A lot of people come to this film expecting "Monty Python and The Holy Grail 2", and leave perplexed and disappointed. Understandably so. Come to this from "Brazil", however, and it makes a lot more sense. For much of the same preoccupations that underlie "Brazil" underpin this film too, even if it is by no means as bleak and disturbing. Dennis, our hero, is a socially inept individual easily swayed by the attractions of materialism, albeit Dark Ages materialism - best symbolized by a rotting tuber gifted without care by his unappreciative muse. The society he blunders through is an incompetent bureaucracy, complete with venal merchants and a delightfully distracted king, played wonderfully by Max Wall. Despite the literally tumbledown state of his kingdom, King Bruno is more caught up in the romance of medieval adventuring than any practical measures to either renovate his decaying castle or, indeed, to fight the monster that provides the film's title.The world Gilliam creates for us, dirty, dusty, impoverished for most, echoes that of "Holy Grail", but is altogether less lightly humorous and much darker in tone. The humor is black and often only really sinks in after repeated viewing. But it is there once the veneer is scrubbed away. Curiously veneer is very much a subject of the film, from the rotten vegetable treated as a precious gift to the character, played by Gilliam himself, who wanders around under the delusion that the ordinary rocks he has picked off the ground are diamonds. Shallowness and lack of perception permeate almost all the characters, so much so that when the monster is killed, essentially by accident, one almost feels a twinge of sympathy for the Jabberwock stopped forever in its quest to rid King Bruno's kingdom of its inhabitants. It, at least, knows what it really wants.It's not a perfect film. The pacing slows in places. Some scenes could have been cut or trimmed. Nonetheless, it is memorable and thought-provoking and well worth viewing.

Ah, the wonderful world of Terry Gilliam. Controlled chaos or just plain chaos? Jabberwocky is perhaps the one film buried deep in his filmography but it deserves to be unleashed and live among his most well known. Although it looks like its on a shoestring budget with most of its cheapness coming from the equipment rather than the production design, Gilliam still makes great use of his signature dutch angles to have it feel bursting with creativity. Rather than being a spoof or an all-out comedy, it's a tongue-in-cheek satire on these types of quest films, as a character is called Mr. Fishfinger and the biggest and best joke is that the protagonist doesn't even want the gorgeous princess. It's all entertainment, too silly to be thought-provoking or emotional. Although the jokes are funny, the momentum of the story needed some work. It sets up its concept early and then it doesn't pay it off until way too late in the game. It does kind of remind me that Gilliam has a very rigid formula for the stories of his films. Naive protagonist out of their depth, whacky side characters bouncing around them and a hectic journey of self- worth. Still, it seems his formula works even on the lowest of budgets.7/10

Gilliam's first "Definitely NOT a Python Film" (as it was advertised on the movie poster) is typical of an artist's early attempt to escape from the pigeonhole of an annoyingly successful run in a cult-followed genre. If you need other examples, I cite William Shatner and Douglas Adams. Though he put more gore and serious satire in this film, the comparison to "Holy Grail" cannot be avoided. Gilliam's goal of escape ultimately hurt this film as he tried to squash his own artistic intuition that nevertheless surfaces in a battered and gasping form.The satire of a war-driven economy is brilliantly done, cast starkly against the backdrop of a nonsensical poem brought to life. The choice to make "real" a completely unrealistic story to justify a society's reaction to hide behind religion and governmental protection at the cost of personal freedom and happiness is nothing short of genius. It serves as a contrast to today's society in which many have given up those same freedoms and taken refuge from a threat that is imaginary.A few bad points: The film is low-budget and overstepped the limits of its budget in a few scenes. Film equipment makes an appearance here and there, and the Jabberwocky itself is a bit hokey. The costume and prop recycling from "Holy Grail" is glaringly apparent. I think if Gilliam had embraced this fact during its conception and production, this film would have gone in a much different direction. Better production? I couldn't say.Terry Gilliam is a brilliant director who has gifted us with gems such as "Brazil", "Fear and Loathing", and "Parnassus". I hold no illusions that this has colored my review of this film and possibly even added a star or two to its grade. If I had seen this movie before other Gilliam works, I would have been a bit confused by some of the inappropriate zaniness of some scenes. As a study of Gilliam's early works, it is a great milestone in his transition from Python-to-Director.If you are unfamiliar with Terry Gilliam's later films, I recommend that you NOT see this as your first. Come back to it later though -- it's an interesting by-line to director who later found his own brilliance.

Lately, I've found myself wanting to watch some films over and over. But there are also those films that, perversely enough, I take pleasure in watching-- KNOWING, with full intention, that I will never watch them again. Terry Gilliam's debut as director, JABBERWOCKY, is definitely one of those.Starring Michael Palin, it's like an extended episode of RIPPING YARNS, which was dull & tedious to begin with. It's filmed in the style of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, which means its view of the ancient world is filthy and disgusting and hopeless, but it isn't 1/10th as funny.The highlight is the DeWolff library tracks, among them, excerpts of both "Night On Bald Mountain" (when the champion is surrounded by The Black Knight's hoods, sworn to stop him so as to "protect" the monster for the benefit of the city's merchants), and "Pictures at an Exhibition" (heard when Dennis returns to the city in accidental triumph with the beast's decapitated head).The film's got some talented actors hidden in there... among them, it turns out, Harry H. Corbett, who was the "and Son" on England's STEPTOE AND SON, the younger partner of Wilfred Brambell, who played Paul's grandfather in A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. Because he's chasing after an innkeeper's wife, he gets Michael Palin to fill in for him when his master is chosen champion to face the monster.Also in there-- I KNEW I'd seen this guy before, but for the life of me could not place him-- was Graham Crowden as the head of a bunch of religious fanatics. He'd played "Soldeed" on the DOCTOR WHO story "The Horns Of Nimon", and has long been accused of doing some of the worst over-acting in the show's history!! No wonder he seemed familiar, I knew I'd heard that raving lunatic voice somewhere before.Brian Glover ("Lugg" on CAMPION) was the city "armorer" whose shop is destroyed in a clumsy accident. And Kenneth Colley (who co-starred with Palin in an episode of RIPPING YARNS and was in the 2nd & 3rd STAR WARS films) is a fanatic who INSISTS he be catapulted to a violent yet glorious death. Insists!! Oh yeah, and the Black Knight (whose face we never see, of course) was David Prowse, who, the same year, became Darth Vader.See this only to satisfy curiosity... but if you do, go in with the lowest possible expectations.