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Sarah Polley. Oliver Reed. Bill Paterson. Charles McKeown. Jack Purvis. Eric Idle. Valentina Cortese. John Neville. Searches related to The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. People also search for. Munchausen's adventures are hardly mundane. They include a trip to the moon, and an encounter with the giant head sometimes attached to his body, sometimes not of the moon's king Robin Williams, in an extended cameo ; a meeting with the god Vulcan Oliver Reed and his incredibly beautiful wife Venus Uma Thurman, 17 years old at the time, and appropriately stunning ; and more than one encounter with a Sultan Peter Jeffery who's currently attacking the city Sally lives in as the movie begins.
Seeing the film for the first time as a 12 year old, I didn't realize that Thurman is among the many cast members who are part of the theater company at the beginning, and then reappear in very different visages along the way. While not of the high caliber of Gilliam's best and most assured work, there's still a lot to like about this film.
The great John Neville and Sarah Polley the latter only 9 years old at the time give very strong performances as the unlikely duo at the center of the story, with Neville perfectly embodying the Baron's devil may care attitude, and Polley showing the same wisdom and wise beyond her years demeanor that has served her well throughout her career.
Gilliam's visual prowess is served well by the film co-written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown , as Munchausen and Sally travel from one unique landscape to the next. There's some wonderful set pieces here, such as the sequence in which Munchausen, Sally and their friend Berthold Eric Idle climb up the moon, which of course is actually shaped like a crescent; tie a rope around the point at the top; and climb down through the moving constellations.
Gilliam's Monty Python roots are perhaps more on display in this movie then in any other he's done since that group broke up — the gallows humor in the film includes an organ whose "music" is caused by spears and other torture devices that poke and prod people caged inside; plus many people are cartoonishly decapitated before the film ends. Still, the film is one that most children can enjoy, because it all retains that fantastical "don't worry, this isn't real" fairy tale approach, through scenes both dark and light.
The story is certainly a hodge-podge, comprising set pieces that don't really work together as a strong narrative whole. And it's hard not to note that the film loses a considerable amount of energy in its last act — the climactic battle near the end of the movie is not nearly as engaging as the more unique scenes that precede it. Overall though, this is a fun and charming film — its episodic nature makes it a DVD easy to pop in for a scene or two, to enjoy a favorite scene for yourself or to introduce a notable sequence to a friend, explaining "Hey, you should see this scene on the moon" or, "Hey, you should see Uma Thurman almost completely naked.
The video presentation on this new DVD seems like a missed opportunity though. The widescreen transfer is semi-decent, but it has a notable amount of grain and in some scenes looks a bit muddy.
Baron Munchausen is a 20 year old film, but we've seen movies from the same era or older look better on DVD. However, it's hard not to wonder if perhaps some of elements of the original negative were in especially bad shape — considering how the studio treated the movie when it was released more on that below , it wouldn't be surprising.
Dialogue, music and sound effects are balanced well. Score: 8 out of 10 Packaging and Extras This is the second DVD of this film, following a bare bones version several years ago. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen not only went notoriously over budget, but was essentially abandoned by Columbia when it was originally released, playing in little more than theaters across the country.
The three part documentary The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen is terrific. It features new interviews with almost every notable participant from the film, including Terry Gilliam, John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Robin Williams and many, many more — Thurman is one of the only notable absences. This documentary is about as candid as you get. 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.
Skip to main content. About this product. Make an offer:. Auction: Pre-owned. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Title: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The infamous Baron Munchausen embarks on a series of dazzling adventures to try a save a town from murderous enemies.
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