1988
Rated: Unrated
Genre: Comedy Fantasy Adventure
Directed By: Terry Gilliam
Running Time: 2:06
Review by: Brian Pittman
Review Date: 6/29/07
Special Features:
None.

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THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN

 


Sultan: Have you any famous last words?
Baron Munchausen: Not yet.
Sultan: "Not yet"? Is that famous?

I will not lie to you, I am a Terry Gilliam fan. Whether it's his work in Monty Python or one his films, I'm there smiling gleefully. The man is brilliant and a master of dark comedy. So, while watching this I found myself pleasantly reliving my childhood experiences with his films all over again. Most kids pretended to be He-Man, I pretended I was the Baron. But enough about that, on to the movie itself.

Baron Munchausen is the story of a legendary hero who returns only to find out his exploits are treated as fairy tales and shoddy plays. To say the man is unhappy is an understatement. But alas, the people of the city don't really seem to care as they are being constantly bombarded by mortar shells from the invading Turks outside their gates.

Only a young girl seems to find this bizarre old man fascinating, so as he wanders off to wallow in his bitterness and die alone, she follows. Sure enough, she ruins his chance at peace as she frightens Death off and he soon finds himself riding a mortar shell across the sky into enemy fire, where he avoids death in a way only the Baron can accomplish... by grabbing a cannonball and riding it back to the city.  

Suffice to say, the girl sees he was on the level and really is the real deal. What follows is an amazing adventure as the Baron and his young tag-along journey all over creation in search of his amazing band of men who once served him on his past adventures. Gilliam provides his same unique style to both the sets and overall art style of this whole film and attracts some top-notch talent. Robin Williams delivers a incredibly entertaining performance as the King of the Moon, Jonathan Pryce really makes you hate him as he portrays the bureaucrat who's only looking out for his own best interests and John Neville makes you believe that one crazy old man of horseback can be a charming hero. Of especial note here is that Sarah Polley appears as the girl who constantly serves as the Barons nagging conscience, never letting him give or get off track of the overall mission to save everyone. Also of note is that Uma Thurman cameos as the goddess Venus.

While not everyone's cup of tea, this film is by far my favorite of all of Terry Gilliam's works and for any fantasy fan or fan of British humor, it's a must-see.

  • The book "Losing The Light" was written about the making of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
  • An 1979 French animated film based on Baron Munchausen was released in the U.S. possibly to capitalize on the release of the movie.
  • It's rumored that this film was part of a trilogy: Time Bandits - Youth, Brazil - Middle Age, Munchausen - Old Age.

 

 

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