In this holiday edition of Look Behind the Look, we unwrap the layers of Terry Gilliam's 1985 film Brazil, a retro futurist fever dream that cleverly disguises its incisive critique of bureaucracy and authoritarianism as a Christmas movie. Join us as we explore the film's rich aesthetics, from its elaborate production design to the campy hair and makeup, revealing how these visuals reflect the emotional machinery of a society struggling under the weight of conformity and denial. Discover how Brazil remains relevant today, echoing our contemporary challenges with digital systems and the normalization of crisis.

0:00 - Intro 1:28 - Gilliam After Python: The Architect of Beautiful Nightmares 3:05 - The Look: A World Styled for Breakdown 4:12 - Camp as Survival & Bureaucratic Beauty 5:25 - Imagination as a Last Resort: Sam Dreams 6:18 - The Restaurant Scene: Elegance at the Edge of Collapse 7:05 - When Help Becomes Theater 7:41 - When Emptiness Becomes Violence 8:27 - The Christmas Setting: Festivity as Emotional Camouflage 9:36 - If Brazil Were Made Today 13:27 - Closing

I finally had the chance to have Frances Hannon on the show and yes, you have heard from her by now, but I know there are some tid-bits you will learn from our talk... perhaps you haven’t learned about John Chu’s bespokeiridescent blue for his horses...? How would you like to get your hands on that creation?

And for those of you who aren’t besieged with Wicked in your feed, this may be the first time you are learning about Frances’ process working with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, John Chu on this epic adventure of WICKED and WICKED:FOR GOOD.

In this episode of Look Behind the Look, I chat with makeup designer Sharon Tabb, who shares her creative journey behind the scenes of the hit series “The Lowdown” and the important film “Sarah’s Oil.” Sharon shared with me her origin story and while I always love a “how did you get here” exchange, this one is truly remarkable as serendipity and a leap of faith were powerful players in Sharon’s arrival to her career. If you are just getting started in your career, this episode is full of words of wisdom, and if you are far along in your journey, you will love hearing about what keeps Sharon motivated as I am sure you can relate. I was truly recharged after spending time with her and I know you will be too.