The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1943) Münchhausen (original title)

Director:

Josef von Báky

Writer:

Erich Kästner (script & dialogue)
(more)

Release Date:

6 August 1943 (Hungary)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | Fantasy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Casanova | Russia | Superhuman Speed | Cannonball | Rapid Aging

Cast

Hans Albers	...	Baron Münchhausen
Wilhelm Bendow	...	Der Mondmann
Brigitte Horney	...	Zarin Katharina II
Michael Bohnen	...	Herzog Karl von Braunschweig
Ferdinand Marian	...	Graf Cagliostro
Hans Brausewetter	...	Freiherr von Hartenfeld
Hermann Speelmans	...	Christian Kuchenreutter
Marina von Ditmar	...	Sophie von Riedesel
Andrews Engelmann	...	Fürst Potemkin
Käthe Haack	...	Baronin Münchhausen
Waldemar Leitgeb	...	Fürst Grigorij Orlow
Walter Lieck	...	Der Läufer
Hubert von Meyerinck	...	Prinz Anton Ulrich
Jaspar von Oertzen	...	Graf Lanskoi
Werner Scharf	...	Prinz Francesco d'Este
Armin Schweizer	...	Johann
Marianne Simson	...	Die Mondfrau
Leo Slezak	...	Sultan Abdul-Hamid
Hilde von Stolz	...	Louise La Tour
Gustav Waldau	...	Casanova
Franz Weber	...	Fürst von Ligne
Ilse Werner	...	Prinzessin Isabella d'Este
Eduard von Winterstein	...	Vater Münchhausen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lewis Brody
Angelo Ferrari	...	Freund von Prinz Francesco
Valy Arnheim	...	Haushofmeister am Petersburger Hof (uncredited)
Jur Arten	...	Mann (uncredited)
Erwin Biegel	...	Cagliostros Leibjäger (uncredited)
Fritz Busch	...	Theaterdirektor (uncredited)
Fanny Cotta	...	Rosalbe Carriera (uncredited)
Erich Dunskus	...	Landlord (uncredited)
Irene Fischer	...	Marfa (uncredited)
Ilse Fürstenberg	...	Rieke Kuchenreutter (uncredited)
Bernhard Goetzke	...	Gatti (uncredited)
Trude Haefelin	...	Dame (uncredited)
Karl Harbacher	...	The Clock (uncredited)
Harry Hardt	...	Courier (uncredited)
Trude Heess	...	Countess Stroganoff (uncredited)
Maria Hofen	...	Fainting Spectator (uncredited)
Hedi Höpfner	...	Frau (uncredited)
Margot Höpfner	...	Frau (uncredited)
Victor Janson	...	Yussuf Pascha (uncredited)
Hans Junkermann	...	Kapellmeister Graun (uncredited)
Nicolas Koline	...	Großwesir (uncredited)
Luise Morland	...	(uncredited)
Karl-Heinz Peters	...	François Blanchard (uncredited)
Hermann Pfeiffer	...	Selim, Eunuch (uncredited)
Anton Pointner	...	Count Kobenzl (uncredited)
Yelena Polevitskaya	...	Countess Daschkin (uncredited)
Erik Radolf	...	Husarenoffizier (uncredited)
Paul Rehkopf	...	Förster (uncredited)
Ernst Albert Schaach	...	De Ségur (uncredited)
Franz Schafheitlin	...	Doge (uncredited)
Franz Stein	...	Leibjäger Rösemeyer (uncredited)
Henry Stuart	...	Sir Fitzherbert (uncredited)
Leopold von Ledebur	...	Kanzler Panin (uncredited)
Helene von Schmithberg	...	Dame (uncredited)
Aruth Wartan	...	Pugatschew (uncredited)
Hanns Waschatko	...	Herr im Diplomatenrock (uncredited)
Meta Weber	...	(uncredited)
Ewald Wenck	...	Vorhangzieher Methfessel (uncredited)

Directed by
Josef von Báky

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gottfried August Bürger		book (uncredited)
Erich Kästner		script & dialogue (as Berthold Bürger)
Rudolph Erich Raspe		stories (uncredited)

Produced by
Eberhard Schmidt	....	producer

Original Music by
Georg Haentzschel

Cinematography by
Konstantin Irmen-Tschet
Werner Krien

Film Editing by
Milo Harbich		(uncredited)
Walter Wischniewsky		(uncredited)

Casting by
Jobst von Reiht-Zanthier

Production Design by
Otto Guelstorff		(as Otto Gülstorff)
Emil Hasler

Art Direction by
Werner Klein

Costume Design by
Manon Hahn

Production Management
Veit Massary	....	unit manager

Sound Department
Erich Schmidt	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Konstantin Irmen-Tschet	....	special effects
Ernst Kunstmann	....	special effects
Theo Nischwitz	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Heinz Schimmelpfennig	....	assistant camera

Other crew
Fritz Thiery	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universum Film (UFA)

Distributors

• Universum Film (UFA) (1943) (Germany) (theatrical)
• L'Alliance Cinématographique Européenne (ACE) (1944) (France) (theatrical)
• Schorcht Filmverleih Gmbh (1943) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Divisa Home Video (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Video City Productions (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Münchhausen" - Germany (original title)

Runtime:

Germany:119 min (restored version) | USA:110 min | Germany:134 min (premiere version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Agfacolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:T | Portugal:M/6 | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Universum Film (UFA)

Trivia:

Writer Erich Kästner is widely reported to be billed as "Berthold Bürger" on this film, but there is in fact no writing credit at all. Kästner was a banned author in Nazi Germany and his books were among those burnt in 1933, which might account for the lack of writing credit here.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Frozen Flashes (1967)

Fascist Fantasy

The fabulous exploits of Baron MÜNCHHAUSEN include several wars, numerous plots and beautiful women without number.

At the height of World War Two, as the tide was beginning to turn against the Third Reich, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels commissioned this lavish motion picture as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Ufa, the government-run German film association. More importantly, it was also to be a rival of the great fantasy films which had come from the Allied nations, such as THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940). In that it succeeds brilliantly and needs no comparison to any other film.

The film is a great, lighthearted romp as it follows the adventures of the Baron from Prussia to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice and even the Moon. It is fascinating to see the high quality which the Germans were still able to lavish on the picture, even as their Empire was beginning to crumble around them. The production values are of a very high order and the Technicolor photography is sumptuous to the eye. Remarkably, there is no National Socialist propaganda in the film and the War is never mentioned.

In the title role, Hans Albers gives a surprisingly sensitive performance for such a robust production. He takes the legendary character and gives the viewer a portrait of a dashing, reflective, amorous, compassionate, resourceful man. Whether riding on a cannonball, ingratiating himself with the Ottoman Sultan, or examining the fantastic flora of the lunar planet, Albers always makes Münchhausen totally believable.

All the acting is of a high order, but especially worthy of mention are Ferdinand Marian as the mysterious Count Cagliostro, Brigitte Horney as a flirtatious Catherine the Great, and Gustav Waldau as an aging Casanova.

It should be mentioned that this is not a movie for children. Given its European origins it should come as no surprise that MÜNCHHAUSEN is a good deal more libidinous than the standard Hollywood fare of the time.

**************************

There was a real Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen (1720-1797), a German adventurer and teller of tall tales, but he had nothing to do with the book of fictional exploits which borrowed his name, written by Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794), upon which this film was based.