Mason — You may have noticed that of late we have seen some fresh faces in this column. I could say this is because of our dedication to exposing different viewpoints. But, the truth is that Pulse just has a high employee turnover rate. So in this spirit, I welcome new entertainment editor Bevin Caffery to the “Forgotten Film” fold.
Bevin — Hi.
By becoming an illustrious member of the Pulse staff, Bevin has made a break from “normal” society, a break not unlike director Terry Gilliam’s break from the Monty Python gang with his film “Jabberwocky.”
The film is based on the Lewis Carroll poem from “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.” The opening verse is widely known by the song that the Cheshire Cat sings in the Disney film “Alice in Wonderland.” Carroll used his drug-induced states to create his own worlds and cook up some new words along the way. Allow us to demonstrate with the opening lines of the poem.

“‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
Bevin — How does one “gyre and gimbel”?
Mason — Well, “gyre” means to move in a circular manner. Wax on. Wax off.
The film begins with these opening lines spoken over a scene with a first-person perspective of the Jabberwocky as it eats a bumbling peasant.
Bevin — Not quite eaten, but having his flesh stripped off and charred.
Mason — Mmm, Cajun.
“Jabberwocky” stars Michael Palin as Dennis, the woodworker’s apprentice. He leaves his pleasant country home for the big city to find fortune and win the hand of his beloved Griselda. Exactly why he is in love with this grotesque figure who throws rotten potatoes at him is as much of a mystery as is the meaning of “borogoves.”
Dennis actually keeps the decomposing token close to his heart, and it becomes a coveted object once he reaches the city.
Bevin — I wish someone would give me a rotten potato.
Mason — You can have mine.
The city is wanting for food because it is under siege by the Jabberwocky. One former woodworker cut off his own foot to increase pity donations. Now that’s bad.
Another faction in the kingdom embraces the bleak situation by searching for religious salvation through pain and self-mutilation. One lucky devotee gets flung over the castle walls by catapult to meet certain death — if not from the fall, then by the Jabberwocky.
To solve the kingdom’s problem, King Bruno the Questionable holds a tournament to elect the bravest knight to slay the beast. Of course, through classic Gilliam circumstances, Dennis ends up as the squire of the chosen knight.
As a movie, “Jabberwocky” is marginal at best, but anyone with a knowledge of Gilliam films can appreciate it, like looking at any fine artist’s early work. With his first departure from Monty Python, he started to stretch into the personal style that is seen in movies such as “Brazil” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Gilliam tends to use absurd humor and bizarre situations to lead the audience in unexpected directions, especially with his abrupt endings. Even with “Jabberwocky,” where he is somewhat limited to the poem’s story line, he manages to leave the audience more satisfied than the protagonist.
And talk about absurd! Get a load of these quotes:
“It is the middle of the Dark Ages, ages darker than anyone had expected.” — narrator
“You know, it seems to me, Pesseldew, that my subjects are becoming a pain in the ass.” — King Bruno the Questionable
“Rats on a stick! Get ’em hot!” — rat vendor
“Why should he have all the pain and agony?” — religious zealot
“Hey, watch where you get your blood!” — knight
Honestly, the humor in the movie stems more from the action than the dialogue, which is indicative of the film’s early place in Gilliam’s body of work. But for any fan of his work, and indeed the genre of British comedy, there will come a rainy day when this cult film will be the companion that you seek.