The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) – T. Gilliam

When Terry Gilliam could still be counted on for a (relatively) coherent cinema experience and one that was predictably visually cluttered and surreal, he made this version of the Munchausen tale (which had been filmed several times before).  The Baron is a possible spinner of tall tales, which see him riding on a cannonball, visiting the King and Queen of the Moon (Robin Williams and Valentina Cortese), engaging with Vulcan (Oliver Reed) and Venus (Uma Thurman), and defeating the Turkish army with just a few friends (Eric Idle, Charles McKeown, Jack Purvis, Winston Dennis – all with special powers, such as running fast, blowing a gale, super strength, long-distance vision), and so on.  The framing device is that we are in a town laid siege by the Turks at the end of the 18^th century and a troupe of actors is staging a version of the Munchausen adventures when in walks the Baron himself (John Neville).  He begins to regale the audience (including evil bureaucrat Jonathan Pryce) with his tales which Gilliam shows to us (leaving the stage to show us the full three dimensional experience).  But at some point things become blurred and young Sarah Polley, the daughter of the leader of the actors, joins the Baron on his adventures, which do end up freeing the city (and the actors) from the Turks (or perhaps Pryce’s pretense that they were really besieging the town).  Although the plot is (overly) complicated, Gilliam manages to retain a sense of childlike wonder for the proceedings and Neville is an excellent raconteur/guide/hero.  Perhaps there is slightly too much bombast and sameness throughout, but on the whole, an enjoyable affair.