In a war-torn European city in The Age Of Reason, the tales of Baron Munchausen are the subject of fantastical amateur dramatics. Before a roaring crowd of townsfolk, a rag-tag group of thespians attempt to take their minds off the war with the mysterious Sultan as they perform the whimsical tales of the Baron. As the bombs fall and the buildings crumble a crotchety old man appears claiming to be the very Baron Munchausen from their production and vows, if he can find his super-powered cohorts Adolphus, Berthold, Gustavus and Albrecht he can save the city from the ever approaching forces of The Sultan’s army. With his new friend Sally by his side, he embarks on a quest that takes him to the moon and back to save the day once again.
I have a very personal fondness for this film. There were many nights renting videos from CVC Video Vision in my local town where I’d see the trailer on copies of Teen Wolf, The Adventures Of Mark Twain and Go-Bots: Battle Of The Rock Lords that I continually rented to the annoyance of my parents. The movie seemed like everything a young imaginative child would want – adventure, wondrous special effects, heroic deeds, Robin Williams’s floating head, and a super-powered Eric Idle. You know, just normal kids’ stuff… wait you didn’t want to see one of the Pythons with the power to run 5000 miles in one hour? We are not the same, dear reader.
Despite all the tales of how difficult of a film this was to make as Sarah Polley and Eric Idle can attest to, the film remains an interesting slice of fantasy filmmaking with a hell of a lot of charm.
Naturally, I jumped at the chance to review it and check out the restoration by Criterion of a staple in my adolescence and I am delighted to say this restoration has brought life into such a weird and wonderful movie.
Terry Gilliam is in his element for this film as he brings to life all manner of gorgeous set pieces taking us from the moon presided over by a very horny Robin Williams to the centre of the earth ruled by (assumedly) a very drunk Oliver Reed to the belly of a whale. All with the comedy and insane visuals, we’ve come to know with his films and work with Monty Python. Speaking of his movies, this is part of his unofficial trilogy with another childhood favourite Time Bandits and Brazil. None of them is canonically connected of course, but hey, Terry Gilliam is gonna Terry Gilliam.
Despite all the tales of how difficult of a film this was to make as Sarah Polley and Eric Idle can attest to, the film remains an interesting slice of fantasy filmmaking with a hell of a lot of charm which is something that’s sadly lacking in most modern fantastical movies. It’s a comforting film and something to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon on the couch with the family. At least that’s how I’ll always remember it. Just expect it to be, as Eric Idle once said, “f**king madness”. It’s hard to argue with my favourite Python.
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen is out now The Criterion Collection Blu-Ray
