The Crimson Permanent Assurance

"Our Short Feature Presentation"

1983 0h 16m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 133

ComedyFantasyAdventure

Synopsis

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A group of down-and-out accountants mutiny against their bosses and sail their office building onto the high seas in search of a pirate's life.

“Our Short Feature Presentation”

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Cast

Sydney Arnold
Guy Bertrand
Andrew Bicknell
Ross Davidson
Myrtle Devenish
Tim Douglas
Bicycle Boy
Matt Frewer
Billy John

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers: Terry Gilliam
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 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 16-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Sydney Arnold and Guy Bertrand and Andrew Bicknell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Our Short Feature Presentation".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0215685 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terry Gilliam directs. Roger Pratt behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 16-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Terry Gilliam, shot by Roger Pratt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Sydney Arnold and Guy Bertrand and Andrew Bicknell carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Our Short Feature Presentation".
6IMDB entry: tt0215685 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roger Pratt
Makeup / hair: Elaine Carew
Runtime: 16 min · 0h 16m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Crimson Permanent Assurance (1983)

Also by

Terry Gilliam

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-31
★ 7/10
With an opening straight out of "Ben Hur", the old codgers at the assurance company rebel when one of their number is fired. They consign their new, yuppie, management to the vault - or make them walk the plank. Then cannibalising just about everything from the ceiling fan to the coat hook detach their building from it's m foundations and set off on the voyage of a lifetime. Shiver me timbers, but they're off a-pirating in their eponymous ten-storey vessel. Determined to make waves amidst Mrs Thatcher's newly formed economic policy, they head straight for the gleaming merchant banking centre. Weapons loaded, eye-patches firmly attached (didn't see any parrots) they launch their assault. Perilous thing being a window cleaner! Who will win out? Well it's got a rousing, maritime-style score and loads of swash and buckle as the filing cabinets double for cannon and just about every bit of office furniture becomes a lethal weapon. It's quite good fun with the typical surrealism you'd expect from Gilliam and there's even a message-reinforcing ditty to ram the message home. Possibly a bit long, but enjoyable to watch - right to the end!

Production companies