Trailer
Plot summary
Kevin is a boy absorbed by history, especially Ancient Greece, while his parents care mainly for new gadgets. One night a knight rides out of his wardrobe, and the next night six dwarfs named Randall, Fidgit, Strutter, Og, Wally and Vermin tumble into his room. They have stolen a map that charts the holes in time, and they are looking for a way out before the Supreme Being finds them. When the Supreme Being appears and demands the map, Kevin follows the dwarfs through a portal. The group uses the map to move between eras, meeting Napoleon and Robin Hood, while Kevin photographs what they see.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Time Bandits (1981)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Sean Connery was cast as Agamemnon after he met producer O'Brien on a golf course; the script introduced the character with the joke description "none other than Sean Connery or an actor of equal but cheaper stature", and Connery did the role for a nominal fee plus a share of the gross profits.
- Ralph Richardson's casting as the Supreme Being was because he was regarded as "pretty much near God in the acting profession", and he took the role seriously, marking out his lines in red ink and occasionally saying, "God wouldn't say that".
- Palin felt Ruth Gordon was the best choice for Mrs Ogre, but she dropped out after sustaining an injury shooting Any Which Way You Can; the studio wanted Gilda Radner as the more bankable name, while Gilliam campaigned for Katherine Helmond due to the popularity of the TV comedy Soap.
- The part of Robin Hood was originally written for Palin, but John Cleese was cast as his name was considered more bankable; Cleese based his performance on the Duke of Kent, watching him have meaningless conversations with footballers at the FA Cup Final.
- Game designer Richard Garriott watched Time Bandits about 20 times while creating the 1982 game Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress, copying the time map for a similar "time doors" mechanic, and the game's box even had a similar cloth map inside.
- During post-production Gilliam argued with O'Brien about changing the story's downbeat ending, and O'Brien also pressured him to include some of Harrison's songs; Harrison wrote and performed the closing credits song "Dream Away", whose lyrics commented on Time Bandits and on Gilliam's behavior during the making of the film.
- Jonathan Pryce was offered the role of Evil but opted for another film, Loophole, for a higher fee, as "he was broke" at the time.
SPOILER
For the 1983 Japanese release the distributor wanted to sell the film as a children's programme, so editing was carried out in a manner unique to Japan: part of the Robin Hood and cannibal couple scene and the last scene where the parents disappear were cut, losing about 13 minutes.
