The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

Logline

In this unique treatment of the famous book by Gottfried August Bürger, Zeman was inspired by engravings used in the original edition from the hand of one of the most important illustrators of the 19th century, Gustave Doré. Filming the action in black and white, the director then used heavy tinting and different colors as symbols of the changing moods and surprising plot twists of the story. This fantastical adventure – interspersed with unique effects and funny gags – won many international prizes, among other festivals in Cannes and Locarno.

The American director Terry Gilliam – member of the legendary Monty Pythons – revealed that Zeman’s film was the initial inspiration for his own version of the famous story. In Zeman’s playful parable, a smug Baron Munchausen recounts his tales, intertwined with the love story of a modern adventurer (and astronaut!), Tony, who becomes the Baron’s rival in love. The title role is played by Miloš Kopecký, Tony the astronaut by Rudolf Jelínek and the capricious princess Bianka by the contemporary movie star Jana Brejchová. A number of other Czech acting legends (including Jan Werich and Rudolf Hrušínský) play cameo roles in the film.

Synopsis

Tony, a modern astronaut, lands on the moon, where he meets a peculiar party of gentlemen. This includes Cyrano de Bergerac, the heroes of Jules Verne’s Voyage to the Moon, but above all the blustering Baron Munchausen. All warmly welcome him with a glass of wine and want to know if this „Moon-man“ knows of the magic of life on Earth.

Baron Munchausen then takes Tony with him back to Turkey, where they free the charming princess Bianca from the captivity of the malicious sultan. The boastful baron tries to charm her and thus plunges them into crazy adventures; they find themselves in the belly of a whale; he flies in the claws of a Roc, swims underwater on a seahorse, and is taken into the midst of battle riding on a cannon ball…

In the course of these fantastic adventures Bianca becomes enchanted by the boldness of the dreamer Tony and together they reach the end where the story began – back on the pale Moon, which belongs not only to poets and fantasists, but also to lovers.

Awards 

Digital restoration

The digital restoration of the film The Fabulous Baron Munchausen is a part of the project Restoring The World of Fantasy. Restoring The World of Fantasy is a joint project of The Czech Film Foundation, Karel Zeman Museum and Czech Television. The aim of the project is within three years to digitally restore selected films produced by Karel Zeman to the finest quality, to screen them in cinemas and bring them to life again. The aim of the project is also to inform public about the importance of the digital restoration.

American expert James Mockoski is supervisor of the digital restoration of these Karel Zeman films. The restoration is being led by main restorer Ivo Marák at Universal Production Partners (UPP), the reconstruction of the audio portion of the films is taking place in Soundsquare.

Distribution information

Czechoslovakia: 1961, 83 min
Director: Karel Zeman
Screenplay: Karel Zeman, Josef Kainar (based on the book by Gottfried August Bürger)
Camera: Jiří Tarantík
Music: Zdeněk Liška
Starring: Miloš Kopecký, Jana Brejchová, Rudolf Jelínek, Karel Höger, Jan Werich, Rudolf Hrušínský, Eduard Kohout and others

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