ever since, never get tired of watching it.
I can clearly see Jack Purvis (Wally), Kenny Baker (Fidget) And who appears to be David Rappaport (Randall)! I dont recognize any of the others as being from the Time Bandits gang though. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VDKNr6ID2sc.html
In 1985 I was 8 and I had gotten into a little bit of trouble at my Mom's boyfriend's house and my Mom sent me to one of the guest rooms as punishment. She had seen this movie in the theater with her bf and loved it and knew that I would enjoy it, her boyfriend had a screening room in his house and guilt over because what I had done was actually defend my little brother against the bf's son so she at it up so I could watch the movie with just her and my little brother. It was amazing, I fell instantly in love and have always held this movie close to my heart.
I saw this in the theaters when it came out when I was in college. I loved it so much I couldn't stop talking about it and my friends thought I was nuts. All of them hated it. It's my favorite movie. My favorite line said by Evil (David Warner); "Oh Benson, you are so free of the ravages of intelligence." I bet it's the favorite of many other fans too.
Thanks for the video. Connery played golf with an executive producer for the film which was how he heard about the project. Horse flesh is in the film though he's "dead" in as much as he now works with evil and can be seen in the scenes with Evil. Funny story is that Rappaport - the lead Bandit - was a lead choice for Mr T's replacement in the A Team when Mr T had contract issues.
Tiny budget? I wouldn't have guessed, it's so very detailed and artistic. My siblings and I loved this movie when growing up. Watched it along with Dark Crystal and Legend.
I'm surprised you didn't mention two other things that Gilliam has talked about in interviews. 1. Kevin's parents covered their furniture with plastic, and so did Evil (including covering some of his henchmen). 2. The final battle with Evil portrays many of the toys on Kevin's bedroom floor: the tank, a Lego piece, wood blocks, chess board, etc.
David Warner was absolutely brilliant playing the part of "evil."☺️He did a fantastic job of playing Mr. Lincoln in the film Waxwork as well.The guy is just an all around marvelous actor!😁
THANK YOU MINTY!!! I have been waiting for this one!!!! Furthermore, make sure you gather all of that. It's pure concentrated evil, we don't want that getting out!
I saw this fine feature film in the theater when I was eleven years old or so. I loved it then and I still love this movie. Thanks for sharing your insight Minty, me lad ! Have a blessed weekend my Aussie Pal !!! 🙏🏼
Thanks for commenting on this terrific movie! I agree it was great fun and all the cameos added such class and talent to the story ! I even have the comic book ! There was also a Making of Time Bandits book released (Yes I have it). It was very small, but packed with all sorts of background info. Thanks again Minty!
I saw this movie at a relative's house while traveling on vacation as a kid. He had one of those huge projection screen TVs. My mind was blown and I fell in love with it. It was also a little more than I was allowed to watch before, so it had that special feel of getting away with something.
'Concentrated evil' became a popular descriptor in my vocabulary after re-watching this movie a few years back. Like if someone points out a Justin Bieber album at a car boot sale or someone clogs the toilet - "Don't touch that, it's concentrated evil!"
Your right about one thing mate..."One of my favorite movie's... Ever". Oh! the memories as a kid. No wonder kids today don't understand the power of imagination.
I am so glad you gave due credit to the guys that played the Time Bandits. They are normally forgotten when people list the actors of this film. In fact, I was about to complain when you started your list, apparently without them. When you gave them their proper due, I was quite happy.
If you want to go deep dive on another classic 80s from my youth, please do a Krull breakdown. So much to love with the makeup , costumes , sets and locations. Plus giant spiders, and the glaive. Keep up the great work
Gilliam's movies are incredible as they combine great themes, dark humour, and most of all HEART. Eternally grateful for everything George Harrison has brought to music and film.
"...because I have understanding. Digital watches. And soon I shall have understanding of video cassette recorders and car telephones. And when I have understanding of them, I shall have understanding of computers. And when I have understanding of computers, I shall be the Supreme Being!" I love that speech from Warner.
Like the movie Brazil . Time Bandits shows us that imagination and creativity are way more important than the budget . They are both visual extravaganzas made with very little cash ,loads of insight , and a sublime , often dark humour .
The exterior shots of the street with fire engine were filmed in my neighborhood. I walk passed the house everyday where the parents exploded. When I see the house I think “Don’t touch it! It’s evil” Oops, too late. Haha.
You realy must tell the people who live there about the film! They might have no idea they live in a house that's featured in a brilliant and much loved movie.
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?"
That boy is one of my favourite child actors from an 80s film - right up there with Henry Thomas in ET, Barrett Oliver in The Never Ending Story, the kid in Flight of the Navigator and Sean Astin in The Goonies. Bizarrely, they all look similar.
I saw Time Bandit when I was eleven years old,and god what a fun movie. Me and my friends saw it together which was a blast as we were all into dungeons and dragons at the time which this movie meshed with nicely. Also saw Dragon Slayer the same year talk about an overdose of fantasy. Lol for my birthday my parents got me a cake with a red dragon on it in frosting. The gifts consisted mostly of D&D stuff,I was in high heaven that year.
@@kfgrip to name a few ; Ladyhawke (Rutger Hauer), Conan the barbarian, Labryinthe, Krull, Legend (Tom Cruise), Clash of the Titans, Beastmaster, Willow, The Dark Crystal, Princess Bride and my all time favourite Excalibur
Not exactly it was competing with Clash Of The Titans which was a better movie but it’s a close second at that time period ,great movies . Saw both on the big screen when I was 8 both scared me in different ways yet I found the Exorcist funny . Lol
I'm seeing this about a month late so someone else may have already posted this comment, but... HORSEFLESH _DOES_ APPEAR IN THE FILM Remember Evil's henchmen? Remember how one of them is a little person? That is apparently Horseflesh. Horseflesh is even mentioned in the closing credits, played by Marcus Powell. If we take it that Evil is the Devil, his henchmen are demons, and the fortress that they're imprisoned in is Hell, then the implication seems to be that when Horseflesh died, he went to Hell and became a demon servant of the Devil. I imagine somebody in production decided that was a bit too much for a kids movie and had the words "Devil", "demon", and "Hell" removed. On a tangent, even the word "God" is only used in the film when Kevin asks if that's who the Supreme Being is. Of course the answer he gets is "sort of" because adults are constantly underestimating Kevin's intelligence. As such, whenever he asks an intelligent question in a very direct way, they don't really answer, they just kind of jerk him around. "Sort of" is actually the closest thing Kevin gets to a straight answer to any of his questions because, while the Time Bandits also underestimate his intelligence, they are the only characters who recognize he's probably smarter than nearly every other character in the film. This film gets my vote for greatest children's film ever made. I would give it to _Pan's Labyrinth_, but I think its probably better to declare that "children's films that are not appropriate for children" is a distinct genre (that _Time Bandits_ goes ALMOST goes into).
It still goes into my top ten list after all these years. Robin- "And how long have you been a robber?" Strutter- "Four foot one" Robin- "Good lord! Jolly good. Four foot one? Well that-that-that is-is- a long time, isn't it?" The delivery is flawless. Pure comedic gold!
"Looks like you left the Sunday joint cookin' all night, didn't we?" "Sunday joint?? It's Thursday!" RIP Horseflesh (aka the seventh dwarf) Extra like for "Planet Earth" background music.
Agree. It wouldn't even have occurred to me to use Duran Duran for a _Time_ _Bandits_ video; yet it somehow fit perfectly. ("Planet Earth" is the perfect song; it's not _too_ catchy.)
I heard that Horseflesh is technically not dead. He apparently went over to the side of Evil and can be seen in a few scenes, such as during the scene where Evil is looking over Kevin and the bandits during the rainstorm. He is the little person on the left in this image with goggles on his head: www.standbyformindcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/TimeBandits.jpeg It's possible that saying "Horseflesh is dead!" means that he's dead to them, having turned into a lackey for Evil.
I lucked out and recorded a TV broadcast of "Time Bandits" in the 80s. I watched that movie over and over again. One of my top-ten favorite movies. One cool thing about the movie: The final battle between the bandits and Evil uses toys from Kevin's bedroom floor. Jolly good!
Minty, as much as I love your commentaries, it's your stealth use of Duran Duran tunes that happily surprises me all the time. You are brilliant, keep it up please! Amelia from LA :))
God, I lost count how many times I watched this Great movie on HBO back in the day. If a remake or sequel is made, they need to keep the surrealism appearance of the Supreme Being chasing them. It works.
LOVED this movie growing up. I tell you this, Time Bandits, Legend, Willow, and Labyrinth were all on repeat on VHS tapes when I was growing up!! Great vid, thanks for the memories!!!
I can’t believe it was so hard to get this movie made. It’s one of the best movies out there and it doesn’t look low budget! Plus George Harrison’s song was cool.
I am a huge fan of the time bandits, it predicted our coming obsession with technology, television and sadistic game shows whilst showing how unfulfilling most of this stuff is.
