STARRING:
John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Charles McKeown, Winston
Dennis, Jack Purvis, Valentina Cortese, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson,
Peter Jeffrey, Uma Thurman, Alison Steadman, Sting, Robin Williams
1989, 126 Minutes, Directed
by Terry Gilliam
Description: Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) directs
this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the
limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a
horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin
Williams with his head flying off his shoulders. —
Amazon.com
This film version of the classic children's story about the
aristocratic chronic liar and his far-fetched tales is visually
lush and doesn't really translate well to the small confines of a TV screen.
There are some great
almost Monty Python-like comic moments, but halfway through the
movie one becomes used to all the special effects and stunning production
designs and the film loses some of its energy.
The film also feels
overlong at times, but while it's not as great as it could have been (especially
considering that Gilliam directed classics such as Brazil
and Twelve Monkeys), it's still definitely worth
seeing.
By the way, reports had it that The
Adventures of Baron Munchausen was one of the biggest box office flops of all times
due to its inflated budget. Don't let this put you off. After all, lesser films - such as Independence Day and Rambo - were box office
hits . . .
Description:
Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) directs
this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the
limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a
horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin
Williams with his head flying off his shoulders.
—