Time Bandits

"…they didn’t make history, they stole it!"

1981 1h 56m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 1,208

FamilyFantasyScience FictionAdventureComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

“…they didn’t make history, they stole it!”

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Cast

Craig Warnock
Kevin
David Rappaport
Randall
Kenny Baker
Fidgit
Mike Edmonds
Og
Malcolm Dixon
Strutter
Tiny Ross
Vermin
Jack Purvis
Wally
Ian Holm
Napoleon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers: Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Terry Gilliam, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mike Moran. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julian Doyle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Craig Warnock and David Rappaport and Kenny Baker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "…they didn’t make history, they stole it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0081633 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terry Gilliam directs. Peter Biziou behind the camera. Mike Moran scores. Julian Doyle cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.5× over at the box office.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Terry Gilliam, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mike Moran. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Julian Doyle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Craig Warnock and David Rappaport and Kenny Baker carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "…they didn’t make history, they stole it!".
8IMDB entry: tt0081633 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 22 themes, including "treasure", "dwarf", "pig", "magic".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.