DVD REVIEW

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - 20th Anniversary Edition

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment || PG || Apr 8, 2008

Synopsis

Munchausen is an aristocrat who relies on the power of his imagination – and a crackpot band of henchmen – to defend their village from plunder.  Eric 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 (Uma Thurman).


Critique

I don’t know how I missed this.  I’m a big Terry Gilliam fan, and back in the day this film used to be on cable every five minutes; it was is almost as heavy a rotation as Andy Griffith reruns.  Somehow it got by me.  It kind of feels like being an Altman fan that has seen O.C. & Stiggs but not Nashville.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen might be a more important film now than when it was first released.  The film chronicles a time of war, famine and uncertainty, of chaos in the streets and social unrest.  We know that Munchausen is a legend before we even meet him because there is a play being performed about him.  The play doesn’t last long, as the Baron storms the theater, driving off the actors like Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the temple, and calls the whole thing a sham.  Of course, everything that happens in the play will happen over the course of the film, but …

The character of Munchausen, the absurdity of the world in which he enters: you could take Gilliam’s name off the credits and still know it as one of his films.  The chaos and unrest of the Baron’s world is the gonzo world of Raoul Duke is the bureaucratic morass of Brazil.  The world doesn’t make sense, and there is only one make nonsensical enough to find his way through it all.

My favorite moment in the film comes at the end, when the Baron and his ragtag group (including a young Uma Thurman and an even younger Sarah Polly) sail up to a beach and are met by a barrage of cannon fire.  Outmanned and outgunned, the Baron jumps up in the boat and proclaims, “They are inviting us to defeat them!”  His thinking is totally upside down, and it’s just what they need.  It’s the kind of attitude that could probably do us all some good.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a tall tale, and like all tall tales it’s hard not to like the movie.  Not even the overbearing appearance of Robin Williams can drag down the film.  (Williams might derail every scene he is in, but not the whole film.)  The cast is excellent, and the film holds up well.


Video

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio.  The transfer is sharp, with all color levels coming through clearly and with great balance.  The white and dark levels are solid, and the overall picture is excellent.


Audio

This disc is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, and the presentation is excellent.  The levels are clear and well balanced.  Everything from the quiet moments to the booming cannons and even Robin Williams is sharply represented.


Special Features

Commentary With Director Terry Gilliam & Co-Writer/Actor Charles McKeown: this is a great track, fast and conversational, and they cover a lot.  Gilliam does most of the talking, and it’s all very interesting.

The Madness & Misadventures of Munchausen: a new documentary about the making of the film, a production that seems about as madcap as the film itself.  This can be viewed in whole or in three parts.

Storyboards: here we get storyboards of three scenes, with introduction and afterthoughts by Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown.

Deleted Scenes: four, including an alternate opening.


Final Thoughts

Munchausen might be a more important film now than when it was originally released.  The film holds up well, the disc’s presentation is solid, and the film is definitely worth another look.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

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Review posted on Jun 25, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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