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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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115 comments in total

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34 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :-
Give me flights of imagination over drama anyday!, 19 October 2004
Author: kitchen-1 from Cork City, Ireland

Wasn't feeling the very best today, but had to get on with it anyway, as you do, you know, and, when I finally got a chance to sit down in my own living room this afternoon who should come bursting thru the door but my 6 year old son and about 7 of his friends... JUST as this movie, which I've always adored, came on one of The SKY movie channels. I closed the living room curtains for cinematic effect and we all sat down and watched it. They were all entranced by it, even tho' some of them had seen it already.

I've seen "The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen" myself many times and it never fails to fascinate me. It goes a very long way to explain many things that are omnipresent in life (war, sex romance, childhood innocence, adult disillusionment) by illustrating, and somehow making real, well-known classical myths and fairy tales. Oliver Reed deserved some sort of award for his portrayal of the god Vulcan. I read that Sean Connery was slated for the part of King of The Moon but it HAD to be Robin Williams. Mork calling Orson indeed....

This is my first review in this forum and, therefore, I will not go on at great length except to say that viewing this movie again made me determined to state that my favourite movies are movies like "The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen", "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Yellow Submarine". May you all develop a talent for living happily ever after!

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27 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
The King Of The Moon, and other wild things, 25 April 2004

Author: domino1003 from East Texas, USA

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is one of those films that you either love or hate. You may hate it because the inner child in you has not been released. You may love it because the inner child in you have full reign and want a wonderful fairy tale. This film has all the elements, flying ships (A balloon made of ladies knickers), monsters (A gigantic whale that looks like an island), and a little girl observing all the fantastical adventures. A city is under siege and a theater troupe is trying to perform a play during all of this. In comes an elderly man (The wonderful John Neville)who claims that the troupe has it all wrong and that he, himself, is the real Baron and wants to tell the story straight. From there, his adventure really takes off. He and Sally (The cute as a button Sarah Polley)go off in search of his friends to help save the city: Berthold (Clever Eric Idle), the fastest man around; Albrecht, the strongest man in the world; Adolphus, the man with the sharpest sight around and Gustavus, the man with the keen hearing and breath that can blow elephants off their feet. The gangs adventures bring them to the Moon, where the King (Wild as ever Robin Williams)has trouble holding on to his head, to the Underworld, where Venus (Beautiful Uma Thurman)drives her hubby Vulcan (The wonderful Oliver Reed) insane with jealousy. The story and the visuals (Especially the Moon) are beautiful and the ending is interesting. You get so caught up in the story that the viewer gets lost in what is real and what is not. Great for teens and up. Kids may get scared at some of the scenes.

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28 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Munchausen's tale as he himself would have seen it, 11 November 2004

Author: Boris Todorov (btodorov@ucla.edu) from Seoul, South Korea

This is NOT a movie for everyone. This is not a movie for people who want a fantasy plot... according to the rules of fantasy movies. This is a movie which has one great ambition and has ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY, UTTERLY, FULLY, UNQUESTIONABLY fulfilled: to present the story of Baron Munchausen as the real one would have seen it. This is a great piece of visualization of the culture of 18th-century Enlightenment (did you notice that the bad guys all wore uniforms from the Napoleonic age - as a sign of when this great period of human cultural achievement finished?). It is a movie in which the sets and costumes are THE ESSENCE - the mechanical giant fish, Venus getting out of the pearl, the small amours with the pink garlands, the pinkish clouds, the two-dimensional buildings on the Moon, the separation of the head from the body, the exoticising of the "Grand Turk" - these are all correct reproductions of both the imagery from, and the topics relevant for, the Baroque period. IT IS success.

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23 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
"We're out of virgins.", 24 September 2004
Author: DarthBill from United States

Yet another wild, whacked out fantasy from Terry Gilliam, the only American born member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

This is the story of Baron Munchausen (Neville), an old man still being chased by an Arabian king because after winning a bet Munchausen took too much money out of the king's vaults and now the king and his army are apparently attacking a colony because Munchausen's there. With the help of toothy little girl (Sarah Polley before she grew up to do the remake of "Dawn of the Dead") and rounding up his old comrades (among them Eric Idle, the "third tallest member of Monty Python"). All sorts of wild insanity ensues.

This was the last of Gilliam's "trilogy of the imagination", the other two entries in this so called trilogy being "Time Bandits" and "Brazil". If Terry Gilliam has a flaw with his fantasies, it may very well be that he drags out some gags too long, even if its a really good gag. Though I'm not entirely sure I enjoy his work, I must say I admire Gilliam and the recklessness of his projects, because at least he's got the balls to try to do things differently. To this day, he still ranks as being one of the most off the wall, unconventional director chaps out there.

All in all, I think I liked this one better than either "Time Bandits" or "Brazil" (though "Brazil" probably has the most racy commentary of Gilliam's so called trilogy).

Best line: "We're out of virgins." - Jonathan Pryce

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23 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
Other people have seen it? And liked it?! I thought I was the only one..., 24 September 2004
Author: pianogyrl from Lynchburg, VA

I've only known one other person who has even heard of this movie(also the only other one who's heard of and liked Mel Brooks' the Twelve Chairs). This is certainly one of the most bizarre and unique movies I've ever seen but the more times I see it, the more I like it. Robin Williams and Eric Idle are great of course, but Neville does a good job too. The story is truly unique, leaving you wondering where fiction ends and reality begins. In fact, it's much like "Adaptation" in that respect, come to think of it. While not on par with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this is a good piece of work. My advice: let your brain take a vacation for a couple of hours and just absorb it. You'll appreciate it better if you try not to make too much sense of it. If it really confuses you, read the book. Yes, there is a book and there really was a man who called himself Baron Munchausen. The book is called <u>The Adventures of Baron Munchausen</u> and the edition I had explained his whole story. Terry Gilliam did a great job of bringing this man to screen and I highly recommend it if you're tired of the usual Hollywood fluff.

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14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful Nonsense (a forgotten classic?), 7 August 2006

Author: juubei-2 from Canada

A young Sarah Polly is swept on a grand storybook adventure when her father's theater is visited by the source of its drama; the real Baron himself (perfectly played by John Neville). The town is under siege by the Turks and only Munchausen and his band of curious adventurers can save it, so long as Death or a doctor doesn't catch him.

Terry Gilliam, having hit his stride with the 1984-and-a-half classic Brazil, went on to fulfill his ultimate fantasy film with a great cast of actors (Jonathan Price included), beautifully detailed sets and costumes, and a very strange yarn of a tale indeed. Bit parts are filled out by Robin Williams, the late Oliver Reed (seen most recently as Proximo in Gladiator) serving up a fiery Vulcan - husband to a young (not to mention stunning) Uma Thurman as Venus.

A great deal of the magic that sparkled in Brazil seems to have been rekindled here, and while it may have been panned at the time of its release, time has treated it well. The effects have that pre-cg feeling that makes me warm and fuzzy inside, and while its a little slow to get started, it surprises around every turn.

Fans of Gilliam's work (and those who still possess that curious inner child) will find much to enjoy here - even if it is nothing more than wonderful nonsense.

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Are stories real? They are certainly powerful..., 26 January 1999

Author: Mark Severin (meseverin@worldnet.att.net) from www.deppfriedhappymice.com

A magical film about the power and importance of story telling and imagination. The creation of the ever fecund mind of Terry Gilliam, this may very well be my favorite movie (ah, but it is so very hard to choose). Filled with a spirit of adventure, and a deftness far too rare these days, it is the delightful tale of the adventurous life of Baron Munchausen. He is a hero of the grand old sort, a kind of 17th century James Bond.

Baron Munchausen has a knowledge of fine wines, is popular with the ladies, and is the finest soldier in the kingdom. He has a band of sidekicks (the fastest man, the strongest, one with amazing sight, another with amazing lungs and hearing) who assist him in fighting the Turks; traveling to meet the King of the Moon; falling into the center of the earth to meet Vulcan and Aphrodite; and playing cards with the Grim reaper, after being swallowed by an enormous monster-fish the size of an island.

Along the way Gilliam's wit skewers rationalism, science, realism, practicality and pragmatics. As much an explication of faith as a depiction of what makes life truly worth living, and what is worth dying for, I rent this again and again. It is only my own foolishness that has prevented me from purchasing a copy. Literally wonderful.

Watch for fabulous cameos from a whole host of unexpected people, including Robin Williams and Sting.

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18 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant!!!!!, 12 October 2006

Author: grrrr97 from England

This has to be one of my favourite films ever, I'll admit it's not the greatest work of art ever made and to be honest it never tries to be. I get very annoyed with these armchair film experts who think just because they've sat on their backsides for twenty years, neglecting everything except their expanding waist lines feel they have a god given right to pass judgement on a great film maker's hard work. I've made films and let me tell you EXPERTS out their it's the hardest thing you could ever undertake, harder even than getting off your butts and getting some exercise.

Baron Munchausen is in my opinion a visionary masterpiece, like Brazil and Time Bandits its pure escapism, but intelligent python-Esq escapism. I sat down recently and watched all three films with my girlfriend, (not in one night) and was dismayed when she started yawning and checking her watch every five minutes. I think I've come to a conclusion why......

Munchausen is a film that people with an imagination will enjoy, but if sadly your a member of the Ally Mcbeal, lets go shopping watch American Pie and wear what every other moron wears generation, you won't get this film. Mainly because Gilliam is far more intelligent than you, both in his use of visual metaphors and sexual innuendo but also in the fact as a director he thinks of things even Tim Burton would be jealous of.

Okay the film tales off towards the end, but after to been subjected to such a rich bombardment of visual genius can you blame Terry for being tired.

9 out of 10 And my favourite bit is when Eric Idle chases the bullet!!!!! GENIUS!!!

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13 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Surprise, 12 July 2004

Author: dr_forbush (dr_forbush@mad.scientist.com) from California

My kids, who are great Monty Python fans found this movie at the library. Thinking that I knew about all the successful Monty Python related movies I figured that this movie must have been a sleeper. I was greatly surprised by the movie.

In my opinion this movie was much better than Time Bandits. Time Bandits was weak mainly because of the weak (or non-existent) ending. This movie had a much better conclusion. Plus, this movie also had a very strong thread running through the movie, without hitting you over the head with it.

I also enjoyed the literary references and Robin Williams as the king of the Moon. My favorite reference was when Venus came out of the giant clam. It reminded me of Kilgore Trout's "Venus on the Half Shell." (Kurt Vonegut). That was a very nice touch.

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Romanticism v. Reality, 2 April 2006

Author: theowinthrop from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When this film came out in 1988 the criticism that followed was that while it had some great special effects, it was too long and too expensive, and did not make sense. But THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, while certainly very expensive, may be among the best film adaptations and adoptions of a well known fictional classic into a major motion picture.

The stories it is based on are Raspe's 1780 collection of tall tales of that great adventurer and lover Baron Hieronymous Von Munchausen. The best known tale is how the Baron travels hundreds of miles back and forth during a battle by riding on top of cannon balls (as he does in the film) and how he visits the King and Queen of the Moon. The book made Baron Von Munchausen's name a synonym for liar (albeit a colorful liar). It was glorified by one edition in the 19th Century with illustrations by the great Gustave Dore, that was used by Terry Gilliam for his inspiration in this film

I might add that this was not the first time the character popped up on film. There was a Czech film THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHASEN that was made in the 1950s by the same creators of THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF JULES VERNE. And in the early 1930s an "all star" comedy was made in Hollywood called MEET THE BARON, based on a popular radio show of that time called BARON MUNCHAUSEN, with a comic named Jack Pearl as the Baron. Although it had the Three Stooges, Jimmy Durante, and Edna Mae Oliver in it, it also had Pearl. A bit more bearable as a dialog comic and "zany" than the abominable Joe Penner, Pearl gave a catch line that gained national attention in that period. When his garrulous count was questioned by his suspicious trapped listener the Baron would say, "Was you dere Charley?", which would shut-up his questioner.

But Gilliam is probing the reason for tall tales. A town in middle Europe is under serious siege in the middle 18th Century by the Turks. It is under constant bombardment. There is only one open theater working, and they intend to put on a dramatization on the career of Baron Munchausen. But they are finding that this dramatization is only being begrudgingly allowed by the local authorities (led by Jonathan Pryce, as an obnoxious diplomat and civil servant). Pryce does not believe in fantasy, and feels that the people should see only reality. Of course, as the film progresses one sees that Pryce's idea of reality is bloody and deadly to most people, and will only glorify the "peacemakers" (a role he intends for himself).

As the play is put on by the father of the film's small heroine, Sally Salt (Sarah Polley), a man appears who denounces the story as false. He is Baron Von Munchausen (John Neville). He dismisses the actors (to the anger of the cast and the audience) but he manages to quell their anger by talking about why it was not a real version of his career. Soon he and Sally take a look at the deteriorating situation on the battlefield. They construct a balloon, and take off. And the film then follows their adventures around the world, and on the moon, and even with Vulcan (Oliver Reed) and his wife (Uma Thurmond). I refrain from going into detail but the part dealing with the King and Queen of the Moon (Robin Williams and Valentina Cortese) is very funny and exciting. In the end Munchausen finds his four old servants (Eric Idle, Charley McKeown, Winston Dennis, Jack Purvis)and returns to the town to save it.

The film has a Chinese box type of construction. Surprise ending follows surprise ending building to the climax - a peaceful one but one that is shattering none the less. For after watching the destruction of the Turkis forces we learn that the Baron has been simply telling his tales to the audience, and they have been spellbound. Pryce shows up with a military bodyguard, berating the old windbag for wasting the audience's time with all this romantic claptrap. Munchausen points out the firing has stopped. Everyone notices (including an amazed and troubled Pryce - he has missed his chance of gaining fame by ending the war himself). The audience rushes to the gates, and finds the enemy has abandoned the siege. Romanticism, and it's calming effects - it's powers of giving our dreams and wishes wing to soar, has defeated the reality that Pryce offered. And the film ends.

I like it. It is saying that in this rotten world there is a seriously place for imagination to comfort and sustain our spirits. The film actually was one of the best philosophical lessons in movie history.

Being by Gilliam there are numerous Monty Python touches in it (including his pal Idle's appearances as the fastest man in the world - trying to outrun a bullet). Note too the "artistic" Turkish Sultan, who is composing an opera called "The Torturer's Apprentice", which includes a device torturing a half dozen prisoners to yell "Ow" and "Ooh" in time. The performances were good, including Pryce's priggish bureaucrat, but best of all was Neville. Aside from his appearance as Sherlock Holmes in the film A STUDY IN TERROR, and his John Churchill in the television series THE FIRST CHURCHILLS, Neville never had a major lead role (though plenty of good supporting parts: Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas to Robert Morley's Oscar Wilde in the film of that name, for example). He certainly made the most of this one, proving to be a wise old man, but having moments of serious doubt and personal sadness. In all it was a terrific performance in a remarkable film.

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