[year/rating] 1988 PG [genre] Fantasy Comedy [director] Terry Gilliam [starring] John Neville Eric Idle Sarah Polley Oliver Reed

Tagline

Remarkable. Unbelievable. Impossible. And true.

Summary Capsule

From the director of Time Bandits and Brazil comes a movie full of noise, flying objects and seafood.

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Clare's Rating: Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon.
Clare's Review: The third part of a very unofficial trilogy by director (and ex-Monty Python mad genius illustrator) Terry Gilliam, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the last leg of mankind's interaction with fantasy and imagination. Time Bandits, a classic must-see kids movie, was adventure set in a child's dreamscape, while Brazil, a much darker and more subversive film, showed how middle-aged adults use fantasy to alleviate the oppression and horror of modern (er, post-modern) living.

"Look especially for Robin Williams in an uncredited role as the King of the Moon, an extremely young, pre-Go Sarah Polly and Uma Thurman's left breast in a very small cameo."

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is about an old adventurer, living in a time of quasi-fascist reason, whose past forays to fantastic places are considered utterly absurd. As is the theme in all three films, Munchausen's insistence that all of his fantastic voyages are true is what saves a small town and Munchausen himself from utter ruin. Don't worry, I haven't given too much away.

Based on a popular European fairy tale, Gilliam puts a decidedly twisted twist into every increasingly bizarre turn in Munchausen's unbelievable journey. It's not a perfect film (it drags a bit toward the end), but it's absolutely worth a look.

I happen to love Terry Gilliam's aesthetic sensibility and this movie, while also extremely dense in story line and structure, is breathtaking to behold. Look especially for Robin Williams in an uncredited role as the King of the Moon, an extremely young, pre-Go Sarah Polly and Uma Thurman's left breast in a very small cameo. If you like the wacky pacing of Monty Python films or enjoy truly twisted fairy tales then this is the movie for you. A truly under-rated gem.

It's Patch Adams... In Space! Balloons: When You Absolutely, Positively Have To Get There Whenever

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Sting
• In the scene in the King of the Moon's bedroom, above the headboard is a small bust. In a close-up shot, the eyes of the bust are seen to contain lights that blink on and off, accompanied by the sound of a camera whirring and clicking. This is line producer David Tomblin's homage to "The Prisoner" , which he helped produce and direct in the late 1960s.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Not really.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

Robin Williams plays the King of the Moon. In the credits he is listed as "Ray DiTutto". This is the English transliteration of the Italian phrase "Re di Tutto," which means "King of Everything," which was how the King of the Moon introduces himself to the Baron.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is widely held up as being one of the biggest box office flops of all time. A torturously complicated and often delayed shoot made the production costs hover near $45 million. Upon its release in the US Munchausen made only $8 million.

Baron forms an informal trilogy with director Terry Gilliam's previous films, Time Bandits and Brazil. The three movies represent the three stages of Man (youth, middle age, and elderly) and the impact of imagination on each.

Groovy Quotes

Sultan: Have you any famous last words?
Baron Munchausen: Not yet.
Sultan: "Not yet"? Is that famous?

Horatio Jackson: Escaping! We can't start escaping now! What would future generations think of us!?

Horatio Jackson: He won't get far on hot air and fantasy.

King of the Moon: I'm back! I got lips again and I'm gonna use 'em, baby!

Baron Munchausen: Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever.

DVD Review

Not much to review really. There's a theatrical trailer and cast and crew credits for Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Time Bandits
• Brazil
• Jabberwocky