Dreams and nightmares - Bob McCabe

A behind-the-scenes chronicle of the creation of the Terry Gilliam's 'The Brothers Grimm', charting all the highs and lows in the film's journey from script to screen. Told by both Gilliam and McCabe, who provides an on-set diary, this unique account reveals exactly how a film is made - or ruined - in today's Hollywood system.

THE BROTHERS GRIMM is Terry Gilliam's film for autumn 2005. After two years of pre-production hell, the film was finally greenlit in March 2003 by Miramax's Dimension Films with a budget bigger than anything Gilliam has ever had to work with - on condition that the film was fast-tracked for a 2004 release.

With stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger playing the brothers Jake and Will, and co-starring Jonathan Pryce, hero from Gilliam's seminal BRAZIL, this movie is hailed as an "Indiana Jones and the Brothers Grimm"-style adventure, in which two Middle-Ages conmen who travel the countryside inventing horrendous ghost stories, only so they can claim to have defeated evil and be showered with gifts and women, finally encounter a real magical curse and are forced to find the courage to do a proper day's work of evil-vanquishing.

Drawing upon numerous crewmember's diaries and candid, outspoken interviews with Terry Gilliam and the stars as the basis for this book, author Bob McCabe follows Gilliam through the pre-production battle of wills between director and producers, the nightmares of filming without budget, equipment or even cast, and the anarchy and brinkmanship of post-production inevitable in a Gilliam film. He seeks to unravel the truth buried between the lines, and reveals exactly how a film is made - or ruined - in today's Hollywood system.

Guaranteed to fascinate film buffs and Terry Gilliam fans alike - already intrigued after the collapse of his Don Quixote movie formed the basis of a captivating documentary film - this amusing chronicle will be an unputdownable read and should put anyone who has aspired to direct a film in the future completely off the idea!