Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen

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.

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.

Brilliant film in every way, every bit as great as Ordinary Miracle(also from Mark Zakharov) and perhaps even better. The costumes and sets are sumptuous and with a real Russian traditional feeling, somewhat like the quirky fairy-tale kind. The way The Very Same Munchhausen is shot is very appealingly done too, never too stage-bound or jerky. The music is beautiful too and very catchy, upbeat rhythmically sometimes but in a distinctive Russian style. The dialogue is extremely funny and witty coming from quite possibly one of the greatest scripts ever for a Russian film, even if you don't understand the language you can have somebody translate or try and find subtitles, that way you can see how funny and quotable it is. This is coming from somebody who isn't Russian but is studying it as part of her vocal and operatic studies course at university. The facial expressions of the actors, gestures and some of the antics of the main characters are though enough to give you a gist of what's going on. The story is always involving and filled with charm and hilarious antics. Underneath the immense fun you have watching The Very Same Munchhausen, there is also room for some seriousness in the messaging and it is done in a moving, heartfelt yet also uplifting way and not heavy-handed. The characters are very likable and engaging, and the acting shows all the actors giving their all. In particular Oleg Yankovsky who gives the performance of a life-time, he seems to be having a whale of a time but doesn't forget to bring some depth to the character. In regard to availability for The Very Same Munchhausen, the Ruslania website is a good bet(it's unavailable from Amazon at the moment), but oddly enough you can find the whole film on Youtube, providing it stays up, but titled with the Russian phonetic alphabet symbols and letters, Wikipedia can help as computer keyboards don't seem to have a lot of the symbols. In conclusion, a Russian masterpiece and one of the best Russian films ever seen by this viewer. If you can find the film, enjoy! 10/10 Bethany Cox

Although not too many people outside the land that produced this picture have even heard of it, it may be one of the best TV movies ever made, plain and simple. And, probably, the best one delivered by the great tandem of Russian film-makers Grigori Gorin (writing) and Mark Zakharov (directing) – with "The House That Swift Built" being the close second.

The script is nothing less than brilliant. The general concept is original enough as we happen to be presented not with fairly funny narratives invented by the legendary Baron Munchausen, but rather with the fairly dramatic story of the Baron himself. Which is complemented by an interesting take on the title character that turns him from a nobleman and famous raconteur into a noble dissenter and romantic rebel. But the development and dialogue still bring it to another level. The latter is virtually entirely comprised of quotable witticisms. And the whole construction explores serious problems like freedom and conformity, personal happiness and personal integrity, the hypocrisy of a society and the way it tends to treat those who choose to challenge its norms and confines. Since it's a TV movie featuring a cast of superb stage performers, the realization is overtly theatrical. But it is so in the best way possible.

Given that, as far as the dialogue is concerned, all phrases and inflections matter, an excellent translation is of the essence here. But if you manage to get one you won't regret a bit of your effort while enjoying every minute of this piece. This movie is very clever and funny but also filled with some wonderfully moving poetry. So it's likely to make you both cry with laughter and smile through the tears.

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.