Henry Salt and his theatrical troupe have played some rough
venues before, but this time it might literally kill them. Stuck in a city
that’s under siege by Turkish forces, it’s up in the air as to whether they’ll
be killed by the constant enemy shelling, or by the fickle bureaucrat (Jonathan
Pryce) who’s running the city according to his own twisted set of rules. On top
of all of this, their performance of the adventures of Baron Munchausen is
interrupted by…Baron Munchausen. An odd old gentleman in a soldier’s uniform
shows up in the middle of the show, claiming to be the real Munchausen, and
angrily insisting that the actors have got the details of his adventures all
wrong. Nobody takes him seriously, but when young Sally (Sarah Polley) witnesses
Munchausen literally ride a mortar shell right over the city walls and into
battle, she alone realizes that he might be the real deal after all. When the
Baron promises the people of the besieged city that he’ll go get help, Sally
stows away aboard his balloon and winds up going on an extraordinary adventure.
Terry Gilliam, the director of Time Bandits and Brazil, gives us this highly
amusing, off-kilter fantasy about the magic of stretching the truth. Some might
say that Baron Munchausen is fanciful to the point of being silly, but then
that’s the very point. The real Munchausen was a well-known liar who was famous
for making up imaginative stories. The Munchausen in the film, well-played by
veteran actor John Neville, bemoans the rational and scientific age he now lives
in, and on several occasions he wishes nothing more than to die--only to be
pulled back on track by Sally, who becomes the Baron’s determined sidekick. The
chemistry between Neville and Polley is great, with Polley also giving a superb
performance as the often annoyed Sally, who finds herself frustrated by the
Baron’s lack of focus.
The fantasy aspect is handled very well in a wonderfully over the top style that
was pre-CGI. And Gilliam manages to sprinkle some wry social commentary
throughout the film, such as the big business of warfare, and even some
ruminations on death itself. The Baron’s super-powered group of assistants give
this film the feel of an 18th century X-Men movie, especially when they all take
on the invading hordes of soldiers. In short, Baron Munchausen is good, clean
fun. And it also provides the big-screen debut of Uma Thurman as a scantily-clad
goddess. There are no extras to speak of on the DVD, which is unfortunate, since
the behind the scenes story is just as fascinating as the film itself. To say
that the filming of Baron Munchausen was tumultuous is putting it mildly. Yet
while making the film may not have been easy, watching it certainly is a lot of
fun.
--SF
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