TIME BANDITS' misunderstood ending - The Empowered Child 

ohhhh, good observation. I always noticed it, but didn't make the connection.

Geez. This is my fav flick of all time, watched 200 times and never consciously noticed that.

Maybe they're all are his parents. Just as the fireman is a reincarnation of the past king, maybe his parents aren't destroyed at all, maybe they are continuously reincarnated, twisted into forms where their inner evil can be seen outwardly. Perhaps that's why the God character seemed so callous about death, because he knows that nothing ever dies, it just winds up reamalgamated. Good reincarnates into itself while evil reincarnates into lesser and lesser beings. The king eventually becomes a fireman. No matter the incarnation, he's always a savior. The parents, no matter the incarnation, are always hideously evil.

@OnideusMadHatter - Oh, I like this interpretation! Nice one! 👍

@@OnideusMadHatter That's what I always thought. All those couples throughout the movie were a representation of his parents. It's been awhile since I've watched this movie, but I remember a part when his father told him to go to bed, on the wall, he made all those pictures of what will happen in the movie or characters he will meet. I have to rewatch this to confirm this.

Yes , and the irony is they DISOBEYED their son's urgent warning , whereas the dad was always after Kevin for seemingly not following his orders. . . . out of the mouths of babes

They weren’t necessarily even inclined to touch it until Kevin shouted not to. They’re both dopes.

It's another touch of irony. The kid has sense, while the parents do not. It's a phenomenal metaphor. Children CAN have wisdom. They make more observations without presuppositions or prejudices, whereas parents are colorized so much by their years of living. The really clever thing is... it plants a seed. Gilliam wants to send a message to bad, or ignorant parents. He sure does!

Allegedly "Brazil" is the sequel.

I always figured that the photo of the map was supposed be his key to escaping through time, too.

@@blackbarnz Brazil is the second part of the trilogy that ends with Baron Munchausen, but there was supposed to be a Time Bandits sequel. It didn't happen because one midget died, and another was paralyzed.

@@bibsma3401 The movies are about imagination and learning to break free from society's methods of life Time Bandits is a child Brazil a adult and Baron Munchausen a old senior.

Shut up, don't give the cultural Marxists ideas!

Glad someone pointed that out.

They lived alone in isolation. They were free to be who they were and accepted one another for who they were, without having to conform to the influence of society and the outside world. The other couples' downfalls were their superficial pursuits of materialism and their lives were ruled by what was acceptable to society instead of being true to themselves and each other. The king was on the right path but, was dragged down by his wifes' lust for material wealth and power.

@@wirelesmike73 king aganemnon was harassed by the queen because she hated him with all her heat because he sacrificed their daughter to the gods, in order to get wind so they could sail to Troy to fight. Had nothing to do with her materialism. Agenamnon, was a Dick Watch Troy, that’s the real Aganemon.

They did! Their interaction and chemistry reminded me completely of my grandparents.

Great point! What a good catch! Good ol' Peter Vaughn!

I had a similar reation to it as a child, on one hand he was alone and vulnerable but on the other he was free.

You didn't deserve that upbringing

@@bluetoad2668 how condescending of you. great job

Bingo. it's a little scary but still, such is life. It's mostly good.

@@erikred8217 I didn't deserve that reply either

2 years later this is the comment man. God bless you sir from the past 🙏

Yep

I always thought of the ending as he was still dreaming

My parents were like Kevin's. But still, they were the only parents I knew and I would've been absolutely devastated if I lost them at that age or any age.

@@robzilla730 Mine were the same. All things considered, they weren't as terrible as some.

@@robzilla730 That´s why psychologically it´s so important that the Connery father figure reappears at this point, it easily distracts from and already kind of heals the horror the loss of even the worst parents triggers deep inside.

Ian Holm, David Warner, Sean Connery, David Rappaport, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Kenny Baker, Tiny Ross, and Jack Purvis.

Everyone dies, let go of your fear.

Gulliver's Travels!

Polyphemus? Patagonian giants? Terry Gilliam in the commentary, mentions the movie “The Thief of Bagdad”, a 1940 movie. Maybe he just got the inspiration from that movie?

It's a rather oddball ending. Defeat Ultimate Evil, debate God, and in the end... your parents explode and your house burns down. But somehow it fits. Kevin doesn't want to go home. He wants adventure. And he's still got a photo of the map. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Good point I like all 3 movies and I would put 12 Monkeys and Fisher King as well.

@Daniel Cooper that's actually what Terry Gilliam has stated. He calls it his "Trilogy of Imagination"

I think all three films were set up simply to introduce the world to Uma Thurman.

@@richardm3023 How so? and where do you come up with that conclusion.

Fascinating interpretation.

That's what my parents told me to soothe my anxiety. :-)

I loved the ending! What looked like a classic 'it was all a dream' cop-out suddenly became VERY real. : )

@@sullyb23511 Man, that part where Kevin and the Bandits are imprisoned, chained in cages over that endless, black pit freaked me the hell out...

With a copy of the map, Kevin could go anywhere he wanted, any time he wanted (literally). There's no reason he couldn't go back to Agamemnon.

@@sullyb23511 that exactly what mine did!

Based

ha yes

Agreed

The Key Latch Kids.

He mentioned Watership Down as having a rough ending as well. No wonder we turned out like this!

Huh? What kid is better off without parents even if they are selfish? As long as they’re not abusing him…

I remember finding The Secret of Nimh scary as a toddler. I think I also came down with fever and hot ears at the time which made the experience more intense.

He did the dying parent scene before Lion King. His movies inspired me. Love Don Bluth!

@@Smoreexplore64 and Bambi did it way earlier.

@@poppers7317 oh yeah that’s right....come to think of it Don Bluth worked at Disney. Still he did a good one. Not as iconic as Bambi though, you got me there.

The Land Before Time.. jeeeze that takes me back..

It brings to mind a scene from Mom and Dad Save the World as a patrol of Emperor Todd Spengo's soldiers stumbled across a weapon. "All right, no one touch the light grenade." "What light grenade?" The officer picks it up... "THIS light grenade..." *ZAP* "What happened?" "He picked this up..." *ZAP*

No shit! I was 14 and this movie was, as we say in the Army, a significant emotional event!

yup absolutely

Parents should care more about their kids OVER merchandise this is what happens you're dead at the end.

"If you'd been half a man you'd have gone in after the blender!"

Those are excellent points. Thank you :)

@@collativelearning Thank you for your stimulating videos!

I always saw it as a warning that outward appearances are used to hide the true character. Like Kevin's parents being neglectful social-climbers hiding behind a middle class veneer of respectability.

I do appreciate that. The portrayal of loving couples is sorely lacking in our society and it leaves people to figure things out on their own. I'd rather have a couple of loving Ogres than the examples of what marriage is that I've seen in my family. Thankfully, after years of suffering, I found someone who truly loves me, and whom I can love with all my heart.

OMGosh, yes. I was a school librarian, with Apple IIe's and 5" floppy disks, and every time I did a lesson with Kindergartners about not touching the disk some kid would. No matter how I reframed that little lesson, every time.

Yes! I forgot that aspect in my general comment! Evil involves a spirit of rebellion, and children are prone to it without divine influence. Those parents had none.

Curious findings, thanks!

Got the book on my shopping list, thanks, dude! Time Bandits was incredibly well made, and they did some very smart special effects tricks, my fav being of set designers creating and positioning the hanging prison cages of different sizes and texture quality along the same line to create the illusion of a much larger diagonal visual space.

@@jocaerbannog9052 you wont be disappointed! 🙌🤣 yes i think this was a Terry Gilliam masterpiece and could have been way bigger at the time 😮🙌

Excellent

considering the kid warned his parents not to touch the rock and had a confused / alarmed look on his face while calling out for his parents, I don't think that explanation holds

What did you choose to do on your last few days in Germany?

Oh yeah, same with the issue of him fighting the Minitour, it was Theseus who fought him (at least that's the historical Thesis). Seems Gilliam, Palin and others really took liberties with the original mythology.

Wow, wasn't aware of that one!

Let’s be fair: he agreed to sacrifice the first living thing he saw upon his return.... which just happened to be his loving daughter. Greek myths are full of this kind of stuff, beware the Pythia!

@@kelvincasing5265 _"An oath or a pledge, and ruin is near."_ -Chilon

Agamemnon is an arrogant, a-hole in all the plays and poems. Fittingly he is told that he will return from Troy, unlike the other kings, and be killed. The Ancient Greeks in myths didn't like being married, which was a political and economic need to gain prestige and support from the other powerful families. It was the men who demanded girls as sex slaves, raped and killed in either order the conquered women, and constantly womanizing or tricking women into humiliating situations in order to aggrandized themselves. They don't like women or the institution of marriage, yet they sell their daughters as brides and veiled their women. Sacrifying teen girls in order to gain the favor of the gods, that's small potatoes. For a 30 year old woman seeing her oldest child being sacrificed by the old man she was forced to marry, made her snap and break the Social Rules, where women are supposed to be meek, revere their husband and follow the rule of men. All plays are about the Greek moral code, she of course has to be punished, regardless of the injustices done to women before and after her, because men are the Prime in Greek society. At the end of the play, a Queen has been foiled, all women killed and the male order restored. I forgot, all the actors were men, women were not allowed to read, unless they were high end courtesan, whose professional lack of modesty allowed them into the world of the learned, symposiums, libraries and lectures. Even Greek philosophers complained about having to parent and support their families, it was more fun to frolic with young male disciples. At least, some Roman women did learn to read and write and had egalitarian marriages, but Egyptian women were scandalous, arranging their own marriage contracts and terms, owning and managing small and big businesses on their own, being scientists and highly respected priests, enjoying pleasurable relationships inside and outside marriage arrangements, worshipping a mother goddess who is a warrior for her husband and son. Thanks for reminding me how much Monty Python disliked women (outside casual one sided sex relations). They portraited shitty relationships and women because that's all the knew and sought.

Wow, my Dad told me the exact same thing XD

When my twin brother and I saw it after renting it (we weren’t born when it came out in theaters), we figured Agamemnon would probably do just that.

On the basis of this analysis, that's a dad who absolutely understood the movie

I had the same concern, I guess, but nobody talked about the movie or asked me anything. My parents weren't really good at that. I was left to process things on my own.

I noticed that too so I thought the shot was just in reverse but Kevin is walking forward. It makes it seem like it's on purpose. I like the theory of time going backwards, especially after the theory of King Agamemnon waiting for another time door to open and goes through to find Kevin.

It's an optical illusion caused by the zoom out. The smoke is actually rising, it's just we as the camera's POV are rising much faster

@@jackalope2302 Really? Is that part of why a dolly zoom looks the way it does? I had noticed the effect, too, and it didn't look like they shot it with people walking backwards or anything. (Or else all the actors did a thunderously good job of it.)

@@stevejordan7275 In camera optical illusions like that happen. Alfred Hitchcock invented that technique (I think). Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson used in Jaws and Fellowship of the Ring.

No, I think they zoomed in from an aerial shot, and so to get the zoom out they reversed it. Similar use of footage shows up in Return of the King when the Aragorn and Theoden return to Edoras (It’s a reverse of a previous shot moving out from Eowen before Aragorn arrives in the previous movie, but after she’s gone out to get some air after being sexually harassed by Wormtongue.

@T 2017 good one :D

Yeah, i know what you mean, but I think that's sort of the point. If he just hitched up with a new parent figure that wouldn't be a step forward for him. He wants to be a man and that means having the guts to go it alone.

@@collativelearning Oh yeah I totally agree with your analysis, and additional things you picked up that I never thought of before, it's what makes the movie so great. I'm just remembering that as a kid it was a bit of a gut punch to see him left all alone. Gilliam thought kids would find the parents being blown up hilarious (it was), but it was being left by everyone else before and after their death that gives the ending a real sense of melancholy as a kid, not just the demise of the parents.

This is exactly how I felt when I first watched it aged about 13. I really wanted the fireman to tell Kevin to climb aboard.

Just watched the movie and i'm glad i wasn't the only one I dont give a single thing about the parents dying I just felt bad for the kid cause he is now alone and probably left alone by the small guys due to their jobs Same with the firefighter guy Like man It almost made me a little bit traumatic ngl but after watching the video I am now fine and ok and understood some of them^^

I agree Mad George, when i saw it as a kid...i felt so bad for poor Kevin...every one left him....it was the only movie i had ever seen that had an ending like that...one of the reasons its stayed with me as well...

Maybe what Terry Gilliam was getting at was, Kevin's parent probably had a child because it was expected of them. Not because they actually wanted a child. "It's what one does when one has a family". I think it might be a cultural critique of materialism and "having things". They had a child and did the minimum necessary to maintain the child, not out of any kind of loving relationship, but because "having" is supposed to fulfill. Just like the parents would compare having better appliances than the neighbors or having nice furniture that was perpetually covered in plastic. We're led with the impression that the actual business of raising a child was an inconvenience that the parents have to bear so they can claim to have one. This is put across by the fact that they never really want to be involved with Kevin. Just eat your food and go to bed. Which was the bare minimum required to maintain their child. When Kevin tried to interact both parents looked at him like he was an appliance that was not working correctly. I think Terry Gilliam, whether consciously or unconsciously created the scene where Kevin tries to interact with his parents and they treat him much like the appliance that starts malfunctioning. Or maybe I'm seeing something that really isn't there. But I think it was a potshot at consumer society and how having a family is equal to "having things". I mean, I've met people IRL that treat having kids much the same way as having a hobby, they think they can just put the kid of a shelf and only take them down on occasion.

Did they ever find that fish? Did they try looking in the drawers of the bureau?

The trolls immediately reminded me of Monty Pythons.

100% correct! The elephant head creeps me the hell out, for some reason. Think it's the eyes

@@MrBastilleDay it was a fisheye lens. You were the fish.

@@Crosshair1990 😮

One of the best stories and characters in the show. They nailed Doctor Who during the entire Pertwee era

Then got killed by Linx at the end of that story anyway?

I thought he was catapulted forward in time and became a starliner captain named Rigg who got hooked on a nasty narcotic. 😏 😕

He called Time Bandits, Brazil and Baron Munchausen the Imagination or Dream Trilogy. The dreams of the Child, the Adult and the Elderly.

Zactly it never really made sense to me either

As a kid in the 80s myself I remember my Aunt & Uncle w that and they chain smoked cigarettes IN the house all day long.

Omg I haven't that in about 25 Years. My aunt in Staten Island had plastic vyanal on her furniture. In the summer time it was so uncomfortable

It was a film, an artwork about the history of Terry Gilliam's journey to adulthood. And we got to tag along because the topic is universal and we all get to learn something.

@@preferredpronoun3689 I was the weird kid who was obsessed with mythology, history, and symbolism, so this film just slayed me. It felt like the movie *I* would have made, had I the means. And it was hilarious. “Here’s to stinkin’ Kevin!”

Yeah the wink straight after the exploding parents seemed like a reassurance to Kevin ... like, no big deal lol

Yes, the helmet seemed intentional

Nice!

Yeah that was my takeaway at age 8

I thought she played perfectly and popeye too

What? Are you George Lucas? 😂

@@zerovalon6243 No. I'm J.J. Abrams... 😁

@@penelopegreene 🤣 even better

Randall's last words following the Titanic scene : " How did I know we were going to hit an Iceberg? "

'SS TITANIC'..! Lol!

I liked Shelley Duvall in _The Shining,_ and _Popeye._ And Katherine Helmond in _Brazil_ and the TV show _Coach._

It's weird I sort of don't want to watch it again either ... made me feel so sad as a kid.

@@collativelearning i avoid it every Christmas lol

I have watched Predator, Terminator 2 and Raiders of Lost Ark with all of their brutality as a kid, but watching Watership Down at age 13... it's a movie that I consciously block out of my memory. But I do have partial respect for it. Did show me the dark sides of the world in a harsh way.

It was the bit where Big Wig got caught in the snare, that fairly traumatized me... But the fact is that that film had such an impact on me as a six year old that by the time I had a library card when I was nine "Watership Down" was the first novel I borrowed. My first grown up book. I still remember the sense of achievement finishing it. It made me hungry for a lot more books.

@@jocaerbannog9052 i watched the evil dead as a kid and that didn't affect me lol. I have to respect watership down for the impact it had though.

That would have been awesome!

Oh right , he could go back in time and prevent his parents being idiots

@@Reprodestruxion The heck with his parents!!! I meant he goes off on his OWN odyssey through time!!!

Exactly!

It would have been such a little, lovely thing to add...would it have really deranged Gilliam's vision for the film that much? 🤨 🙁

the troll family couldn't hear the loud ass footsteps (which might as well be him screaming it's pure evil) because they were busy arguing similar to his parents arguing and almost letting their own son die in the fire.

@@Psycho-Complex Very good.

I expect Connery would have been able to pronounce it properly, though.

OMG!! "Midnight Cowboy" is a fantastic film, and I enjoy it more every time I watch it, because it's such a great love story. Think "King Kong", "Love Story". All of the best love stories have unhappy endings. And yeah, "Midnight Cowboy" is best thought of as an offbeat kind of love story.

@@donkensler Funny, if not uncanny, that you mentioned _Love Story._ Less than 20-minutes ago, I commented to hubby that I hate that flick...

I might've been able to re-watch it, if Voight hadn't ruined all his films, for me at least. But he was never really all that, anyway, so good riddance.

Clytoris-menstrual. ;)

Same here!

@@jocaerbannog9052 Methodist Episcopal.

I consider _Oscar_ to be one of my favorite movies. Sadly, I looked through movies of the 1980s that were fantasy/sword-and-sorcery genre and they almost all flopped at the box office, including _The Princess Bride._ Maybe they made money on home video sales? I think only _Conan the Barbarian_ and _The Dark Crystal_ are the only ones that made money, in that the gross box office was more than twice the production costs.

@@sandal_thong8631 Did you ever see Lady Hawk, Dragonslayer, or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen? Some of my personal favorite 80s fantasy films that few people seem to have heard of.

@@KlingonCaptain Of course. Three more box-office bombs that people saw on video tape.

What would you do if you looked at Medusa?