Film #212 - Jabberwocky (1977)
Jabberwocky was Terry Gilliams’s first solo outing as a director, following his collaboration with Terry Jones on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Filming from a script he co-wrote with Charles Alverson, Gilliam spins a rather personal tale around the “nonsense poem” by Lewis Carroll.
The story revolves around Dennis Cooper (Michael Palin), and apprentice…cooper (barrel-maker), who finds himself on his own following his father’s death. Denounced for being a “stocktaker” instead of a craftsman, Dennis heads to the city to make his fortune so he can marry Griselda (Annette Badland), the portly daughter of Mr. Fishfinger (Warren Mitchell), a money-grubbing merchant that Dennis idolizes. Once he makes his way to the city, he encounters a wide variety of characters, from a jealous husband (Bernard Bresslaw) to master cooper, Wat Dabney, who has fallen on hard times (Jerold Wells) to a group of fanatics and their leader (Graham Crowden). He eventually makes friends with a knight’s squire (Harry H. Corbett) and finds himself staving off the attentions of the princess of the realm (Deborah Fallender). When King Bruno (Max Wall), at the insistance of his right-hand-man Passeldewe (John Le Mesurier), announces a tournament to choose a champion to destroy the monster harrassing the country, Dennis finds himself acting as squire and must face the beast and his own potential.
Of course, it is that last part that serves as the only real adaptation of the original poem on view. The rest is fairly typical Gilliam, lot sof commentary on commercialization and man’s inequality towards his fellow man. Dennis, for instance, is put upon by everyone. His father doesn’t care for his focus on business practices. Mr. Fishfinger only cares about Dennis if he’s saving him money. Grizelda never really cares for Dennis at all and the Princess only takes an interest in him because she thinks he’s a Prince. His only real friend is the squire, and even he is willing to use Dennis to further his enamorous ends. (It is the squire’s scheme for getting out of sitting an all-night vigil that leads to his own death and Dennis having to go on the hunt in his stead.)
Anyone who’s seen Gilliam’s later films such as Time Bandits or, especially, Brazil, will recognize this relentlessly depressing outlook on life, where even a standard-issue happy ending is twisted into an unhappily-ever-after. It would not be until The Adventures of Baron Munchausen that Gilliam would learn that happy endings aren’t that bad (and become all the better a filmmaker for it).
But it all starts here in Jabberwocky. Gilliam establishes his modus operandi: distill aspects of literature, pop culture, etc. (especially myths) into a new form that still retains a semblance of the old. Here he is ably assisted by a couple of Monty Python alums; Palin, of course, but also Terry Jones in a small, but memorable role as an early victim of the monster. (Even semi-Python Neil Innes shows up.) The rest of the cast proves just as able, all instilling their characters with a vibrancy that makes each one stand out, despite the large number on view.
Gilliam didn’t have a lot of money to spend on this film, even compared to Time Bandits a few years later. And while this shows if you look too closely at some of the effects, Gilliam was really quite remarkable in the way he was able to divert the eye away from the weaknesses of his visuals, instead being absorbed in the detailed costumes and outrageous characters. This is never more true than with the Jabberwock, itself, which is clearly a kind of large puppet, but proves to be impressive on screen. When the imposing figure of the Black Knight (Dave Prowse) faces off against the beast, it’s as realistic as anyone could ask for, even in this digital age.
Time has been pretty kind to Jabberwocky. Due to its lack of topical humor and its broad themes, it doesn’t feel dated compared to some other films of the day. As I said, it looks its age because of the advances in effects work, but that doesn’t mean it looks creaky or unconvincing. Gilliam’s camerawork ensures that we don’t see the seams, so they can’t prove a distraction. Performances are great and the story surprisingly compelling, given the minimal source material to draw from. Ultimately, though a bit of a downer in the end, Jabberwocky is a ripping great tale, one that fans of Lewis Carroll should definitely seek out, but that others can enjoy just as much.