The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
20th Anniversary Edition
Nominated for 4 Oscars in 1989 and directed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen stars John Neville, Eric Idle and Uma Thurman. Neville is the eccentric Munchausen, an aristocrat who relies on the power of his imagination - and a crackpot band of henchmen - to defend their village from plunder. Idle plays the loyal Berthold, the world's fastest man, who hilariously outruns a speeding bullet all the way to Spain in just one hour to save the Baron's neck! When Munchausen's not collaborating with his screwball associates, he can be found walking on air - literally - with the lusciously beautiful Venus (Thurman). Filmed by Oscar nominee cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (Best Cinematographer, All That Jazz, 1979), with stunning special effects!
Member Reviews
Hilarious and magical - gnomee
This movie is a treat for those who like metafictional play-within-a-play stories that interweave storytelling and reality.
Sarah Polley does a fantastic job as the little girl, Sally – a spirited and adventurous character whose belief in the Baron drives the story. Great performances from Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, and a very young Uma Thurman. Unusually un-annoying hilarity from Robin Williams as the solipsistic and disembodied head of the Moon King.
Also great scenery and costumes, with visual style similar to movies like Labyrinth or Time Bandits.Fantastic! - Khartoum
I absolutely loved this movie & it really does a nice job of turning fairy tale themes into a great film. Reminds me so much of the classic tales we used to read growing up. Great costumes, wonderful settings, well paced & a fantastic assortment of actors & actresses. Highly recommended......Typical Gilliam, but definitely not his best. - marxram
As typical of Terry Gilliam, he plays the magic realism genre well. Brazil, Tideland, Baron Munchausen, Time Bandits, are all movies that border on fantasy, interspersed with realism. I like his format, which makes the ordinary shine, and the difficult to understand through the lens of a fantasy tool and exaggeration.
However, Baron Munchausen is not his best work. The acting was fairly well done, but the almost too ludicrous story-line abandoned the real world a bit too many times. This lead to a a loss of message in the movie. Sort of like Gulliver's Travels, but lacking the parody and satire.
Otherwise, the movie is colorful, fast paced, and exciting. Where the message may lack, or the film meander a little, it is still entertaining (similarly to Gilliam's Monty Python cartoons).
Member Reviews
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Hilarious and magical - gnomee
This movie is a treat for those who like metafictional play-within-a-play stories that interweave storytelling and reality.
Sarah Polley does a fantastic job as the little girl, Sally – a spirited and adventurous character whose belief in the Baron drives ...Fantastic! - Khartoum
I absolutely loved this movie & it really does a nice job of turning fairy tale themes into a great film. Reminds me so much of the classic tales we used to read growing up. Great costumes, wonderful settings, well paced & a fantastic assortment of actors ...Typical Gilliam, but definitely not his best. - marxram
As typical of Terry Gilliam, he plays the magic realism genre well. Brazil, Tideland, Baron Munchausen, Time Bandits, are all movies that border on fantasy, interspersed with realism. I like his format, which makes the ordinary shine, and the difficult to ...