The Adventures of
Baron Munchausen

Rated: PG
Runtime: 2 hours, 6 minutes
Directed by: Terry Gilliam

Starring:
John Neville - Hieronymus Karl Frederick Baron von Munchausen
Eric Idle - Desmond / Berthold
Sarah Polley - Sally Salt
Oliver Reed - Vulcan
Charles McKeown - Rupert / Adolphus
Winston Dennis - Bill / Albrecht
Jack Purvis - Jeremy / Gustavus
Jonathan Pryce - The Right Ordinary Horatio Jackson

If you ever wondered what Time Bandits would be like it weren't quite so good, you need look no further than The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. It's not that Munchausen is a bad film. When Gilliam is free to let his imagination run wild, he creates scenes that are on par with his very best work. And it's clear that the character of Baron Munchausen is the genesis of the Don Quixote film he still has yet to make. In a way, Munchausen is quintessential Gilliam as it features his favorite themes, a familiar structure, and clearly provides the constant challenge he longs for: to push his imagination beyond the boundaries of the imaginable.

After upstaging a shoddy production about his life, Baron Munchausen is recruited by a young girl (Polley) to help save the town which is under siege by the "reasonable" politician (Pryce) and an army of Turks. To save the town, Munchausen needs to get the band back together as each of his friends possesses a special ability needed to win the war. The simple premise allows Gilliam to focus more on magnificent settings and whimsical characters as opposed to precise details and subtlety. The movie rarely condescends, but due to both a lethargic beginning and end, it lacks clarity.

There's also the performance of a young Sarah Polley to consider. While she would grow up to be a solid performer, here, she's too irritating. What should be forceful comes off as petulant and as the embodiment of the conflict between imagination and reason, she seems unable to straddle the gray area in between. It's a lot to ask of any child actor, but it's what was required for the role. Thankfully, the rest of the cast is fantastic, especially John Neville as Munchausen and a ridiculously hot 18-year-old Uma Thurman as the goddess Venus.

But it's the beginning and the end which truly hold Munchausen back from being one of Gilliam's top-tier films. It takes too long to begin the journey and the ending drags on as it tries to hit every major theme. We also see the dangers of letting Gilliam have too much freedom as the climatic battle scene has a scope and energy that Gilliam, at least at this point in his career, was unable to capture.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is no Time Bandits, but it can hold us over for Man of La Mancha...if Gilliam ever gets to make it.

Words by
Matt Goldberg
1.24.08

Rating: 7.9 out of 10