Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Time Bandits Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2014

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer; audio commentary with the American director, coscreenwriter and actor Michael Palin, and actors John Cleese, David Warner, and Craig Warnock; excerpt from a 1981 episode of NBC's Tomorrow featuring actress Shelley Duvall; filmed conversation between Terry Gilliam and film scholar Peter von Bagh; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The visitors

What makes Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits a special film is the fact that it is completely unpredictable. You feel right from the get-go that it could end up anywhere, that anything could happen in it. It is the type of film that really does take you on a journey and you allow it to convince you that everything that happens in it is possible -- at least until the final credits roll. Gilliam has directed several such films, but Time Bandits is one of his best.

The journey begins in 11-year-old Kevin’s (Craig Warnock) bedroom when a horseman from another dimension gallops through his wardrobe and then disappears without a trace. On the following night, Kevin is joined by six dwarfs (led by the terrific David Rappaport) with a very special map that shows them how to time travel. From his room, they open up a giant hole and head to a different dimension, with Kevin right behind them. While moving through time, the dwarfs steal whatever they like and try to have a good time.

Eventually, however, the owner of the map, the Supreme Being, appears and warns the dwarfs to return it. They ignore him and continue their cosmic journey until the powerful Evil (David Warner, The Omen) also becomes interested in their precious possession. Not realizing that they are closely watched from above, the dwarfs foolishly enter Evil’s dark castle.

The film is shot in a manner that makes it easy to enjoy by children and adults. On one hand, Gilliam arranges for Kevin and the dwarfs to meet the likes of Robin Hood (truly fantastic John Cleese), Napoleon (Ian Holm, The Sweet Hereafter) and King Agamemnon of ancient Greece (Sean Connery) in a series of hilarious episodes in which he effectively brushes aside all sorts of popular beliefs. On the other hand, the film also successfully introduces some surprisingly serious observations about technology and the role it could play in the future. (Considering the fact that Time Bandits was completed in 1981, it is surprising to see how appropriate many of these observations were).

The cast is fantastic, but it is the emphasis on detail and the outstanding designs that truly leave a lasting impression. As is the case with Brazil, Gilliam’s imagination runs wild, and many of the film’s most dramatic sequences have to be seen to believed. The final third in particular, where Kevin and the dwarfs enter Evil’s castle, is quite spectacular. The use of light, shadow, and a variety of different colors to create a unique futuristic Gothic environment is very effective.

Time Bandits was lensed by cinematographer Peter Biziou (Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd The Wall, Jim Sheridan’s In the Name of the Father).

The film’s wonderful soundtrack was created by Mike Moran, who co-wrote the legendary duet Barcelona. Freddie Mercury and the great Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballe recorded the song for the 1992 Olympics opening ceremony.

In 1982, Time Bandits earned five Saturn Awards nominations, including Best International Film, Best Director, and Best Special Effects (Jon Bunker).

Time Bandits Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Terry Gilliam, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original camera negative. The restoration was overseen by Arrow Video and performed by Deluxe Digital Cinema in London. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS. The original soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm magnetic track.

Transfer supervisor: Terry Gilliam; James White/Arrow Video, London.
Colorist: Stephen Berman/Deluxe, London."

The high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Arrow Video used for their release of Time Bandits in the United Kingdom. However, it has been sourced from the same recent 2K restoration of the film, which was approved by the American director.

There are dramatic improvements in every single area we typically address in our reviews. Depth, clarity and especially image depth are vastly superior when one compares this upcoming release with previous DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film in the United States (a review of Image Entertainment's initial Blu-ray release of Time Bandits can be accessed here). There is also an entirely new range of fresh, vibrant and exceptionally healthy colors (see screencaptures #2 and 3). Furthermore, there are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Unsurprisingly, light and beautifully resolved grain can been seen throughout the entire film. Overall image stability is outstanding. I've compared this upcoming release with Arrow Video's release and could not see any important discrepancies to mention in our review (you can compare screencapture #14 with screencapture #2 from our review of the Region-B review). To sum it all up, this is a fantastic presentation of Time Bandits which almost certainly will remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Time Bandits Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

When I first viewed the 2K restoration of Time Bandits I thought that the LPCM 2.0 track was clearly better than the 5.1 track. It was better balanced and dynamic intensity was better controlled. Fortunately, Criterion's release comes with the LPCM 2.0 track and I am convinced that viewers will be very pleased with the depth and the excellent range of nuanced dynamics. (If you still own a copy of the first Blu-ray release, compare the sequence where the horse jumps out of the wardrobe very early into the film). The dialog is exceptionally crisp, stable, clean, and very easy to follow. Also, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions.

Time Bandits Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Time Bandits. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Creating the Worlds of Time Bandits - in this video piece, production designer Milly Burns and costume designer James Acheson explain how the different period costumes for the time bandits were created. (Some of the content also appears in interviews on the Arrow Video release). Original drawings and sketches are included and compared to the actual clothes seen in the film. The new piece is narrated by film writer David Morgan. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Terry Gilliam and Peter von Bagh - presented here is a filmed conversation between Terry Gilliam and film scholar Peter von Bagh. The American director explains what inspired him to shoot the film, what it was like growing up in Minnesota (and why he does not remember the local cinema), how the work of different directors and actors influenced him (there is an excellent observation about the films of Federico Fellini), and discusses his work as a cartoonist, his frustration with the socio-political environment in America during the '60s, the casting of Time Bandits, the shooting process, etc. The conversation was filmed at the Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankyla, Finland, in 1998. In English, not subtitled. (80 min, 1080i).

• Shelley Duvall - presented here is an excerpt from a 1981 episode of NBC's Tomorrow show in which Shelley Duvall discusses her contribution to Time Bandits. The American actress also quickly addresses her work in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining as well as some of her roles in Robert Altman's films (Brewster McCloud, Nashville). In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

• Stills Gallery - a gallery of rare behind-the-scenes still from the shooting of Time Bandits (1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary with director Terry Gilliam, coscreenwriter and actor Michael Palin, and actors John Cleese, David Warner, and Craig Warnock also appeared on Criterion's first DVD release of Time Bandits. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1997.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt.

Time Bandits Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits is very easy to recommend because it is so convincingly superior to the one Image Entertainment produced back in 2010. When one compares the two, the difference in quality is truly staggering. In addition to the excellent audio commentary that was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1997, included on this release is a fascinating audio conversation between the American director and film scholar Peter von Bagh. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.