Baron Prásil (1962)

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

Director:

Karel Zeman

Writers:

Jirí Brdecka (dialogue), Gottfried August Bürger (book)

Stars:

Milos Kopecký, Rudolf Jelínek, Jana Brejchová

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Milos Kopecký	...	Baron Munchausen
Rudolf Jelínek	...	Tonik
Jana Brejchová	...	Princess Bianca
Karel Höger	...	Cyrano
Eduard Kohout	...	General Ellemerle
Jan Werich	...	Ship's Captain
Bohus Záhorský	...	Admiral
Rudolf Hrusínský	...	The Sultan
Miroslav Holub	...	Enemy General
Frantisek Slégr	...	Pirate Captain
Karel Effa	...	Adjutant
Josef Hlinomaz	...	Spanish General
Zdenek Hodr	...	Nicole
Richard Záhorský	...	Barbicain
Otto Simánek	...	Ardan

Storyline

The stories of Baron Münchhausen were enriched by Karel Zeman with a character of a modern astronaut Tommy and compare two different worlds - the world of a rococo cavalier whose fantasy does not have any limits and the world of a young man of the present time. The astronaut (Rudolf Jelínek) finds on the moon the famous dreamer Baron Münchhausen (Milos Kopecký), who takes him back to earth and a variety of exaggerated adventures. Amusing variation on the old stories, using live action against deliberately artificial backgrounds.

---

Plot Keywords:

czech science fiction | underwater scene | moon | earth | czech in space | 

---

Genres:

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

---

Details

Country:

Czechoslovakia

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

21 September 1962 (Czechoslovakia)

Also Known As:

The Original Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmové Studio Gottwaldov, Krátký Film Praha

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

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: You move like a girl!
Tonick: Then what should I do?
Baron Munchausen: Fight like a man!
Tonick: Will it help?
Baron Munchausen: No, but it is the proper thing to do.

---

Connections

Version of The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen (1911)

User Reviews

Viewed Through a Prism

I agree: Get this Stateside, somehow. I was lucky to view a German-marketed Region 2 DVD, opting to hear the Czech dialogue with English subtitles, some of which were embarrassingly fleeting. I may next opt to listen to it in German...

I learned of Zeman as a youth with the occasional broadcast of "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" (in a word, fabulous). This retelling of select tales of Baron Munchausen appeared with the next highest recommendation from fellow users.

It's a retelling with great style and no small amount of innovation. It had to have influenced the animation of Terry Gilliam among many others. Principally stop-motion, occasionally mixed with cel animation and live action, and an at-times monochrome background likely changed by hand. Of course the style is dated but well suited for a dated story, and therein lies the film's timeless charm.

Familiarity with the tales may slow the viewer's perception of the film's pace. The sandwiched sequence is also familiar: The visit to the Sultan's palace; escape to the sea, getting swallowed by a whale and keeping company in its cavernous gut; and the comical resolution of a battle between warring European powers.

What's unfamiliar is an opening and ending with a cosmonaut who meets other fabled travelers to the Moon and eventually wins the hand of a lovely princess on whom the Baron also has designs. But I frankly need re-view and determine just how the princess dismounts from "Tony's" swimming horse while he goes straight to another island...

Genuine wit, some of it very dry and some mixed with slapstick, helps bridge if not punctuate the FX. ("Jules Verne" doesn't have as much.) An imaginative musical score that verges on the wacky. And acting that is refreshingly relaxed and subdued. This Baron is no blow-hard but so innately gallant that he just can't help but rely upon his most powerful weapon...his imagination...to repeatedly save the day.

The film is perhaps not for the children unless one or both parents are around to help explain the historical context, the action, and its decidedly off-the-track pace. But it's a durable treat nonetheless.