Brazil (film) Quotations

Brazil is a 1985 film about a bureaucrat in a retro-future world who tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state.

Directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, and Charles McKeown.

It's only a state of mind.Taglines

Sam Lowry

Yes... No... I don't know. I don't know what I want.

Mr. Helpmann, I'm keen to get into Information Retrieval. Mr. Helpmann, I'm dying to get at this woman... no, no, no.

Yes, I always used to wonder if she wore falsies. False ears...

Sorry, I'm a bit of a stickler for paperwork. Where would we be if we didn't follow the correct procedures?

I assure you, Mrs. Buttle, the Ministry is very scrupulous about following up and eradicating any error. If you have any complaints which you'd like to make, I'd be more than happy to send you the appropriate forms.

Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle

Well, that's a pipe of a different color.

Listen, this whole system of yours could be on fire and I couldn't even turn on the kitchen tap without filling out a twenty-seven B stroke six... bloody paperwork.

My good friends call me Harry.

Listen, kid, we're all in it together.

Mr. Helpmann

Bad sportsmanship. A ruthless minority of people seem to have forgotten good old-fashioned virtues. They just can't stand seeing the other fellow win. If these people would just play the game...

We're fielding all their strokes, running a lot of them out, and pretty consistently knocking them for six. I'd say they're nearly out of the game.

Jill? Yes... Sam I think I ought to tell you. I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion. Thrown in the towel.

All I can say is don't fall at the last fence. The finishing post's in sight. See you in the paddock... keep your eye on the ball.

'Ere I am, J.H. ...The ghost in the machine.

Others

Guard: Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating.

Mr. Warrenn: There you are, your own number on your very own door. And behind that door, your very own office! Welcome to the team, DZ-015.

Mr. Warrenn: What is this mess? An empty desk is an efficient desk.

Arresting Officer: This is your receipt for your husband... and this is my receipt for your receipt.

Bill, Department of Works: Mistakes? We don't make mistakes.

Charlie, Department of Works: Bloody typical, they've gone back to metric without telling us.

Kurtzmann: It's been confusion from the word go!

Mrs. Buttle: What have you done with his body?

Jack Lint: We've always been close Havn't we? Well, until this whole thing blows over, just stay away from me.

Jack Lint: It's not my fault that Buttle's heart condition didn't appear on Tuttle's file!

Jack Lint: This is information retrieval not information dispersal.

Dr. Lewis Jaffe: Just me and my little knife! Snip snip - slice slice... can you believe it?

Dr. Lewis Jaffe: Faces are a doddle compared to tits and ass. No hairline.

Spoor: Where'd you get this from, eh? Out yer nostril?

Spoor: All you've got to do is blow your nose and it's fixed, in't it?

Lime: Computers are my forte!

Holly: Put it on, big boy. I won't look at your willy.

Mrs. Terrain: There's been a little complication with my complication

Dialogue

Singers: [TV commercial jingle] Central Services: We do the work, you do the pleasure.

TV commercial pitchman: Hi, there. I want to talk to you about ducts.

Sam Lowry: I only know you got the wrong man.

Jack Lint: Information Transit got the wrong man. I got the *right* man. The wrong one was delivered to me as the right man, I accepted him on good faith as the right man. Was I wrong?

Sam Lowry: You killed Buttle?

Jack Lint: Sam, there are very strict parameters set out to prevent such things happening. Besides, it wasn't my fault that Buttle's heart condition didn't appear on Tuttle's file.

Sam Lowry: Excuse me, Dawson, can you put me through to Mr. Helpmann's office?

Dawson: I'm afraid I can't sir. You have to go through the proper channels.

Sam Lowry: And you can't tell me what the proper channels are, because that's classified information?

Dawson: I'm glad to see the Ministry's continuing its tradition of recruiting the brightest and best, sir.

Sam Lowry: Thank you, Dawson.

T.V. Interviewer: How do you account for the fact that the bombing campaign has been going on for thirteen years?

Mr. Helpmann: Beginners' luck.

Sam Lowry: How are the twins?

Jack Lint: Triplets.

Sam Lowry: My, how time flies!

Harry Tuttle: Bloody paperwork. Huh!

Sam Lowry: I suppose one has to expect a certain amount.

Harry Tuttle: Why? I came into this game for the action, the excitement. Go anywhere, travel light, get in, get out, wherever there's trouble, a man alone. Now they got the whole country sectioned off, you can't make a move without a form.

Sam Lowry: My name's Lowry. Sam Lowry. I've been told to report to Mr. Warrenn.

Porter - Information Retrieval: Thirtieth floor, sir. You're expected.

Sam Lowry: Um... don't you want to search me?

Porter - Information Retrieval: No sir.

Sam Lowry: Do you want to see my ID?

Porter - Information Retrieval: No need, sir.

Sam Lowry: But I could be anybody.

Porter - Information Retrieval: No you couldn't sir. This is Information Retrieval.

Sam Lowry: It's not the machine. There's a mismatch on the personnel code numbers... Tuttle should have had £31.06, debited against his account, not Buttle!

Kurtzman: [horrified] Oh my God, a mistake!

Sam Lowry: Well at least it's not ours.

Kurtzman: [eagerly] Isn't it? Whose is it?

Sam Lowry: Information Retrieval.

Kurtzman: [smiling] Oh, good!

Sam Lowry: Are you alright?

Jill Layton: Yeah.

Sam Lowry: Well, you don't deserve to be!

Sam Lowry: Is that one of your triplets?

Jack Lint: Yeah, probably.

Santa Claus: What would you like for Christmas?

Little girl: [on his lap] My own credit card.

Jill Layton: Get out of my cab.

Sam Lowry: What? Just drive!

Jill Layton: You touched me, nobody touches me.

Jill Layton: Say, all wars have innocent victims.

Sam Lowry: Well, all wars do -

Jill Layton: Who is this war against, Sam?

Sam Lowry: Well, terrorists of course.

Jill Layton: How many terrorists have you met? Actual terrorists?

Sam Lowry: Actual... terrorists? Well ... it's only my first day.

Sam Lowry: You don't exist anymore. I've killed you. Jill Layton is dead.

[(Shows picture of Jill Layton's file with the words "DELETE" on it]

Jill Layton: [smiles] Care for a little necrophilia?

Sam Lowry: Better still, send it to Buttle, after all it's his cheque.

Kurtzmann: I've tried that. Look at this/ [shows Sam a file] You see? The population census has got him down as dormanted. The Central Collective Storehouse computer has got him down as deleted...

Sam Lowry: Hang on. [goes to computer terminal and begins typing]

Kurtzman: ...Information Retrieval has got him down as inoperative. And there's another one - Security has got him down as excised. Administration's got him down as completed...

Sam Lowry: He's dead.

Kurtzman: L... [pause] Dead? Well, that's awful!

[Kurtzman sits down and looks at refund cheque]

Kurtzman: [desperately] We'll never get rid of the damn thing now! What are we going to do Sam?

Mr. Helpmann: He's got away from us, Jack.

Jack Lint: 'Fraid you're right, Mr. Helpmann. He's gone.

Taglines

It's only a state of mind.

We're all in it together.

It's about flights of fantasy. And the nightmare of reality. Terrorist bombings. And late night shopping. True Love. And creative plumbing.

Have a laugh at the horror of things to come.

Suspicion breeds confidence.

Be safe be suspicious.

Cast

Jonathan Pryce - Sam Lowry
Robert De Niro - Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle
Katherine Helmond - Mrs. Ida Lowry
Ian Holm - Mr. M. Kurtzmann
Bob Hoskins - Spoor
Michael Palin - Jack Lint
Ian Richardson - Mr. Warrenn
Peter Vaughan - Mr. Helpmann
Kim Greist - Jill Layton
Jim Broadbent - Dr. Jaffe
Barbara Hicks - Mrs. Alma Terrain
Charles McKeown - Harvey Lime

Quoternity