Baron Prásil (1961)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Karel Zeman

Writers:

Jirí Brdecka (dialogue)
Gottfried August Bürger (book)

Release Date:

28 December 1962 (East Germany)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | War

Plot:

The outrageous Baron Munchausen tells of his many adventures, from meeting the Man in the Moon to defeating a Turkish army all by himself. |

Plot Keywords:

Mysti Mation | Part Animated | Humor | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Milos Kopecký	...	Baron Munchausen
Rudolf Jelínek	...	Tonik
Jana Brejchová	...	Princess Bianca
Karel Höger	...	Cyrano
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nadesda Blazickova	...	Court Dancer
Karel Effa	...	Adjutant
Josef Hlinomaz	...	Spanish General
Zdenek Hodr	...	Nicole
Miroslav Holub	...	Enemy General
Miroslav Homola	...	Chess Player
Rudolf Hrusínský	...	The Sultan
Eduard Kohout	...	General Ellemerle
Otto Simánek	...	Ardan
Frantisek Slégr	...	Pirate Captain
Václav Trégl	...	Sailor
Jan Werich	...	Ship's Captain
Bohus Záhorský	...	Admiral
Richard Záhorský	...	Barbicain

Also Known As:

Baron Prášil (Czechoslovakia: Czech title)
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (USA) (video box title)
The Original Fabulous Adventure of Baron Munchausen (video title)

Runtime:

83 min | Germany:87 min

Country:

Czechoslovakia

Language:

Czech

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | West Germany:6 (w)

Company:

Filmové Studio Gottwaldov

Trivia:

Director Terry Gilliam saw this film at the British Film Institute (BFI) and was inspired to re-make it his next big production, the problem-plagued The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).

Quotes:

Baron Munchausen: This how I shall address the Sultan.
[The Baron then speaks in a series of musical tones]
Joey: Melodious, but unintelligible.
Baron Munchausen: The language of diplomacy!

Movie Connections:

Version of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

Story doesn't involve the viewer but the visuals are absolutely breathtaking

"Baron Prasil" is everything one would come to expect from world-class animator Karel Zeman. The fantasy storyline is fun but rather uninteresting. However, the visuals are truly a sight to behold. His blend of animation with live action was completely original at the time, and he managed to pull it off finer than anyone else (alright, except maybe Disney in the 40s). The images are baroque and have a childlike surrealism thats always compelling. Unlike many other flashy films, the visuals here have the power to still astound on repeated viewings. I can't think of any other films that look like Zeman's do.

As mentioned earlier, the storyline definitely takes second seat here. The performances are adequate enough but nothing to write home about. Fortunately, they're never as campy as one may fear and don't distract from the gorgeous visuals. There are several sequences that are quite exciting (particularly the storm at sea and the journey inside the fish), but it never quite gels. However, as I've stated many times in this review, the visuals are so mind blowing the story becomes completely irrelevant. (7/10)