| 12 Monkeys | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Terry Gilliam |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | La Jetée byChris Marker |
| Produced by | Charles Roven |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Mick Audsley |
| Music by | Paul Buckmaster |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $29 million[1] |
| Box office | $168.8 million[2] |
12 Monkeys is a 1995 Americanpost-apocalypticscience fictionthriller film directed byTerry Gilliam from a screenplay byDavid Peoples andJanet Peoples, based onChris Marker's 1962 short filmLa Jetée. It starsBruce Willis,Madeleine Stowe,Brad Pitt, andChristopher Plummer. Set in apost-apocalyptic future devastated by disease, the film follows a convict who is sent back in time to gather information about the man-madevirus that wiped out most of thehuman population on the planet.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on December 29, 1995, byUniversal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $168.8 million worldwide against a $29 million budget. At the68th Academy Awards, the film was nominated forBest Supporting Actor (for Pitt) andBest Costume Design. It garnered seven nominations at the22nd Saturn Awards, winning three:Best Science Fiction Film,Best Supporting Actor, andBest Costumes. Pitt also wonBest Supporting Actor at the53rd Golden Globe Awards.
A deadly virus released in 1996 wiped out almost all of humanity, forcing survivors to live underground. A group known as the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is believed to have released the virus. In 2035, James Cole is a prisoner living in an underground compound beneathPhiladelphia. Cole is selected to be sent back in time to find the original virus to help scientists develop a cure in exchange for a reduced sentence. Cole is troubled by dreams involving a foot chase and a shooting at an airport.
Cole arrives inBaltimore in 1990, not 1996 as planned. He is arrested and incarcerated at a mental hospital on the diagnosis of Dr. Kathryn Railly. There he encounters Jeffrey Goines, a mental patient with extremeenvironmentalist andanti-corporate views. Cole is interviewed by a panel of doctors and tries to explain his situation, noting that the virus outbreak has already happened and cannot be prevented.
After an escape attempt, Cole is sedated and locked in a cell, but he disappears and awakens back in 2035. He is interrogated by the scientists, who play a distorted voicemail message that asserts the association of the Army of the 12 Monkeys with the virus. He is also shown photos of numerous people suspected of being involved, including Goines. The scientists offer Cole another chance to complete his mission and send him back in time. Cole briefly arrives at a battlefield duringWorld War I, where he sees another prison inmate who was sent back in time, José. Cole is shot in the leg and gets transported to 1996.
In 1996, Railly gives a lecture about theCassandra complex to a group of scientists. At the post-lecture book-signing, Railly meets Dr. Peters, who tells her that apocalypse alarmists represent the sane vision whilehumanity's gradual destruction of the environment is the real lunacy.
Cole arrives at the venue after seeing flyers publicizing it. When Railly departs, he kidnaps her and forces her to take him to Philadelphia. They learn that Goines is the founder of the Army of the 12 Monkeys before they set out in search of him. When Cole confronts Goines, he denies any involvement with the group. He says that in 1990, Cole originated the idea of wiping out humanity with a virus stolen from Goines' virologist father, Dr. Leland Goines.
Cole is transported back to 2035, where he reaffirms to the scientists his commitment to his mission and asks to be sent back to complete it. When he finds Railly again in 1996, he tells her that he now believes himself crazy, as she had suggested. Railly has discovered evidence of his time travel to the Great War, which she shows him, thinking he is sane. They decide to depart for theFlorida Keys before the start of the plague.
Cole and Railly learn that the Army of the 12 Monkeys was not the source of the epidemic; the group's major act of protest is releasing animals from a zoo and placing Goines' father in an animal cage. At the airport, Cole leaves a message telling the scientists that they are on the wrong track following the Army of the 12 Monkeys, and he will not return. Cole is confronted by José, who gives Cole a handgun and instructs him to follow orders. Railly spots Dr. Peters at the airport and recognizes him from a newspaper as an assistant of Goines' father. Peters is about to embark on a tour of several cities that matches the viral outbreaks chronologically and geographically.
Cole is informed of Peters by Railly, then forces his way through a security checkpoint in pursuit of Peters. Cole draws his gun, then is shot by the police. As he lies dying in Railly's arms, she scans the crowd around her. She makes eye contact with a small boy: the young James Cole, witnessing the scene of his death, which will replay in his dreams for years to come. Peters, aboard the plane with the virus, sits down next to Jones, one of the scientists from the future, who comments that her job is "insurance". The young Cole watches a plane take off from the ground outside the airport.
The genesis of12 Monkeys came fromexecutive producer Robert Kosberg, who had been a fan of the French short filmLa Jetée (1962). Kosberg persuaded that film's director,Chris Marker, to let himpitch the project toUniversal Pictures, seeing it as a perfect basis for a full-length science fiction film. Universal agreed to purchase theremake rights and hiredDavid andJanet Peoples to write the screenplay.[3] ProducerCharles Roven choseTerry Gilliam to direct, because he believed the filmmaker's style was perfect for12 Monkeys' nonlinear storyline and time travel subplot.[4] Gilliam had just abandoned afilm adaptation ofA Tale of Two Cities when he signed to direct12 Monkeys, though Gilliam felt the script was "too complex" to take on.[5][6]
The film represents the second film for which Gilliam did not write or co-write the screenplay. Although he prefers to direct his own scripts, he was captivated by Peoples' "intriguing and intelligent script. The story is disconcerting. It deals with time, madness and a perception of what the world is or isn't. It is a study of madness and dreams, of death and re-birth, set in a world coming apart".[4]
Universal took longer than expected to approve12 Monkeys, although Gilliam had two stars (Willis and Pitt) and a firm budget of $29.5 million (low for a Hollywood science fiction film). Universal's production ofWaterworld (1995) had resulted in variouscost overruns. To get12 Monkeys approved for production, Gilliam persuaded Willis to lower his normalasking price.[7] Because of Universal's strict production incentives and his history with the studio onBrazil, Gilliam receivedfinal cut privilege. TheWriters Guild of America was skeptical of the "inspired by" credit forLa Jetée and Chris Marker.[8] Gilliam said that he had not seenLa Jetée when he made12 Monkeys.[9]
Gilliam's initial casting choices wereNick Nolte as James Cole andJeff Bridges as Jeffrey Goines, but Universal objected.[5] Other actors were suggested for the roles includedNicolas Cage andTom Cruise, but Gilliam rejected the choices.[10] Gilliam, who first met Bruce Willis while casting Jeff Bridges' role inThe Fisher King (1991), believed Willis evoked Cole's characterization as being "somebody who is strong and dangerous but also vulnerable".[4] Gilliam later stated that he wasn't originally interested in casting Willis because of the actor's mouth.[10]
Gilliam castMadeleine Stowe as Dr. Kathryn Railly because he was impressed by her performance inBlink (1994).[4] The director first met Stowe when he was casting his abandoned film adaptation ofA Tale of Two Cities.[5] "She has this incredible ethereal beauty and she's incredibly intelligent", Gilliam said of Stowe. "Those two things rest very easily with her, and the film needed those elements because it has to be romantic."[4]
Gilliam originally believed that Pitt was not right for the role of Jeffrey Goines, but the casting director convinced him otherwise.[5] Pitt was cast for a comparatively small salary, as he was still relatively unknown at the time. By the time of12 Monkeys' release,Interview with the Vampire (1994),Legends of the Fall (1994), andSe7en (1995) had been released, making Pitt anA-list actor, which drew greater attention to the film and boosted its box-office standing. InPhiladelphia, months before filming, Pitt spent weeks atTemple University's hospital, visiting and studying the psychiatric ward to prepare for his role.[4]
Principal photography lasted from February 8 to May 6, 1995. Shooting on location inPhiladelphia andBaltimore (including theSenator Theatre)[1][11] in winter was fraught with weather problems. There were also technical glitches with the futuristic mechanical props. Because the film has a nonlinear storyline, continuity errors occurred, and some scenes had to be reshot. Gilliam also injured himself when he went horseback riding. Despite setbacks, the director managed to stay within the budget and was only a week behind hisshooting schedule. "It was a tough shoot", acknowledgedJeffrey Beecroft, the film'sproduction designer. "There wasn't a lot of money or enough time. Terry is a perfectionist, but he was really adamant about not going over budget. He got crucified forMunchausen, and that still haunts him."[1]
The filmmakers were not allowed access tosound stages; thus, they had to find abandoned buildings or landmarks to use.[8] The exteriors of the climactic airport scene were shot at theBaltimore–Washington International Airport, while the interior scenes were shot at thePennsylvania Convention Center (formerlyReading Terminal). Filming at the psychiatric hospital was done at theEastern State Penitentiary andGirard College.[12] Some shots took place in abandoned motels inCamden, New Jersey.[13][14]12 Monkeys was shot in the1.85:1 format rather thananamorphic.[15]
Gilliam used the same filmmaking style as he had inBrazil (1985), including theart direction andcinematography (specifically usingFresnel lenses).[7] The appearance of the interrogation room where Cole is being interviewed by the scientists was based on the work ofLebbeus Woods; these scenes were shot at threepower stations (two in Philadelphia and one in Baltimore). Gilliam intended to show Cole being interviewed through a multi-screen interrogation TV set because he felt the machinery evoked a "nightmarish intervention of technology. You try to see the faces on the screens in front of you, but the real faces and voices are down there and you have these tiny voices in your ear. To me that's the world we live in, the way we communicate these days, through technical devices that pretend to be about communication but may not be".[16]
Theart department made sure that the 2035 underground world only used pre-1996 technology, to depict the bleakness of the future. Gilliam, Beecroft and set decoratorCrispian Sallis went to severalflea markets and salvage warehouses looking for materials to decorate the sets.[4] The majority of visual effects sequences were created by Peerless Camera Company, which Gilliam founded in the late 1970s with Kent Houston, the film'svisual effects supervisor.[15] Additionaldigital compositing was done byThe Mill, whileCinesite provided film scanning services.[4]
Thefilm's score was composed, arranged, and conducted by English musicianPaul Buckmaster. The main theme is based onArgentinetango musician/composerAstor Piazzolla'sSuite Punta del Este.[17]
Cole has been thrust from another world into ours and he's confronted by the confusion we live in, which most people somehow accept as normal. So he appears abnormal, and what's happening around him seems random and weird. Is he mad or are we?
In the biographical novelGilliam on Gilliam, director Terry Gilliam described the film as "very much about the twentieth century's inundation of information and about deciphering what among all this noise and imagery is useful and important to our lives"; these themes are expressed in conflicts between the protagonist and antagonistic elements in the relative 'past' and 'future'.[7]
References to time, time travel, and monkeys are scattered throughout the film, including theWoody Woodpecker cartoon,Time Tunnel (1969), playing on the TV in a hotel room, theMarx Brothers filmMonkey Business (1931) on TV in the asylum, and the subplots involving monkeys (drug testing, news stories and animal rights).
12 Monkeys is inspired by the French short filmLa Jetée (1962); as inLa Jetée, characters are haunted by the images of their own deaths.[12] LikeLa Jetée,12 Monkeys contains references toAlfred Hitchcock'sVertigo (1958). Toward the end of the film, Cole and Railly hide in a theater showing a 24-hour Hitchcock marathon and watch scenes fromVertigo andThe Birds. Railly then transforms herself with a blonde wig, as Judy (Kim Novak) transforms herself into blonde Madeleine inVertigo; Cole sees her emerge within a red light, as Scottie (James Stewart) saw Judy emerge within a green light.[12] Brief notes ofBernard Herrmann's film score can also be heard. Railly also wears the same coat Novak wore in the first part ofVertigo. The scene atMuir Woods National Monument, where Judy (as Madeleine) looks at the growth rings of a felled redwood and traces back events in her past life, resonates with larger themes in12 Monkeys. Cole and Railly later have a similar conversation while the same music fromVertigo is repeated.[12] The Muir Woods scene inVertigo is also reenacted inLa Jetée. In a previous scene in the film, Cole wakes up in a hospital bed with the scientists talking to him in chorus. This is a direct homage to the "Dry Bones" scene inDennis Potter'sThe Singing Detective.[18] James Cole is a notableChrist figure in the film.[19][20] The film is significant in the genre of science-fictionfilm noir, and it alludes to various "canonical noir" films.[21]
Universal Pictures released12 Monkeys on VHS on January 28, 1997.[22][better source needed] It was also released on a "Signature Collection" LaserDisc of the film on February 18, 1997, containing anaudio commentary by director Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven,The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys (amaking-of documentary), an archive of production art, and production notes.[23]It was first released on DVD on March 31, 1998, containing the same extras as the LaserDisc.[24][better source needed] It was re-released as a Special Edition DVD on May 10, 2005, with a new transfer of the film and identical extras.[25] It was also released onHD DVD on March 4, 2008, with the same extras.[24] It was released onBlu-ray Disc on July 28, 2009, with the same extras.[24]Arrow Films released a new Blu-ray of the film on October 15, 2018, containing a new transfer of the film, remastered in 4K from the original negative, all of the previous extras, as well as a vintage 1996 interview with Terry Gilliam, and an interview with Gilliam scholar Ian Christie.[26]
In the beginning of the film, Cole is brought into an interrogation room and told to sit in a chair attached to a vertical rail on the wall. A spherical machine with screens of varying sizes showing close-ups of the faces of the scientists interrogating Cole, supported by a metal armature is suspended directly in front of him, probing for weaknesses as the inquisitors interrogate him.[27] ArchitectLebbeus Woods filed a lawsuit against Universal in February 1996, claiming that his work "Neomechanical Tower (Upper) Chamber" was used without permission. Woods won his lawsuit, requiring Universal to remove the scenes, but he ultimately allowed their inclusion in exchange for a "high six-figure cash settlement" from Universal.[27][28]
After the release ofThe Zero Theorem in 2013, claims were made that Gilliam had meant it as part of a trilogy. A 2013 review forThe Guardian said, "Calling it [The Zero Theorem] the third part of a trilogy formed by earlier dystopian satiresBrazil andTwelve Monkeys [sic]";[29] but in an interview with Alex Suskind forIndiewire in late 2014, Gilliam said, "Well, it's funny, this trilogy was never something I ever said, but it's been repeated so often it's clearly true [laughs]. I don't know who started it but once it started it never stopped".[30]
12 Monkeys grossed $57.14 million in the United States and Canada, and $111.69 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $168.83 million.[2] The film held the No. 1 spot on box office charts for two weeks in January, before dropping due to competition fromFrom Dusk till Dawn,Mr. Holland's Opus, andBlack Sheep.[31]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 88% of 73 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "The plot's a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make12 Monkeys a kooky, effective experience."[32]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[33] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[34]
The film's startling depiction of the world in 2035—where human life has been driven underground by a 1990s viral outbreak that annihilated 99% of human life—may not always make sense. But12 Monkeys rattles with insightful sound and fury, and its bleak visions are hard to shake.
Roger Ebert found12 Monkeys' depiction of the future similar toBlade Runner (1982, also scripted byDavid Peoples) andBrazil (1985, also directed by Terry Gilliam). "The film is a celebration of madness and doom, with a hero who tries to prevail against the chaos of his condition, and is inadequate", Ebert wrote. "This vision is a cold, dark, damp one, and even the romance between Willis and Stowe feels desperate rather than joyous. All of this is done very well, and the more you know about movies (especially the technical side), the more you're likely to admire it. [...] And as entertainment, it appeals more to the mind than to the senses."[36]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times stated, "This apocalyptic nightmare, a vigorous work of dark, surprise-filled science fiction, is much tougher and less fanciful than the director's films have often been. [...]12 Monkeys is fierce and disturbing, with a plot that skillfully resists following any familiar course. The film's hero fears that he's half-crazy, and for two hours Mr. Gilliam artfully keeps his audience feeling the same way."[37]Desson Thomson ofThe Washington Post praised the art direction and set design. "Willis and Pitt's performances, Gilliam's atmospherics and an exhilarating momentum easily outweigh such trifling flaws in the script", Thomson wrote.[38]Peter Travers fromRolling Stone magazine attributes the film's success to Gilliam's direction and Willis' performance.[39] Internet reviewerJames Berardinelli believed the filmmakers had an intelligent and creative motive for the time-travel subplot. Rather than being sent to change the past, James Cole is instead observing it to make a better future.[40]Richard Corliss ofTime magazine felt the film's time-travel aspect and apocalyptic depiction of a bleak future wereclichés. "In its frantic mix of chaos, carnage and zoo animals,12 Monkeys isJumanji for adults", Corliss wrote.[41]
Brad Pitt was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but lost toKevin Spacey forThe Usual Suspects.Julie Weiss was also nominated for but lost toJames Acheson forRestoration.[42] However, Pitt won theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.[43]Terry Gilliam was honored for his direction at the46th Berlin International Film Festival.[12]
The film also received positive notices from the science fiction community. It was nominated for theHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation[44] and theAcademy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films awarded it theSaturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film at the22nd Saturn Awards. Pitt and Weiss won awards at the ceremony as well; Gilliam,Bruce Willis,Madeleine Stowe, and writersDavid andJanet Peoples also received nominations.[45]
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On August 26, 2013,Entertainment Weekly announced thatSyfy was developing a12 Monkeys television series based on the film. Production began in November 2013. Thepilot was written byTerry Matalas and Travis Fickett, who had previously written for the seriesTerra Nova. Due to the series being labeled as "cast contingent", the series did not move forward until the roles of Cole and Goines were cast.[46] In April 2014, Syfygreen-lit the first season, which consisted of 13 episodes, including the pilot filmed in 2013. The series premiered on January 16, 2015.[47] On March 12, 2015, the series was renewed for a second season that began airing in April 2016.[48] Actress Madeleine Stowe made an appearance in one Season 2 episode, being the only cast member of the film to appear on the series.[49] On June 29, 2016, the series was renewed for a 10-episode third season, set to premiere in 2017.[50] The third season aired over three consecutive nights, from May 19 to May 21, 2017. A fourth and final season was announced on March 16, 2017. The eleven-episode fourth season ran from June 15 to July 6, 2018.[51]
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