Why the visionary and darkly satirical film Brazil, co-written by the late great Tom Stoppard, deserves a Prometheus nomination next year

By Michael Grossberg

This seems the right moment to take a fresh look at Brazil, one of the greatest dystopian science fiction visions of our era – and also one of the most libertarian.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the film is one of the most widely seen and arguably among the most enduring works of the avowed libertarian Tom Stoppard, the internationally acclaimed Czech-British playwright and screenwriter who died recently at 88.

Released in 1985, the film was directed by Terry Gilliam and co-written by Gilliam, Stoppard and Charles McKeown.

Continue reading Why the visionary and darkly satirical film Brazil, co-written by the late great Tom Stoppard, deserves a Prometheus nomination next year

Tom Stoppard, R.I.P.: The great playwright and screenwriter (Brazil) was also a “timid libertarian
”

By Michael Grossberg

Tom Stoppard (Creative Commons license)

Tom Stoppard, who died recently at 88, was universally recognized as one of our greatest playwrights and screenwriters.

Yet, the Czech-British writer was also an avowed libertarian. While that lesser-known fact was mentioned over the years in some profiles and in a few obits, it deserves more attention.

Especially when one realizes that some of Stoppard’s greatest plays have libertarian themes and that he co-wrote the screenplay for Brazil, one of the most libertarian sf/fantasy films of the past four decades.

Continue reading Tom Stoppard, R.I.P.: The great playwright and screenwriter (Brazil) was also a “timid libertarian
”