One of director Terry Gilliam's most inventive, humorous and visually striking films, the 1981 Time Bandits, as I'm sure you all know, follows the adventures of young Kevin, whose bedroom is invaded one night by a band of time travelling dwarves who have stolen a crucial map from The Supreme Being, who is hot on their trail. Kevin inadvertently teams up with them and finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime in which he meets a prissy Robin Hood, a height-obsessed Napoleon and a true father figure in the shape of King Agamemnon. But The Supreme Being is not the only one chasing the group in search of the map...
Stunningly designed and gorgeously photographed (by Life of Brian's Peter Biziou), the film features a star and character cast to die for, including Sean Connery as Agamemnon, John Cleese as Robin Hood, Ian Holm as Napoleon, Ralph Richardson as The Supreme Being, David Warner as The Evil Genius, and the wonderful David Rappaport as Randall, leader of the bandits, plus memorable turns from the likes of Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan, Kenny Baker, Jim Broadbent, Charles McKeown and Derrick O'Connor.
Available for some time on single disc DVD and for 3 years as a respectable 2-disc 25th Anniversary edition from Anchor Bay, Time Bandits is to be re-released on single disc DVD and receive its UK Blu-ray premiere on 5th October 2009 from Optimum Home Entertainment, complete with a trailer, a scrapbook and a brand new and exclusive interview with Terry Gilliam. The RRP has been set at £15.99 for the DVD and £19.99 for the Blu-ray. |