This short film is an interesting opening to the Meaning of Life. It is critical of corporate power ("Very Big Corporation of America"), evident horrid workplace with the old workers fighting against the "suits" (corporate men), and asset stripping (what the old men do to companies in the world of high finance). But this ends quickly as being not "realistic" with the old men falling off the cliff in their building/ship. Later this comes up the Meaning of Life with the boat squashed as a distraction, saying that they need to end the "unwarranted attack by the supporting feature."
There is more to say about this short film. It was Terry Gilliam's fourth work he directed, after Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which he co-directed with Terry Jones, Jaberwocky (1977), and Time Bandits (1981). Additionally, while this film included few of the original Monty Python crew, it still has a lasting impact. Like other Gilliam works, this was absurdist and silly, but it connected to common themes in other movies, like the characters bursting into song or a concept that seems laughable on its face. This film was also unique in that most of the cast were comprised of older individuals, which is usually not the case for most movies, which primarily comprise of those whom are younger, even if they are focused on the life of some older people.
Additionally, I'd like to add that this film, apart from giving a number of actors a platform they would have not otherwise had, is unique in that does not have the same tempo, rhythm, or length of The Meaning of Life. That makes it a curious introduction to the main film, but it also allows it to, in a sense, stand on its own, to say the least. With that, my review of this short film has come to a close.
There is more to say about this short film. It was Terry Gilliam's fourth work he directed, after Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which he co-directed with Terry Jones, Jaberwocky (1977), and Time Bandits (1981). Additionally, while this film included few of the original Monty Python crew, it still has a lasting impact. Like other Gilliam works, this was absurdist and silly, but it connected to common themes in other movies, like the characters bursting into song or a concept that seems laughable on its face. This film was also unique in that most of the cast were comprised of older individuals, which is usually not the case for most movies, which primarily comprise of those whom are younger, even if they are focused on the life of some older people.
Additionally, I'd like to add that this film, apart from giving a number of actors a platform they would have not otherwise had, is unique in that does not have the same tempo, rhythm, or length of The Meaning of Life. That makes it a curious introduction to the main film, but it also allows it to, in a sense, stand on its own, to say the least. With that, my review of this short film has come to a close.