Le avventure del barone di Munchausen

Fantastic film based on classic film from German Film studio UFA titled Baron Munchausen (1943) by Josef Von Baky with Hans Alberts. It contains stunning visuals - it's a feast for the eyes- , imagination and strange roles . The tall Baron Munchausen (John Neville), each time united his horse Bucefalo , undertakers several adventures and feats . He's a tale-teller who is accompanied by his faithful companions , a group formed by odd and riveting characters as a little girl (Sarah Polley) , an idiot (Eric Idle) whose feet run faster than sound , a giant man and a dwarf . Munchausen assured that he has visited the Moon and meets the king (Robin Williams) , Venus (Valentina Cortese) , visited inside of the volcano of the Gods (Oliver Reed) and fallen for Venus . Later on , being swallowed into the belly of a gigantic wale . All of this stories are woven into the movie's axis tale , the siege of a European town , Vienna, by a Turkish army whose caliph (Peter Jeffreys) is after Munchausen's head .

This is an imaginative , glamorous , chaotic fantasy based on the wonderful trips carried out by Munchausen , though a little bit tedium too and paced in fits and starts . Marvelous special effects are visually stunning and magnificently realized with no computer generator . Slick narrative but often confused , proceeded in a circular pace by means of flashbacks that flow into the present from past time and never quite what they seem . Starring a considerable cast of top-names performers as John Neville , Jonathan Pryce ,Eric Idle , Sting and Uma Thurman and Sarah Polley , both of then practically unknown and nowadays prestigious actresses . Impressive sets and breathtaking production design , being filmed in Belchite (Spain) location where took place several hard combats during Spanish Civil War .This big-budgeted , under-appreciated film was a flop at the box office and panned by the critics ; however , today is best considered . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno, Fellini's usual, and evocative musical score by Michael Kamen . The motion picture is imaginatively directed by Terry Gilliam , an expert on wonderful , surreal atmospheres ( Time bandits , Brazil , Fisher king , Doctor Parnasus). The film might be described as an extraordinary fantasy full of imagination and color . Rating : Good , better than average . Worthwhile watching .

And all the other fantasy market driven flicks to come out in recent years at the time of this writing, there was Gilliam's take on Munchausen.

Though the miniature effects by today's standards might seem rather primitive, the scope and scale of the film, combined with some exceptional and exquisite art direction and acting, create an incredible visual tapestry. Unknown to much of the audience at the time, Gilliam's film was to be the future of movies in terms of genre and character exposition. I and an acquaintance of mine at the time were hopeful that "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" would succeed, because then it would open the doors for other "superhero" films, and push story telling to its limits. But, that was back in 1989, and the boom that we anticipated took some fifteen years to take off. Well, at least our careers weren't riding on that hedge... but I digress.

The other aspect of this film, as I was reminded of on the IMDb BBS, is that the story itself is a blend of both an old Russian tale, "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship", and Rupert Raspe's take on Baron Munchausen's tall tales. In short, without divulging facts of either sets of fables, the Baron, as originally portrayed, was just a little too robust, and the Russian tale offers a chance to splinter the Baron's self aggrandizement.

Some facts you won't find in the film; Baron Munchausen was a real man, and liked to "brag" about himself (to put it mildly). He actually fought for the Turks, being a German mercenary for hire. He claimed to have all kinds of amazing abilities with a gentleman's character (even having visited Royalty as well as the U.S. and the president in the white-house), but was more or less simply a soldier of fortune.

Gilliam's film, in this vein, pays homage to Munchausen, real and fictional alike by playing fast and loose with the "facts" of his dual existence. In this way it's a pleasant ride, and the sets and locations are incredible to look at.

Critiques; there's a couple of miniature shots that bug me--in particular the ballroom dancing sequence. I'm sure it was a difficult shot to get, but some articulation of the models was really a must to sell this sequence. Using a process shot for the closeups kind of added to the destruction of the illusion. Putting the actors on a scissor's life, and shooting them against the actual set would've served the production better, and probably saved money (a must for this production). Also, it's a tragedy the moon sequence, as originally envisioned, wasn't realized. Were left with two actors to carry that sequence, instead of the highly populated kingdom as described in the actual tales.

The new DVD is a blessing. The colors and details of the film are far richer than the original DVD release. The colors are vibrant and rich in luminosity. They accentuate the late 18th century visual thrust that this film is attempting to deliver. On top of that the overall level of visual information has been enhanced from both initial DVD and VHS releases. One can almost feel the texture of the clothes and clouds as they scroll and undulate across the screen. A definite plus.

A very fine film that predates superhero and fantasy genres by almost a couple of decades. As I stated earlier, some of the SFX may not hold, but the overall scope of the film should prove more than a counterweight to this, and give to the viewer an emotional and visual effulgent experience.

WARNING; it's not a film for everyone. As a family film it skirts the edges of PG and PG-13 territory, and the far-out nature of the film may be a bit too existential for some adults to absorb. Still, I liked it very much.

Enjoy :-)

"The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" has Terry Gilliam written all over it. The fantasy, the cleverness, and everything else. To me, the movie is looking at the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, what with the possibility that the baron's stories just might be true. But whether or not they are, the movie is still really something. I personally think that Terry Gilliam has never gotten the credit that he deserves as a director (surely we have to agree that "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was infinitely better than any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie).

Anyway, this is one movie that you're sure to like. Since I first saw it, John Neville has had some neat roles ("The X Files", "Urban Legend", "Sunshine"). Also starring Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Jonathan Pryce, Uma Thurman and an uncredited Robin Williams.

Yet another wild, whacked out fantasy from Terry Gilliam, the only American born member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

This is the story of Baron Munchausen (Neville), an old man still being chased by an Arabian king because after winning a bet Munchausen took too much money out of the king's vaults and now the king and his army are apparently attacking a colony because Munchausen's there. With the help of toothy little girl (Sarah Polley before she grew up to do the remake of "Dawn of the Dead") and rounding up his old comrades (among them Eric Idle, the "third tallest member of Monty Python"). All sorts of wild insanity ensues.

This was the last of Gilliam's "trilogy of the imagination", the other two entries in this so called trilogy being "Time Bandits" and "Brazil". If Terry Gilliam has a flaw with his fantasies, it may very well be that he drags out some gags too long, even if its a really good gag. Though I'm not entirely sure I enjoy his work, I must say I admire Gilliam and the recklessness of his projects, because at least he's got the balls to try to do things differently. To this day, he still ranks as being one of the most off the wall, unconventional director chaps out there.

All in all, I think I liked this one better than either "Time Bandits" or "Brazil" (though "Brazil" probably has the most racy commentary of Gilliam's so called trilogy).

Best line: "We're out of virgins." - Jonathan Pryce

A young Sarah Polly is swept on a grand storybook adventure when her father's theater is visited by the source of its drama; the real Baron himself (perfectly played by John Neville). The town is under siege by the Turks and only Munchausen and his band of curious adventurers can save it, so long as Death or a doctor doesn't catch him.

Terry Gilliam, having hit his stride with the 1984-and-a-half classic Brazil, went on to fulfill his ultimate fantasy film with a great cast of actors (Jonathan Price included), beautifully detailed sets and costumes, and a very strange yarn of a tale indeed. Bit parts are filled out by Robin Williams, the late Oliver Reed (seen most recently as Proximo in Gladiator) serving up a fiery Vulcan - husband to a young (not to mention stunning) Uma Thurman as Venus.

A great deal of the magic that sparkled in Brazil seems to have been rekindled here, and while it may have been panned at the time of its release, time has treated it well. The effects have that pre-cg feeling that makes me warm and fuzzy inside, and while its a little slow to get started, it surprises around every turn.

Fans of Gilliam's work (and those who still possess that curious inner child) will find much to enjoy here - even if it is nothing more than wonderful nonsense.