The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

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Summary: High, loony adventure creates a profound vision
Review: Terry Gilliam, perhaps most widely known for the unusual fantasy films "Time Bandits", "Brazil" and "Jabberwocky", and more recently for the slightly off-kilter dramas "The Fisher King", "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "12 Monkeys", presents here what is arguably his most fantastic work: the story of Baron von Munchausen, a European gentleman as known for his outrageous adventures as he was for his propensity to bend the truth. Though strangely not as well received as most of the other films listed above, "Munchausen" is unquestionably Gilliam's finest work. The outrageous series of adventures undertaken by the Baron (Eric Neville) on his quest to save a small town from destruction at the hand of the Turks is told with sweeping, elegant detail, unforgettable images and a sly, sardonic sense of humor that pokes at much fun at its characters as it does at the Enlightenment era, which the film seems aimed at pulling apart. There's always a bit more to Gilliam's films than meets the eye. In "Time Bandits", it was an underlying satire on the consumer products we as a modern society hold in such high esteem; in "12 Monkeys", it was a bizarre examination of the frailty of the human mind; in "Munchausen", Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown seem intent on defending the need to believe in the fantastic by assaulting the overly rational notions of the Enlightenment era, represented here in the singular entity of Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies, Stigmata) as the leader of the besieged town. Gilliam's narrative in the film, also, requires a bit of examination, as time and place constantly shift and warp, and we're never entirely sure if what we're watching is a part of what's "really" happening...but then that's the point, it seems, because it's a movie, and none of it's really happening. While Gilliam's "point", such as it may be, is quite simple (and similar to that in many of his other films, whereupon the central antagonist is always willing to believe in something outside of what's readily apparent in the "normal" world), the text in which he presents it is exceptionally complex, and may require many viewings before the viewer can form their own opinion on his subject matter. In all aspects of its production, "Munchausen" is grand and impressive. Sweeping battle sequences, intentionally outrageous special effects, and grand cinematography make this a motion picture worth savoring. As Baron Munchausen travels to the Moon, Mars and into the belly of a great fish in search of his comrades at arms (among them Eric Idle, Jack Purvis and Charles McKeown), we are presented with one glorious image after another. Neville, as the Baron, is fabulous, displaying just the right blend of humor and world-wariness: though his character is outrageous, he regards all of the fantastic surroundings and characters he meets with a believeable familarity. Sarah Polley (all grown up now, and last seen in Go) is wonderful as Sally, the daughter of the local theatre troop leader, and a willing side-kick on Munchausen's adventures. Eric Idle is wonderfully comic as Berthold, the fastest man in the world (not to mention the dimmest), and Jonathan Pryce casts his normal sinister persona with a delicious foppishness that makes us laugh at him as much as we hate him. Among the numerous cameos, several stand out in memory: Oliver Reed as the dim-witted, jealous Vulcan; Uma Thurman as his tantilizing wife, Aprhodite; and Robin Williams in an uncredited cameo as the King of the Moon (embodying the figurate separation of mind and body in the most literal and amusing fashion). Combine all of these elements together, and you have a movie that brings the magic back into cinema: humorous, sweeping, adventurous, and thought-provoking. It is undoubtedly Terry Gilliam's finest achievement.

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Summary: This is DVD, where are the extras?
Review: I was very disappointed that this DVD edition does not include a director's commentary track, even though there has been a laser disc edition with that feature. Although it is a great movie, I probably will not buy the DVD because of this oversight.

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Summary: Against Modernity
Review: Terry Gilliam's imagination nearly bankrupted the studio when this film came out, but all of the money is on the screen: large-scale battles, waltzing in midair, sailing to the moon, and Death. And all this to dramatize the conflicts of the Enlightenment.

John Neville plays the Baron, who alternates between swashbuckling and depression depending on how much rationality intrudes on the proceedings. He is a Rousseau-type figure, despising the oversystemization of reason and being the more creative and energetic for it. Jonathan Pryce is the villain, a John Locke-figure who wishes to rid the world of anyone who does not fit into his rational system. (Alternatively, one could think of it as Nietzsche's Value-Creating Man vrs. Nietzsche's Last Man). There is some dark humor surrounding the Pryce character, as he attempts to write a contract resolving a war in his favor. When his opponent protests that they have his city surrounded, Pryce protests: "But we surrendered last time!" His opponent is unimpressed; the Hitlers of the world rarely respond to rational argument.

The final scenes of the movie suggest that Gilliam believes that a tyranny of Reason is temporary, and that Spirit never dies. However, it is interesting to note that the film is now marketed as a children's picture! This is a tremendously weak misreading, and a recognition of the degree to which the world that Pryce's character wants has already won. Leo Strauss once remarked that the moderns built on "low but solid ground." The ground they built on has Rousseau and Nietzsche buried underneath.

Rating:
Summary: Terry Gilliam misses the mark - to our benefit
Review: What happened, Terry? There's hardly any sick humor in this flick at all - and that's what makes it the most beautiful and entertaining of your movies. Excellent performances and stunning visuals save the slightly-thin plot. Sort of a sequel to Time Bandits as far as spirit. Throw out your copy of Brazil and watch this instead. God, lighten up, Terry!

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Summary: GILLIAM'S GREATEST
Review: "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" is Terry Gilliam's greatest film. Some may still hold affection for his breakthrough comic fantasy "Time Bandits" and "Brazil" is his most acclaimed film amongst film critics, but the more I let the otherworldly fantasy ride "Munchausen" takes me on sink in, the more I realize it is the greatest achievement of this immortal cinematic artist.

Gilliam, to me, still remains a highly underrated filmmaker. I believe that he is certainly one of the great filmmakers ever born in America. He is on a par with Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick. Like Kubrick, Gilliam is a great visual filmmaker who defected to England. Their films were usually funded by the big studios, but were made overseas, allowing them more creative freedom to let their imaginations run wild without Big Brother always looking over their shoulders. The result of the combination of great talent and creative freedom is obvious in the end result of these two American-born artists: their films will stand the test of time even if it takes critics and audiences time to catch up to their unique vision. With time, I believe that Terry Gilliam will be referred to with the same sort of awe as Stanley Kubrick.

I believe that "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" was the victim of backlash when first released. It came on the heels of his previous two films, which were both very successful. "Time Bandits" was a surprise box office hit and "Brazil", after a well-publicized production history, was embraced by film critics, winning several awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics and gaining Academy Award nominations. So, no matter how great a film Gilliam made next, it would probably be treated like a letdown. Making matters worse, "Munchausen" went way over budget and critics treated the film like the result of a self-indulgent filmmaker who let his success go to his head. "Munchausen" was in and out of American theaters very quickly and the critics generally dismissed it.

Personally, I feel that with "Munchausen" you get the best of Gilliam. I don't think the money was wasted, because Gilliam fills the screen with some of the most amazing images you will ever see in a motion picture. Gilliam began his career as an animator and I can't think of a live action film that resembles animation more than "Munchausen". In animation, anything is possible because you are not limited to what can and can't be done with live actors and special effects. If you can dream it, you can draw it. "Munchausen" seems to be a true miracle because of what is placed on screen with real people and real scenery. I can only dream of what Gilliam could have done with a budget a hundred million dollars larger. No other filmmaker would put it to better use.

I could go on and on about the visual wonder of "Munchausen", but its greatness is not limited to what the eyes can see. It tells an adventure story as well as "Time Bandits" and has the satirical bite of "Brazil" told with a lighter touch. Gilliam has made three films since "Munchausen": "The Fisher King", "12 Monkeys", and "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas". I believe that in time, these films will get the greater respect that they deserve, too. However, in my mind, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" stands now as Terry Gilliam's finest achievement.

Gilliam's films are musts on DVD since he is one of the great visual stylists in the history of cinema. "Munchausen" has great picture and sound quality. The picture may be slightly dated, but it is probably as good as it will ever look.

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Summary: My Favorite Movie!
Review: Terry Gilliam's mostly-ignored fantasy-adventure is without a doubt my favorite film to watch. The highly imaginative production (infamous for blasting past its budget limit, and for being underdistributed by Columbia) is an incredible film, a treat to watch again and again. A host of major British actors (including John Neville) team up with a menagerie of character players (Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce) to create the exaggerated, fantastic adventures of the 18th-century cavalry officer Karl Heironymous Friedrich Baron von Munchausen as he flies to the moon in a hot air balloon, falls back to earth into an active volcano, and then gets swallowed by a giant sea monster, all in an attempt to defeat The Sultan. Families: some immoral innuendos, brief female nudity, and a frightening incarnation of Death may make this one unsuitable for some.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: The first time I saw this film was probably one of my greatest experiences in a movie theater. I didn't know what to expect and every scene and line was a delight and a surprise.

The theme of the movie is great and very justified today- logic vs. Imagination. I'm on the side of Imagination and the Baron. I highly recommend this film and on DVD it is beautiful.

Buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely delightful!
Review: During the 1980s, Terry Gilliam directed a trio of movies that he referred to as a trilogy: "Time Bandits," "Brazil," and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." "Brazil" is the most popular of the three, having built a cult following over the years, and it's definitely an imaginitive movie -- Orwell's 1984 done as satire. But I consider "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" to be the best of the trio, and possibly Gilliam's best work overall. The "theme" of his trilogy is expressed differently in each of the three movies: in Brazil, the hero escapes the imagination-killing clutches of society in the only way he can, by going insane; whereas in Baron Munchausen, the so-called "age of reason" is seen as suppressing the imagination, to the point where even t he legendary Baron Munchausen himself doesn't want to go on because there's no place left in the world for dreams. This film is a sheer delight -- a magnificent, epic, hilarious fantasy that's worth watching for its sense of FUN as it is for the message, that imagination and fantasy are necessary in the face of an onrushing world.

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Summary: Faith and belief triumphs.
Review: A wonderful tale of tremendous deeds and exotic locales. Gilliam portrays the infamous yarn-spinner Munchausen gloriously, forcing the viewer to be swept away by the film's wit and visual splendor. A true masterpiece for those who know that faith and belief will always triumph over science and pragmatism. The film's presentation on DVD gives Gilliam his due.

Rating:
Summary: The Restoration of an Historical Tradition
Review: The Baron, historically valid, lived his life as a soldier of fortune and spinner of adventurous yarns. He could not have anticipated the extent to which Terry Gilliam would exaggerate the Baron's adventures which, even as they were being told, were ridiculed by his contemporaries. The seamless transition from a dull reality ruled by a government clerk to the palace of the Sultan was like Dorothy opening the door to Oz. From the Gilbert & Sullivan style opera rendered by the Sultan at the keyboard of a parlor pipe organ to the closing scenes where the Baron rises after being fatally shot by a jealous and spiteful City Clerk, the movie restores the tradition of exaggeration to life. Probably not well liked by the type of government employees it so adequately depicts, it never fails to draw from the juxtapositioning of history against the present with all its ironies and humor. It's a good adventure.