Terry Gilliam, the former Python whose animations have widely contributed to the comedy troupe’s successes, is a director who is of the same branch as Tim Burton. Both directors share a fondness for the weird and fantastical, but whereas Burton’s is much darker, grim, and full of black humor, Gilliam is much more the lover of fairy tales. His are stories of alternate dimensions, of weird people and even weirder locations.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is, most likely because it is based off of a series of German tall tales that all started the title character, is a whimsical, highly entertaining, and downright charming little film. And despite it’s seemingly juvenile appearance and sterotypes (an old adventurer must reclaim his old friends to save the city and is aided by a little girl), I noticed quite a few interesting themes.
The one that is most noticeable is Fantasy vs. Reality, where Fantasy is the clear victor. The City is run by an elected officer who is completely devoted to Logic and Reasoning. Baron Munchausen and company are the exact opposite, where they are devoted to the adventuring spirit and dreams of grandeur. The City also represents the “real world”, which is in the Age of Reason, which no longer has any need for seas of wine or Cyclops. The lands that Baron Munchausen visits, however, are those that seem plucked straight out of mythology.
Another theme is Death, and our desire to escape from it. The Baron is old, and at times is all too willing to go to sleep. Many times it is only the spirit of little Sally Salt that keeps death, quite literally, away from the Baron
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen did horrible when it was released in the United States, with just a mere $8 million in profit. Of course, it faired substantially better in Europe, but it still put a taint on Gilliam’s soul in the eyes of the Studios. A shame, because you rarely see a film as good as this one.
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