Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen

This film is the crown of all soviet films. I recommend this film to anyone who wants to receive top-quality entertainment. All of the actors in this film are excellently chosen and fit into their roles perfectly. This film will have you laughing in some places and brushing tears from your eyes in others. The music alone is enough to captivate your attention. To fully understand this masterpiece, you must pay attention to the slightest movement, to every word. This is a very moving film that deserves no criticisicm and should be treated with respect. No matter how many times you watch this film, you won't grow tired of it. Simply superb. 15/10

What can I say? This is one of the greatest movies of all times and a real jewel of the Russian cinema. It is such a great pity that this film has never really made it to the West and is totally unknown outside Russia.

The cast is superb and the acting is absolutely fantastic. You can feel a very strong influence of the Russian theatrical tradition here. Yankovsky as Munghausen gives the best performance of his career.

This movie is incredibly warm, romantic, optimistic and, of course, very very funny. Its humour is hilarious and yet very elegant and tasteful. If you don't know any Russian, just ask somebody to translate some of the jokes to you. My favorite funny scene is Mughausen's speech at the divorce hearing. "Some couples are created for love but we were created for divorce.."

"Tot samyi Munghausen" is an absolutely wonderful and fairy-tale romantic comedy, extremely enjoyable, something like a mix of "The Princess Bride" and "Four weddings and a funeral" only much better.

And yet, the film has a serious and a profound message underneath. It will make you think about intellectual honesty, being true to yourself, the real meaning of love, friendship and laughter in our lives. Watch this movie and you are guaranteed to fall in love with it.

If you are truly human, this is a film for you.

Multifaceted, humorous and tragic at the same time, full of wit, sarcasm, love, devotion, and reflections on life and the world as a whole, for me personally, this is the best film ever made, and I don't say this lightly.

Every aspect of this film is a masterpiece. Actor performances are superb, with Oleg Yankovsky playing perhaps the best role of his life here. The soundtrack is beautiful and touching. The dialogue is funny yet very deep at the same time. The film leaves you with a whirlwind of feelings, and leaves tremendous amounts of food for thought for months afterward.

...And if you start watching it, and feel that it's boring or not very funny - just leave it, and never look back. It's probably not your kind of film, then.

Most of the time it would be difficult for one to describe one's favourite piece of anything: favourite movie, book, composer or even dish. It is normally the same for me, however, when it comes to movies I always answer "Tot samiy Munchgausen" is my all time favourite. You could hardly find another movie full of such an amazing combination of perfectly matched ingredients, ie. humour, romantics, superb screenplay, incredible cast with the best Russian actors involved and, of course, the best (in my opinion) Russian director Mark Zakharov who brought these all to be a masterpiece. The movie makes you laugh and think all at the same time. Every word, phrase and scene are full of such deep meaning that makes you watch this movie over and over again. I don't know if the movie was ever translated into English, or French, but I would so much like all people could see this. This one just gets 10 of 10.

This is the greatest Russian film of all time and the late, great Oleg Yankovsky gives a performance for the ages. Yankovsky is given probably the hardest task an actor has ever been given, to make the Baron a believable human and a man who always tells the truth. If you don't believe him the film fails miserably. As he says, "Baron Munchausen is famous not for flying to the moon but for never telling a lie." And you do believe him and root for him to overcome all obstacles and settle down with his beloved Marta. The ending is one of the greatest in all Russian film as the Baron goes on to immortality.

Photography is spectacular as are the sets and this film is the only one that has a song sung by a 15 1/2' woman! And the Baron's theme is unforgettable.

If you only see one Russian film, see this or An Ordinary Miracle, both with Yankovsky and both directed by Mark Zakharov.