Time Bandits
A history‑obsessed boy joins six mischievous dwarfs as they loot treasure through the ages, only to find themselves hunted by the all‑powerful Supreme Being desperate to recover its stolen map.
“…they didn’t make history, they stole it!”
Synopsis
Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they are tasked with guiding Kevin on a journey through time to correct historical inaccuracies that threaten the balance of the universe. As they travel to pivotal moments in history, Kevin must use his knowledge and quick thinking to help the dwarfs restore the timeline while evading the forces of chaos that seek to exploit the disruptions.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 46+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Julian DoyleShot by Peter BiziouScored by Mike MoranDesigned by Milly Burns
Box Office
1981 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 8.5× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$42.4M
Also known as
- Bandits, banditsfr
- I banditi del tempoit
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Cast & Crew
46 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
28Michael Palin
as Vincent
Ralph Richardson
as Supreme Being
Peter Vaughan
as Winston the Ogre
David Warner
as Evil Genius
Tony Jay
as Supreme Being (voice)
David Daker
as Kevin's Father
Sheila Fearn
as Kevin's Mother
Jim Broadbent
as Compere
Peter Jonfield
as Arm Wrestler
Jerold Wells
as Benson
Myrtle Devenish
as Beryl
Winston Dennis
as Bull Headed Warrior
Roger Frost
as Cartwright
Andrew Maclachlan
as Fireman #2
Marcus Powell
as Horseflesh
Terence Bayler
as Lucien
Preston Lockwood
as Neguy
David Leland
as Puppeteer
Leon Lissek
as Refugee #1
John Young
as Reginald
Derrick O Connor
as Robber Leader
Neil Mccarthy
as Robber #2
Declan Mulholland
as Robber #3
Derek Deadman
as Robert
Charles Mckeown
as Theatre Manager
Mark Holmes
as Troll Father
Martin Carroll
as Baxi Brazilia III
Ian Muir
as Giant
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
5Parents Guide
AI Personalities
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