The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Rating:
Summary: Laugh, cry, and cheer; a spectacular film.
Review: What a movie. Thank you Terry Gilliam, thank you. Anyone who watches The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and doesn't feel like a kid again must have never been one. And yet this is not little-kiddy-song-and-dance-Disney-slop. Far, far from it. The story in brief: The 18th century, the age of reason. Wednesday. A small fortified town is under siege by the army of the Grand Turk. Enter an old man, who seems like a lunatic, but claims to be the fictional Baron Munchausen, man, myth, and legend rolled into one. The town leaders roll their eyes; the people turn to him for salvation. And off he goes, to the moon, the volcano of Mt. Etna, the south seas, and all other places the explorers dreaded and feared before finally venturing forth to find what was beyond the edge of the map. He floats away in an air balloon, his goal to find his four extraordinary servants and return to save the town. So where does one start? The performances and characters? Top notch. Better. John Neville plays the Baron perfectly, the consummate ladies man, the daring fighter, and the greatest storyteller (liar?) anyone could meet. Eric Idle is hilarious as servant #1, Berthold. (Baron: "I'm Baron Munchausen!" Berthold: "Mmmm. That sounds nasty. Is it contagious?") Oliver Reed is a riot as the Roman god Vulcan who's just finished his new nuclear missile prototype and is arguing with his Cycloptic employees over a pay raise. Uma Thurman is stunning as his wife, Venus. And Jonathan Pryce is the perfect villain, cold, logical, and committed to a world fit for science and progress. Sarah Polly plays the first child to believe the Baron when he tells his story, and she plays both wide-eyed innocence and quite determination perfectly. (Look for Sting in a short role also.) But far and away, Robin Williams, in a cameo as King of the Moon, is the best. He has a heavy Italian accent. He switches back and forth between being in tune with every molecule in the universe and being a foul-mouthed Neanderthal, only less intelligent. (I will not give away why this switching takes place.) Listen carefully to his dialogue. It's great. ("I think, therefore you is.") What else? How bout sets? Made in '89, this was before computers could generate whatever was needed. And so the sets (town under siege, moon, volcano, dead fish, etc.) are all hand created, and they are a joy to look at. They carry the story almost as much as the characters. You want more? Well I said it wasn't a song-and-dance thing; I was slightly in error. The film features a rousing rendition of several parts of "The Torturer's Apprentice" as composed by the Grand Turk, complete with screaming, yelling, and the eunuchs chorus singing "Cut Off In My Prime." (I will not explain what a eunuch is; if you don't know, you don't need to.) Anything else? Well how about trying to classify this movie. Is it fantasy? Yes, though not in the Tolkien sense. Is it comedy? Again, yes; just listen to Robin William, Eric Idle, or Oliver Reed talk. Is it action? Why yes, but again, not in the conventional sense. And is there even drama there to? Yes indeed; if you watch the ending and don't smile and feel at least a little moved, there's something wrong with you. (The ending is one of the greatest moments in the movie, both dramatically and in keeping in Terry Gilliam's tradition of mystifying his audience; "Did that really happen?") The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is not a G-rated kiddy flick, but it makes the audience feel like one, taking us back to when strange things hid in the closets, to when we could take a running jump and fly to the moon, to a world where anything is possible. Undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. And remember, it's a true story. We've got the film to prove it.

Rating:
Summary: Hot air and fantasy
Review: You know you're watching a Terry Gilliam movie when:

...a horse bursts unexpectedly over the camera.

...a bald giant has the strength to lift a boat (or boats).

...a midget saves (or ruins) the day.

...a Monty Python crony appears for comic relief.

...everyone speaks in near-unintelligible British accents.

...an innocent child believes in the power of adventure.

These elements, put to good use in Gilliam's "Time Bandits" (my first encounter as a child with anything related to Python) show up again here. While both movies take place in wildly imaginative fantasy worlds, "Baron" does not have any of the dark elements that tempered the Bandits' adventures. Not to worry, for its overloaded with a grand sense of fun.

You see, the world is danger. Not from the Turks, who provide the film with its fair share of loud explosions, but from the impending age of science and reason. Enter Baron Von Munchausen (John Neville), whose tall tales stretch the limits of one's imagination. He is the designated saviour, and along with young Sally (the previously mentioned innocent child), he sets out to save the world. Neville has some serious fun as the (deluded?) Baron. He is a man touched by magic, and he's going to have a good time using it till the bitter end. Sarah Polley gives a clinic on how to be the precocious child. She's first sensible, and then cute, rather than the other way around which most child actors favour. Add to that the fact that she's a Canadian (Yay!) affecting a serviceable Brit accent, and you marvel that she was only ten at the time. Eric Idle and Robin Williams also show up for the fun. The former is given ludicrous powers (he runs really fast) and less than stellar dialogue that nearly wastes his talents. The latter turns in one of his typical 1980s performances, chewing up so much scenery and (seemingly) improvising his way through his brief role that all the other actors can do is stand back and watch. His King of the Moon is entertaining, yes, but it stops the story short, to the point where the movie may have been better off without him in it.

The story, such as it were, is little more than a series of adventures (duh... the title tells us that), delicately linked together by the Baron's desire to find his old servants. It functions as little more than an excuse for Gilliam's wonderful set pieces (my favourite being Uma Thurman rising from the half-shell in a stunning recreation of Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'). As Jonathan Pryce's character says at one point, "He won't get far on hot air and fantasy." True enough, I'd say. But he'll have a grand time trying.

Rating:
Summary: Darn Good Movie
Review: check it out. a great fantasy tale.

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: A Joy to Watch
Review: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen was nothing less than a sheer joy to watch. When I was young, my father would always say, in reference to a movie made in the 30s or 40s, "They don't make movies like that anymore!" I guess I'm getting old because I've just purchased my copy of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (which I hadn't seen since its debut in 1989), and I found myself muttering, "They don't make films like this anymore", too.

As you've no doubt read in other reviews, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is pure fantasy, and like all good fantasy, it pits reason against imagination, truth versus story-telling, and resignation against hope. After all, Dorothy didn't really go to Oz: it was a dream. And yet, it would have an effect on her view of the world and reality that would probably last her entire life. She won't ever be bored with Kansas again, and would never seek the greener grass on the other side of the fence. On a darker side, Kaiser Soze of The Usual Suspects, can spin a yarn that convinces a seasoned Customs agent and anybody watching the film.

Baron Munchausen, as wonderfully portrayed by John Neville, is the ultimate story teller. Not only does he draw in the attention and hopes of his beleaguered city, but every story he tells actually makes HIM younger. The underlying message of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is that fantasy, adventure, romance, and a world where cucumber trees still thrive will save us, children and adults alike, from a world determined to destroy us. This is a common theme among Terry Gilliam's films. In Time Bandits, Brazil, even The Fisher King, characters escape the horrors of their lives in fantasy worlds. This is known as escapism: its what fantasy allows us to enjoy for a moment--because if it were long-term we'd all wind up in the Betty Ford Clinic--however, that moment gives us a needed relief from a stern and impersonal world. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the ultimate fantasy film that gives us a couple of hours of pleasure and joy.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

Rating:
Summary: Baron Munchausen
Review: See the lovely Uma Thurman years before this "kill bill" nonsense!

Rating:
Summary: Not MY favorite of the trilogy
Review: I seem to be definitely in the minority in these reviews, but I found THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN the worst of Terry Gilliam's trilogy (the other two films being TIME BANDITS and BRAZIL which I love). It wasn't a bad movie; just not a great one. It seemed to drag in parts. The first half hour of the film especially takes far too long to get into the story. Still, even Gilliam at his worst is often a lot more fun than most of the fantasy-based films out there.

The visuals are spectacular and you can definitely see where the money went (I read that this was one of the most expensive films made at that time). Terry Gilliam has an incredible imagination and is able to translate his vision to the screen. I was convinced the Baron could fly holding a cannonball!

The actors seemed to have a good time making it. John Neville uses the proper restraint in his roll to make his character believable while in unbelievable situations. Uma Thurman is incredibly beautiful as Venus. Robin Williams and Eric Idle have a lot of fun in their roles.

Aside from the slow pace in parts, I also am disappointed in the lack of features on this DVD. Where's the onscreen commentary or the behind-the-scenes features? Terry Gilliam did such a great job on the TIME BANDITS and especially the Criterion Collection BRAZIL, I'm surprised that a film that he spent so much time and money into lacks these extras. Perhaps even Terry Gilliam doesn't like this film as much as his others?

Rating:
Summary: The Baron Lives on
Review: Anyone who can sit there and say thay never spun a tale or two in their lives has no imagination. The Baron is a man who has cheated life and death by being both hero and con man but still retaining a sense of "je ne sais quois" Robin Williams steals his cameo and plays it in his usual frantic way. Sarah Polly is wonderful as the child of innocence who looks up to the Baron and the rest of the cast is wonderful as well. Not a movie that should be missed especially by those who enjoy the mania that is Monty Python

Rating:
Summary: Baron Munchausen
Review: See the lovely Uma Thurman years before this "kill bill" nonsense!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful comedy-fantasy masterpiece!!
Review: This is a gorgeous fantasy epic with a hefty dose of Monty Python-esque comedy thrown in for good measure. It has the silly humor that made Terry Gilliam so famous in his Monty Python days, as well as a fantastic story about a pathological liar's rendition of his epic adventures. From standing against a sultan's army to invoking the wrath of Vulcan, God of Fire, this movie is non-stop hilarious action set against beautiful scenery and a fantastic story. People of all ages from kids to adults will enjoy this one, but be prepared to watch it several times to be able to grasp everything that's going on!!! It's packed! Also, watch for some high-profile cameo's from Robin Williams (uncredited!!) and Sting. Although Robin Williams' part is actually very huge (watch the movie to find out!). I have waited many years for this to come out on DVD and it's finally here.