Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" Trivia Quiz

Answer: A bug fell into the machine when the arrest sheet during printing, which changed the T to a B

In the movie, we see a dead fly fall into the machine as it is about to type the T in Tuttle and the squashed fly makes it look like a B. Harry Buttle is wrongly arrested and accused of terrorist activities. We never find out whether he was a terrorist or, in fact, what he did for a living.

Later in the movie Sam visits Mrs Tuttle to give her a refund cheque because her husband has been overcharged for 'Information Retrieval Charges' (e.g., torture!).

Answer: The Acid Man

Sam's mother holds a party to celebrate her latest cosmetic surgery. Dr Jaffe and Dr Chapman are at the party when Mrs Terrain appears at the party in bandages following her "acid" treatment, which Dr Chapman prefers to use.

Dr Jaffe and Dr Chapman are clearly rivals and there is a scene in the movie when Mrs Terrain and Sam's mother are discussing cosmetic surgery. Mrs Terrain reprimands Ida Lowry when she refers to Dr Chapman as "The Acid Man". Mrs Terrain comments, "I don't go around calling Dr. Jaffe the knife man."

Answer: The paperwork

Harry Tuttle worked in Central Services but couldn't stand the bureaucracy. He tells Sam that he just couldn't stand 'the bloody paperwork' while he illegally fixes Sam's air conditioning.

Later in the movie we see Robert De Niro who plays Harry Tuttle being consumed by the dreaded paperwork but when Sam tries to save him, there is nothing but paper there.

Answer: Jack Lint

Jack Lint, payed by Michael Palin, is the one who tortures Sam. Although we don't see Sam tortured, at the end of the movie Mr Helpmann and Jack Lint stand over Sam as he escapes to his dream world for the last time.

As Sam retreats to his dream world, Jack is shot in the head by Archibald Tuttle. Tuttle, Sam and Jill escape to freedom.

We then see this is a dream Sam is having and he has, in reality, been lobotomised by Jack Lint.

Answer: A phone call from Mr Kurtzman

In the first dream sequence Sam soares majestically through the skies and we sees Jill in his dream for the first time. His dream is rudely interrupted by a call from Mr Kurtzman demanding to know where he is. Sam doesn't realise it's daytime and tells Kurtzman his electronics are not working properly.

The real Sam Lowry is the antithesis of dream Sam - a winged warrior destined to save his damsel in distress.

Answer: Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam appears as the smoking man that Sam bumps into and chases at Shang-ri La Towers after he visits Mrs Buttle.

He's gone to Shang-ri La Towers to give Mrs Buttle a refund cheque for overcharging. Mrs Buttle is still in shock from the removal, torture and subsequent death of her husband and demands to know what has been done with Buttle's body. She never receives an answer.

Answer: Information Retrieval

Sam's mother is constantly nagging him about taking a promotion, which he studiously ignores. Sam finally decides to take the promotion offered only because he wants to find more information on Jill. He doesn't have clearance in his job at the Department of Records.

Once Sam realises this he accepts the promotion to Information Retrieval on offer he can then access classified information to find out more about Jill.

Information Retrieval is an euphemism for "interrogation" or "torture".

Answer: Helpmann's private elevator code

Sam finds out of the code for the elevator when he is helping Helpmann use the toilet. He refers to Sam's father as a ghost in the machine. His reverie suggests that his father's presence is still felt.

After Helpmann washes his hands he writes in the nearby talcum powder: 'Ere I am JH' in reference to Sam's father. Sam later realises it is the secret code for the lift.

Answer: Geoff Muldaur

Geoff Muldaur recorded the song for the soundtrack but you can also hear parts of the song throughout the orchestral score which was produced by Michael Kamen.

The origins of the song date back to 1939 composed and performed by Ary Barroso's and titled "Aquarela do Brasil" ("Watercolor of Brazil"). The song is a musical ode to the Brazilian motherland.

Kamen originally recorded the score with Kate Bush singing the lyrics.

Answer: Casablanca

The records staff like to stave off the boredom by watching old movies when they think they can get away with it.

Kurtzman likes to keep a close eye on his records staff because he wants to catch them out watching television instead of doing their work.

When Kurtzman tries to catch them out, they quickly turn the screens back to their work. In the movie, the are watching "Casablanca" when he isn't looking.