Gilliam and Jones were the driving forces to make the TV show more cinematic. Chosen as directors because Ian MacNaughton had limitations. Short in less than five weeks for 460,000 pounds. Shot entirely in England. Camera broke on the first shot of the first day. That was in Glencoe. Gilliam worked more on storyboards and camera angles, while Jones worked with the actors. Within in two weeks of the first shot, the National Trust took away all the castles they had chosen. They feared they would not respect the dignity of the fabric of the castles. Had to use cut-outs and models. Kept principal castle at Doune. Gilliam's directorial debut. Offers started pouring in.[1]
After Python was released. Gilliam's directorial debut. Offers started pouring in. Gilliam was writing/directing a project called World War Three and All That. Producers were Sandy Lieberson and David Puttnam. Lieberson wanted to use documentary footage from WWII and elsewhere with Beatles songs. Animation sequences. Just wasn't working. Already had the idea for Jabberwocky. Lieberson liked it.[2] Set it up with John Goldstone and the same financiers from Holy Grail. Worked on the script with Chuck Alverson, an assistant editor of Help! magazine. "What intrigued me was the idea of a world where the terror created by a monster is good for business. Commerce is a theme that runs through the film. But it's really about a collision of fairytales...the tale of a reluctant hero who gets the wrong happy-ever-after ending. It's my way of punishing him for having such pathetic dreams." The lead role between Jabberwocky and Brazil are similar characters. "His aspirations are so low - he wants to have a little business and marry the fat girl down the river - but instead he gets half the kingdom, the beautiful princess, and is doomed. The Idea of two fairytales colliding really appealed to me." Shot at Shepperton Studios. Also shot at Pembroke and Chepstow castles.[3]Jabberwocky wasn't a great commercial or critical success. It was sold as a Python film and it didn't deliver as such. "In Germany, Poland and places like that - where they didn't know Python, - it was really well received and the reviews were great. But in places where Python was known, that was all they saw in it. It's funny, but it's only half as funny; they could see what else I was trying to do." Homage to the paintings of Breughel and Bosch. Eventually broke even with home video sales.[4]
