Product Description

A young girl (Jodelle Ferland) lives in a terrifying and gruesome world. When her father (Jeff Bridges) takes her away to a rural farmhouse, she finds herself in a bizarre fantasy world where only her dolls’ heads keep her company. When she meets a mentally damaged man and a tall ghost-like woman, the line between her imagination and reality quickly disappears. Tideland is a spine-chilling tale from the visionary mind of acclaimed director Terry Gilliam.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6641 in DVD
• Brand: THINKFILM LLC
• Released on: 2007-02-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 121 minutes

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, but not for everyone
This DVD has an introduction from Terry Gilliam at the beginning of the film, in it he says "I've got a confession to make, a lot of you aren't going to like this film." It's sad, but it's true, it's true because there are some very controversial scenes in the film, it's sad because a lot people won't be able to look past that, and see what a brilliant film this really is. No, these scenes don't have to be in the film, but maybe Gilliam's making a point about how we see the world; "If it's disturbing it's because it's innocent."

Tideland is the story of a little girl named Jeliza- Rose who travels to a small house in the country with her father, the film shows how she deals with her difficult life with imagination, the film's dark and disturbing, but ultimately optimistic.
There's a lot for Gilliam fans here, the camera angles, the odd fantasy elements and the strange dark humor.

This film could have been terrible if it hadn't been done properly, but the film stays interesting and gripping because of the connection Gilliam gives us to Jeliza-Rose.

I'm not here to judge, and if people don't like this film they're entitled to, but all I'm saying is give it a chance, because a fair few of you, like me, are going to love it for the beautiful film it is.

This is a review of the dvd, not the film
This region 1 dvd really dropped the ball. The correct aspect ratio of the movie is 2.35:1, which is a dramatically wide picture. This dvd is 1.85:1, which has quite a bit of the picture cropped off. Nowhere on the package does it mention this, so if you're thinking you're getting to see the movie the way Gilliam intended, you are not. I can think of no reason this was done, and it is a true disservice to anyone who purchases this dvd. I hope a new edition is released in the future, but this version is a total waste of money.

REMEMBER ANDREW WYETH'S PAINTING OF A GIRL IN A FIELD LOOKING AT A LONELY HOUSE ON A HILL?
WELL, THIS'S IT, only swirled with near-psychedelic images (beautifully shot) and a bizarre, unsettling and confounding story and characters seldom seen on screen. Akin to CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, it's touching and scary at the same time. Taboos abound.

Tideland is insane. Delusional. Disturbing. Frequently dizzying. Made to be more felt than understood. It left me roiling over its strange characters, images and (maybe) hidden meanings. Shed your preconceptions and prejudices, expect to be frustrated and confused; but in the end you'll feel more stirred than shaken. It's definitely a see and re-see to be appreciated kinda movie. (And definitely a love-it or hate-it movie. Totally formula-less.)

Perhaps it meant to be so-overtly over-the-edge; maybe Genius Gilliam unleashed his visual and conceptual elegance so extravagantly to reach raw depths. Maybe he was on something; whatever, this is an Experience. Good luck.