The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys

Most "making of" documentaries are little more than puff pieces in which the director and lead actors bs about what a wonderful experience it was to make the film and why you should go see it. The Hamster Factor is quite a bit different. Fulton and Pepe were brought on as "witnesses" rather than promoters. The documentary is refreshingly honest about the process including the moments of doubt, the temporary loss of vision, the angst following test screenings and the eventual success of the movie. The Hamster Factor also does a better job at describing the technical details of how the film gets made from pre-production debates in bare-walled offices with distressed office furniture, to on-location production to editing in bare-walled offices with distressed office furniture.

Rarely do you get to view the real behind the scenes of movie making. Most of the times these films are just lengthy pitches for the movie. The Hamster Factor tells its own story about the struggles of the director,producer, crew and less importantly the actors in bringing a finished product to the audience that will please everyone including the director who often has a separate and lofter vision than the producer.The balance is a delicate one, for if the audience isn't pleased then there will be no money for the next film.The only other memorable documentary of a movie that I can remember was the one by Mrs. Francis Ford Coppola documenting the making of Apocalypse Now. Wow! I considered it more dramatic than the movie.

It's always a treat for me to see how a really fantastic film got put together, either through a book or through a documentary in the whole process. Sometimes they're pretty boring, particularly when everyone pats themselves on the back for doing such a good job, or when it's just put together in a haphazard way that doesn't really cover what you'd want it to. The Hamster Factor is different and engaging in that it actually covers the little things, the drama along with the joy, the frustration, the creativity and compromises that are struck up. And that it's also covering a Terry Gilliam making-of makes it all the more wild and funny. It's the first doc by the same directors of Lost in La Mancha, and I could tell a very similar style going on with how they pieced together footage, cut things up into segments, and even included little animations (detailing Brazil and Baron Munchausen's follies). It's almost like a test run for what they would later do with La Mancha, as here they're just trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing on the set.

It's interesting too to see Gilliam with a lot of uncertainties with the picture, because when I first saw 12 Monkeys- and when I see it today- I'm struck by how accomplished and finely tuned and daring so much of it is, as it leaves you questioning yourself even, not just the movie itself. The doc is a little rough around the edges sometimes, and it doesn't have the full-on rush and unexpectedness of La Mancha. But there were some scenes here that I liked just as much as the best scenes in the other documentary, if not more so. The whole section regarding the test screening was the main one for me (and I've been to test screenings before), as the directors show a focus group, talking about a work of art like it was a toothpaste bottle or a buffalo; all the more ironic because Gilliam HAD final cut, but this was used really as leverage for the studio to add some fuel to their 'what the hell is this movie' fire. But to see overall the creative process at such a high volume here is quite entertaining, with the interviews with everyone- not just Gilliam- adding some light on 12 Monkeys, which I've seen many times, and given it just a little more context. Above average for a special-feature on a DVD, I'd say.

This documentary does a good job of showing the true face of the movie industry. It takes away all of the glamour and ease that many of general public attach to movie making.

It is also put together exceptionally well. There are lots of shots that the existence of seems almost impossible.

For those interested in what the film industry is really like - this is a very insightful documentary.

This documentary is included in full on the DVD of Twelve Monkeys that I have.

It documents the difficulties encountered in trying to make a relatively un-Hollywood movie inside of the Hollywood system. It tells the story of how Twelve Monkeys got to be made under exceptional circumstances, and is very effective at conveying the frustrations and problems encountered in dealing with the various collaborators.

Nevertheless, it remains light-hearted and candid, and is presented in the true off-beat style of Terry Gilliam. It also gives us a fascinating look at Terry Gilliam's unique style of filmmaking.

Very interesting.