Editing The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

{{short description|1988 film by Terry Gilliam}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
| image          = Adventures of baron munchausen.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by Lucinda Cowell
| director       = [[Terry Gilliam]]
| writer         = {{ubl|[[Charles McKeown]]|Terry Gilliam}}
| producer       = Thomas Schühly
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]]
* [[Eric Idle]]
* [[Sarah Polley]]
* [[Oliver Reed]]
* [[Uma Thurman]]
* [[Jonathan Pryce]]
* [[Valentina Cortese]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Giuseppe Rotunno]]
| editing        = Peter Hollywood
| music          = [[Michael Kamen]]
| studio         = {{ubl|[[Allied Filmmakers]]|Laura Film|Prominent Features}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Columbia Pictures]] (worldwide)
* [[Constantin Film|Neue Constantin Film]] (West Germany)<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Abenteuer des Baron von Munchausen|website=[[filmportal.de]]|access-date=22 July 2021|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/die-abenteuer-des-baron-von-munchhausen_ea43d4a78c865006e03053d50b37753d|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420062633/https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/die-abenteuer-des-baron-von-munchhausen_ea43d4a78c865006e03053d50b37753d|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1988|12|08|West Germany|1989|03|10|United States|1989|03|17|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 126 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 126:14--><ref>{{cite web|title=''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' (PG)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/adventures-baron-munchausen-1970-3|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=1988-12-12|access-date=2013-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404220154/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/adventures-baron-munchausen-1970-3|archive-date=4 April 2017}}</ref>
| country        = {{ubl|United Kingdom|United States|West Germany}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $46.6 million<ref name="mojo"/>
| gross          = $8.1 million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}

'''''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen''''' is a 1988 [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] [[adventure film]] co-written and directed by [[Terry Gilliam]], starring [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]], [[Eric Idle]], [[Sarah Polley]], [[Oliver Reed]], [[Uma Thurman]], [[Jonathan Pryce]] and [[Valentina Cortese]]. An [[co-production (media)|international co-production]] of the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b79c00342 | title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) | publisher=[[British Film Institute]] | access-date=15 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101141125/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b79c00342 | archive-date=1 January 2018}}</ref> the film is based on the [[tall tale]]s of the 18th-century German nobleman, [[Baron Munchausen]], and his wartime exploits against the [[Ottoman Empire]].

The film was a box office bomb, grossing only $8 million domestically and losing  millions for [[Columbia Pictures]]. Despite this, it received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]], [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]] and [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]].

==Plot==
In an unnamed war-torn European city in the "[[Age of Enlightenment|Age of Reason]]", as a large [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army prepares an invasion outside the city gates, a fanciful touring stage production of [[Baron Munchausen]]'s life and adventures is taking place. In a theatre box, the mayor, "[[The Right Honourable|The Right Ordinary]]" Horatio Jackson, reinforces the city's commitment to reason by ordering the execution of a soldier who had just accomplished a near-superhuman feat of bravery, claiming that his bravery is demoralizing to other soldiers and citizens.

The play is interrupted by an elderly man claiming to be the real Baron, protesting its many inaccuracies. Over the complaints of the audience, the theatre company and Jackson, the "real" Baron gains the house's attention and narrates through flashback an account of one of his adventures, of a life-or-death wager with the Grand Turk, in which the younger Baron's life is saved only by his amazing luck, plus the assistance of his remarkable associates: Berthold, the world's fastest runner; Adolphus, a rifleman with superhuman eyesight; Gustavus, who possesses extraordinary hearing and powerful lungs; and the fantastically strong Albrecht.

When gunfire disrupts the elderly Baron's story, Jackson cancels the acting troupe's contract because of the Baron. The Baron wanders backstage, where the [[Personifications of death|Angel of Death]] tries to take his life, but Sally Salt, the young daughter of the theatre company's leader, saves him and persuades him to remain living. Sally races to the wall, yelling for the Turkish army to leave. The Baron accidentally fires himself through the sky using a [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]], and returns riding a cannonball, narrowly escaping the Angel of Death again. Insisting that he alone can save the city, the Baron escapes over the city's walls in a hot air balloon constructed of women's underwear, accompanied by Sally as a stowaway.

The balloon expedition proceeds to the Moon, where the Baron, who has grown younger, finds Berthold, but angers the King of the Moon, a giant with separate minds in his head and body, and who resents the Baron for his romantic past with the Queen of the Moon. The death of the King's body and a bungled escape from the Moon bring the trio back to the Earth and into the volcano of the Roman god, [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]]. He hosts the group as his guests, and reveals that Albrecht is working as his servant. The Baron and Vulcan's wife, [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], attempt a romantic interlude by waltzing in the air, prompting an irate Vulcan to expel the foursome from his kingdom into the [[South Seas]].

Swallowed by an enormous sea creature, the travellers locate Gustavus, Adolphus and the Baron's trusty horse, [[Bucephalus]]. The Baron (who appears elderly again after being "expelled from a state of bliss") encounters the Angel of Death for the fourth time. They escape by blowing "a modicum of [[Snuff (tobacco)|snuff]]" into the sea creature's cavernous interior, causing it to sneeze the heroes out through its whale-like blowhole. The Baron, young again, sails to where the Turkish army is located, but his associates are too elderly and tired to fight.

The Baron firmly lectures them, but to no avail, so he storms off, intending to surrender to the Grand Turk. His companions rally to save the Baron, and, through a series of fantastic acts, they rout the Turkish army and liberate the city. During the city's celebratory parade, the Baron is shot dead by Jackson, and the Angel of Death appears for a final time to take the Baron's life. An emotional public funeral takes place, but the denouement reveals that this is merely the final scene of yet another story that the Baron is telling to the same theatregoers in the city. The Baron calls the foregoing "only one of the many occasions on which I met my death", and closes his tale by saying that "everyone who had a talent for it lived happily ever after".

The Baron leads the citizens to the city gates to reveal that the city has indeed been saved, although it is unclear if the events of the battle occurred in a tall tale or in reality. Sally asks, "It wasn't just a story, was it?" The Baron grins, rides away on Bucephalus, and disappears.

==Cast==
<!--- Cast and order per closing tombstone credits --->
{{Cast listing|
* [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]] as [[Baron Munchausen]]
* [[Eric Idle]] as Berthold/Desmond
* [[Sarah Polley]] as Sally Salt
* [[Oliver Reed]] as [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]]
* [[Charles McKeown]] as Adolphus/Rupert
* Winston Dennis as Albrecht/Bill
* [[Jack Purvis (actor)|Jack Purvis]] as Gustavus/Jeremy
* [[Valentina Cortese]] as Queen Ariadne/Violet
* [[Jonathan Pryce]] as The Right Ordinary Horatio Jackson
* [[Bill Paterson (actor)|Bill Paterson]] as Henry Salt
* [[Peter Jeffrey]] as Sultan [[Mahmud I]]
* [[Uma Thurman]] as [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]]/Rose
* [[Alison Steadman]] as Daisy
* [[Ray Cooper]] as [[Functionary]]
}}

In addition, [[Robin Williams]]—credited as "Ray D. Tutto" (a play on "king of everything" in Italian)—portrays the King of the Moon. Director [[Terry Gilliam]] explained, "The deal was that we couldn't use his [Williams] name because his agents said, 'We don't want you pimping his ass for your film.' [...] so that's why Robin is not credited."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Weiner |first=David |title=The Pain Behind 'Baron Munchausen' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/adventures-baron-munchausen-trauma-behind-classic-1193214/ |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=8 March 2019 |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530193055/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/adventures-baron-munchausen-trauma-behind-classic-1193214/ |archive-date=30 May 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robin-williams.net/help.php |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Films, Stand-Up, Comedy and TV Show Appearances |website=Robin Williams Fansite |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316114044/http://www.robin-williams.net/help.php |archive-date=16 March 2017 |url-status=live |quote=Q: ''Why is Robin credited in some projects as Ray D. Tutto, Marty Fromage and Sudy Nim?'' A: These are all in-jokes related to Robin's cameo appearances. In The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Robin's King of the Moon character proclaims himself "re di tutto" ("king of everything" in Italian).}}</ref> [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] has a credited [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] as a soldier executed for being a hero ("behaviour demoralizing to ordinary soldiers"), and Gilliam has an uncredited cameo as an irritating singer.<ref>{{cite journal |date=4 December 2001 |title=''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' |url=http://csac.buffalo.edu/munchausen.pdf |journal=The Buffalo Film Seminars |publisher=[[University at Buffalo]] |volume=IV |issue=14 |page=1 |access-date=25 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172537/http://csac.buffalo.edu/munchausen.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

==Production==
===Background===
[[Tall tale]]s, loosely based on the German adventurer Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchhausen, or Baron Munchausen, were compiled by [[Rudolf Erich Raspe]] and published for English readers in 1785 as ''[[s:The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen|The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]'' (or ''[[Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia]]''). The tales were further embellished and translated back to German by [[Gottfried August Bürger]] in 1786. These tales were frequently extended and translated throughout the 19th century, further fictionalized in the 1901 American novel, ''[[Mr. Munchausen]]''.

The stories were adapted into various films, including ''[[Baron Munchausen's Dream]]'' (1911, by [[Georges Méliès]]), ''[[Münchhausen (1943 film)|Münchhausen]]'' (1943, by [[Josef von Báky]], with a script by [[Erich Kästner]]), ''[[The Fabulous Baron Munchausen]]'' (1961, by [[Karel Zeman]]) and ''[[The Very Same Munchhausen]]'' (1979), directed by [[Mark Zakharov]], who depicted Munchausen as a tragic character, struggling against the conformity and hypocrisy of the world around him.

===Budget===
The film went over budget; what was originally $23.5 million<ref>{{cite news|first1=Michael|last1=Cieply|author-link1=Michael Cieply|first2=Jack|last2=Mathews|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-14-ca-36259-story.html|title=The Misadventures of 'Munchausen' : How a $23.5-Million Fantasy Film Turned into an Over-Budget Nightmare|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=14 January 1988|access-date=30 October 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604012050/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-01-14/entertainment/ca-36259_1|archive-date=4 June 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> grew to a reported $46.63 million.<ref name="mojo"/> Gilliam, acknowledging that he had gone over budget, said that its final costs had been nowhere near $40 million.<ref>Interview for ''The Directors – The Films of Terry Gilliam'', included on the bonus DVD of the 25th Anniversary Edition of ''[[Time Bandits]]'').</ref>

In ''The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen'' (included on the bonus [[DVD]] of the 20th Anniversary Edition of ''Munchausen''), producer Thomas Schühly said that, as part of a deal with [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] before it went to [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]], a budget plan had been set up for $35 million, "and it's strange, the [film's] final cost was 35 [million].... We always had a budget of 34 or 35 million, the problem was when I started to discuss it with Columbia, Columbia would not go beyond 25.... Everybody knew from the very beginning that this cutting out was just a fake.... The problem was that [[David Puttnam]] got fired, and all these deals were oral deals.... Columbia's new CEO, [[Dawn Steel]], said, 'Whatever David Puttnam [has] said before doesn't interest me'."

Regarding the new regime's apparent animosity towards all of Puttnam's projects and ''Munchausen'', Gilliam added in the same documentary, "I was trying very hard to convince Dawn Steel that this was not a David Puttnam movie, it was a Terry Gilliam movie." Similarly, Kent Houston, head of Peerless Camera, which was doing the film's special effects, said in ''Madness and Misadventures'' that they were promised a bonus if they would finish the effects in time, but when they approached the person again when they were done, he was met with the reply, "I'm not gonna pay you, because I don't want to seem to be doing anything that could benefit Terry Gilliam."

===Experience===
''Munchausen'' is the third entry in Gilliam's "''Trilogy of Imagination''", preceded by ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981) and ''[[Brazil (1985 film)|Brazil]]'' (1985).<ref name="essay">Matthews, Jack (1996). "Dreaming Brazil" (essay accompanying [[The Criterion Collection]] DVD release).</ref> All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible".<ref name="essay"/> Gilliam explained, "The one theme that runs through all three of these pictures is a consistently serious battle between fantasy and what people perceive as reality."<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Paul M.|last1=Sammon|first2=Don|last2=Shay|title=The Adventures of Terry Gilliam|magazine=[[Cinefex]]|volume=38|issue=7|date=1989}}</ref> All three films focus on these struggles, and attempt to escape them through imagination: ''Time Bandits'', through the eyes of a child, ''Brazil'', through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and ''Munchausen'', through the eyes of an elderly man.<ref name="essay"/>

When the production finally came to a successful close, several of the actors commented on the rushed tightness of the whole project. [[Eric Idle]] said, "Up until ''Munchausen'', I'd always been very smart about Terry Gilliam films. You don't ever [want to] be in them. Go and see them by all means – but to be in them, fucking madness!!!"<ref name="bmfact">{{cite web|title=Dreams: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|url=http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/bmfact.htm|website=Dreams: The Terry Gilliam Fanzine|access-date=24 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221153736/http://www.smart.co.uk/dreams/bmfact.htm|archive-date=21 February 1999}}</ref>

[[Sarah Polley]], who was nine years old at the time of filming, described it as a traumatic experience. "[I]t definitely left me with a few scars... It was just so dangerous. There were so many explosions going off so close to me, which is traumatic for a kid whether it's dangerous or not. Being in freezing cold water for long periods of time and working endless hours. It was physically grueling and unsafe."<ref>{{cite web|author=Moriarty|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32573|title=Capone Sits Down with the Lovely Sarah Polley To Talk About Her Directorial Debut, BARON MUNCHAUSEN, DAWN OF THE DEAD & More!|website=[[Ain't It Cool News]]|date=7 May 2007|access-date=8 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509010021/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32573|archive-date=9 May 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> She further elaborated on her experience in her 2022 memoir, ''[[Run Towards the Danger]]'', writing, "Though [Gilliam] was magical and brilliant and made images and stories that will live for a long, long time, it's hard to calculate whether they were worth the price of the hell that so many went through over the years to help him make them."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/12/sarah-polley-terry-gilliam-run-towards-danger-baron-munchausen-interview|title=Sarah Polley: 'It took me years to see how responsible Terry Gilliam was for my terror'|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=12 June 2022|access-date=12 June 2022|archive-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612220348/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/12/sarah-polley-terry-gilliam-run-towards-danger-baron-munchausen-interview|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nevertheless, on 29 October 2022, she tweeted, "You have my unconditional permission to still love this movie", to people who were wondering whether they could "still like this movie after hearing about [her] horrible experiences working on it as a child";<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Polley|first=Sarah|author-link=Sarah Polley|user=realsarahpolley|number=1586483511342796803|title=I have seen some discussion about whether or not people can still like this movie after hearing about my horrible experiences working on it as a child. You may not be asking for it or care – but you have my unconditional permission to still love this movie.|date=29 October 2022|access-date=30 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106232325/https://twitter.com/realsarahpolley/status/1586483511342796803|archive-date=6 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> adding in a second tweet, "Yes, it was traumatic for me. Yes, it should have been handled very differently. Yes, it is still a great movie. The joy that comes from it is the joy I am able to carry with me as well as the terrible memories. So go nuts. Enjoy it. You have my blessing."<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Polley|first=Sarah|author-link=Sarah Polley|user=realsarahpolley|number=1586483512906944512|title=Yes, it was traumatic for me. Yes, it should have been handled very differently. Yes, it is still a great movie. The joy that comes from it is the joy I am able to carry with me as well as the terrible memories. So go nuts. Enjoy it. You have my blessing.|date=29 October 2022|access-date=30 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108043350/https://twitter.com/realsarahpolley/status/1586483512906944512|archive-date=8 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

Production designer [[Dante Ferretti]] afterwards compared Gilliam to his former director, saying, "Terry is very similar to [[Federico Fellini|Fellini]] in spirit. Fellini is a wilder liar, but that's the only difference! Terry isn't a director so much as a film author. He is open to every single idea and opportunity to make the end result work. Often the best ideas have come out of something not working properly and coming up with a new concept as a result. He is very elastic and that's one quality in a director that I admire the most."<ref name="bmfact"/>

==Release==

When ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' was finally completed, David Puttnam, who had obtained the film's US distribution rights for Columbia Pictures, had been replaced as CEO of Columbia; coupled with Gilliam's prior quarrels with major studios over ''Brazil'', the film was given limited distribution in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:918|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) – Terry Gilliam – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=[[AllMovie]]|access-date=15 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426195934/http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg|archive-date=26 April 2006}}</ref> The film opened on 8 December 1988 on 252 screens in West Germany and grossed $853,515 in its opening week, finishing third at the box office.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=28 December 1988|page=20|title=International boxoffice}}</ref> It expanded to 317 screens the following week but saw a reduction in gross to $699,000, for a two week gross of $1.6 million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=28 December 1988|page=20|title='Munchausen' biz not overly strong in W. German runs}}</ref> It grossed $8.1 million in the US and Canada,<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0096764/|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> and £1,917,499 in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s – An Information Briefing|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|year=2005|page=19|access-date=28 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731161323/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|archive-date=31 July 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

In ''Madness and Misadventures'', Robin Williams commented on the low number of [[release print]]s that Columbia produced, saying, "[Puttnam's] regime was leaving, the new one was going through this, and they said, 'This was ''their'' movie, now let's do ''our'' movies!' It was a bit like the new lion that comes in and kills all the cubs from the previous man."

Regarding the contemporary press's perception of the film being a financial disaster, Gilliam said in a 2000 interview with [[IGN]], "It seemed actually appropriate that Munchausen—the greatest liar in the world—should be a victim of some of the greatest liars in the world." He compared the film's budget problems to the more serious problems of the film, ''[[We're No Angels (1989 film)|We're No Angels]]''; he went on to declare its difficulties as a mixture of "trade press" still being upset about his battle with Universal over ''Brazil'', [[nepotism]], and an intrigue on behalf of [[Ray Stark]] successfully trying to have Puttnam removed from Columbia, coupled with the fact the studio was being sold at the time:

<blockquote>The negative stories about the shoot that were turning up in the Hollywood press were coming, we found out later, from a source at Film Finances—which was the completion bond company on the film. Their lawyer was a guy named Steve Ransohoff, whose father was Martin Ransohoff—who was Ray Stark's friend and partner. [...] I thought it was quite extraordinary, because the stories were doing two things—they were making me and the whole project look like it was completely out of control and all my fault, and that Film Finance, the completion guarantors, were the only thing holding it together—the people trying to bring control to it... the fact was, they were absolutely useless.

The ultimate fact was that when the film was ultimately released, there were only 117 prints made for America—so it was never really released. 117 prints! ...an art film gets 400. We were ultimately the victim of Columbia Tri-Star being sold to Sony, because at that time all they were doing was trying to get the books looking as good as possible. We weren't the only film that suffered, but we were the most visible one. And what happened—to complete the story in a neat and tidy way—was that they were not spending any money on advertising to promote any of the movies started by the previous regime—by Putnam's regime. They were burying films left right and center by spending no money on them—and the books looked really good at the end of that.

The joke is, if you look back, we got the best reviews and we were doing the best business in the opening weeks of any film they had released since ''[[The Last Emperor|Last Emperor]]''. We actually opened well in the big cities—we opened really well. A friend who had bought the video rights said he had never seen anything so weird—Columbia was spending their whole time looking at exit polls to prove the film would not work in the suburbs, and so it would be pointless to make any more prints. He said, "I've never seen anything like this." There it was. Then it becomes this kind of legend—which it deserves to be... even if it's the wrong legend.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web | last=Plume | first=Kenneth | title=Interview with Terry Gilliam (Part 3 of 4) | url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/035/035925p1.html | website=[[IGN]] | date=17 November 2000 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831202704/http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/035/035925p1.html | archive-date=31 August 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

==Reception==
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bursting with Terry Gilliam's typically imaginative flourishes, this story of a possibly deranged Baron recounting his storied life is a flamboyant and witty visual treat."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adventures_of_baron_munchausen|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], which uses a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]], assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-adventures-of-baron-munchausen/|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=6 March 2011}}</ref>

Regarding the gap between the film's troubled production and its eventual triumph of aesthetic cinematic form on the screen, Jeff Swindoll wrote in his 2008 DVD review of ''Munchausen'' for ''Monsters and Critics'': "For the absolute hell that the production of the film turned out to be, you really don't see any of that tension on the screen... the film is a fantastic, whimsical treat... ''Baron Munchausen'' is full of whimsy, fantasy, bright colors, and fabulous characters. None is as fantastic as the Baron himself as played, with a twinkle in his eye, by the grand John Neville."<ref>{{cite web|first=Jeff|last=Swindoll|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1399123.php/DVD_Review_The_Adventures_of_Baron_Munchausen_20th_Anniversary_Edition|title=DVD Review: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (20th Anniversary Edition)|website=Monsters and Critics |date=9 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025181104/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1399123.php/DVD_Review_The_Adventures_of_Baron_Munchausen_20th_Anniversary_Edition|archive-date=25 October 2011}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 3 stars out of 4, and found that it was "told with a cheerfulness and a light touch that never betray the time and money it took to create them", appreciating "the sly wit and satire that sneaks in here and there from director Terry Gilliam and his collaborators, who were mostly forged in the mill of [[Monty Python]]". While considering the film's special effects as "astonishing", Ebert also contended that "the movie is slow to get off the ground", and "sometimes the movie fails on the basic level of making itself clear. We're not always sure who is who, how they are related, or why we should care." But "allowing for the unsuccessful passages there is a lot here to treasure". Ebert concluded, "This is a vast and commodious work... the wit and the spectacle of ''Baron Munchausen'' are considerable achievements." Additionally, he considered John Neville's title role performance as appearing "sensible and matter-of-fact, as anyone would if they had spent a lifetime growing accustomed to the incredible".<ref>{{cite news|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19890310/REVIEWS/903100301/1023|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=10 March 1989|access-date=25 June 2019|via=[[RogerEbert.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928090027/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19890310%2FREVIEWS%2F903100301%2F1023|archive-date=28 September 2012}}</ref>

[[Hal Hinson]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film a "wondrous feat of imagination", although, "except for Williams, the actors are never more than a detail in Gilliam's compositions".<ref name="washpost">{{cite news|first=Hal|last=Hinson|author-link=Hal Hinson|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofbaronmunchausenpghinson_a0a8f0.htm|title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=24 March 1989|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925075255/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/theadventuresofbaronmunchausenpghinson_a0a8f0.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' wrote, "Everything about ''Munchausen'' deserves exclamation points, and not just to clear the air of the odor of corporate flop sweat. So here it is! A lavish fairy tale for bright children of all ages! Proof that eccentric films can survive in today's off-the-rack Hollywood! The most inventive fantasy since, well, ''Brazil!'' You may not believe it, ladies and gentlemen, but it's all true."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Richard|last=Corliss|author-link=Richard Corliss| title=Lying with A Straight Face | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957217,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022080218/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957217,00.html | archive-date=22 October 2010 | date=13 March 1989| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | access-date=30 October 2009}}</ref>

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film "consistently imaginative" and a "spectacle [that] is indeed spectacular and worth the admission price and patches of boredom". He said that the "major credit must go to [[Giuseppe Rotunno]], the cameraman; [[Dante Ferretti]], the production designer; [[Richard Conway (special effects artist)|Richard Conway]], who did the special effects, and Peerless Camera Company Ltd., responsible for the [[optical effects]]. Without them, ''Baron Munchausen'' would have looked about as big and as interesting as a 25-cent postage stamp."<ref>{{cite news|first=Vincent|last=Canby|author-link=Vincent Canby|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DEEDC103CF933A25750C0A96F948260|title=How a Notorious Liar Might Have Lived|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 March 1989|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-date=8 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108043048/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/10/movies/review-film-how-a-notorious-liar-might-have-lived.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"| [[62nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| rowspan="14"| 1990
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| [[Dante Ferretti]] and [[Francesca Lo Schiavo]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="4"| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1990 |title=The 62nd Academy Awards {{!}} 1990 |publisher=[[Academy Awards]] |access-date=1 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402002952/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1990 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Gabriella Pescucci]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]]
| [[Maggie Weston (make-up artist)|Maggie Weston]] and [[Fabrizio Sforza]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| [[Richard Conway (special effects artist)|Richard Conway]] and [[Kent Houston]]
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"| [[43rd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Gabriella Pescucci
| {{won}}
| rowspan="4"| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/film |title=Film in 1990 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]] |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair|Best Makeup and Hair]]
| Maggie Weston, Fabrizio Sforza and Pam Meager
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| Dante Ferretti
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Special Visual Effects]]
| Kent Houston and Richard Conway
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Hugo Award]]s
| [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]]
| ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen''
| {{nom}}
| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1990-hugo-awards/ |title=1990 Hugo Awards |date=26 July 2007 |publisher=[[Hugo Award]]s |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| [[Nastro d'Argento]]
| Best Cinematography
| [[Giuseppe Rotunno]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="3"| {{center|<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,7/articleid,0896_01_1990_0047_0031_25564630/ |title=Tutti i premiati dalla critica per il 1990 |trans-title=All the critics' winners of 1990 |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |language=it |date=25 February 1990 |page=31 |issn=1122-1763}}</ref>}}
|-
| Best Production Design
| Dante Ferretti
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Gabriella Pescucci
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[11th Youth in Film Awards|Youth in Film Awards]]
| Best Family Motion Picture Family Musical or Fantasy
| ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2"| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms11.htm |title=Eleventh Annual Youth in Film Awards (1988–1989) |publisher=[[Young Artist Award]]s |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402060446/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms11.htm |archive-date=2 April 2011}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film|Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture]]
| Sarah Polley
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4"| [[17th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| rowspan="4"| 1991
| [[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Best Fantasy Film]]
| ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="4"| {{center|<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990sat.htm |title=1989–1990 17th Saturn Awards |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017175712/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1990/1990sat.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2006}}</ref>}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costumes]]
| Gabriella Pescucci
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Make-up|Best Makeup]]
| Maggie Weston and Fabrizio Sforza
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]]
| Richard Conway and Kent Houston
| {{nom}}
|}

===Home media===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2023}}
A [[Criterion Collection]] [[LaserDisc]] was released with features, such as a [[Audio commentary|commentary track]] by Gilliam and [[deleted scene]]s. The first [[DVD]] edition of the film, issued 27 April 1999, did not include any of these nor any other extras.

A 20th anniversary edition was released on DVD and [[Blu-ray]] on 8 April 2008. It included a new commentary with Gilliam and co-writer/actor McKeown, a three-part documentary on the making of the film, [[storyboard]] sequences, and deleted scenes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/catalog/catalogDetail_DVD043396162198.html |title=Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The 20th Anniversary Edition – BD |publisher=[[Sony Pictures]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513214250/http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/catalog/catalogDetail_DVD043396162198.html |archive-date=13 May 2008}}</ref>

The Criterion Collection released the film on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Ultra HD]] and Blu-ray on 3 January 2023, with bonus features.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/29570-the-adventures-of-baron-munchausen |title=The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]] |access-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127153812/https://www.criterion.com/films/29570-the-adventures-of-baron-munchausen |archive-date=27 November 2022}}</ref>

==Comic book==
The film was adapted into a comic series in 1989 by [[NOW Comics]]: ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – The Four-Part Mini-Series''.<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=251797|title=NOW Comics: ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – The Four-Part Mini-Series''}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[A True Story]]'', an ancient Greek novel (2nd century AD), in which the protagonist meets the king of the moon and is later swallowed by a whale.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* [http://offscreen.com/view/munchausen Celluloid Munchausen: The Cinematic Legacy of Baron von Münchhausen]

{{Terry Gilliam}}
{{Baron Munchausen}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The}}
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1988 fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s German films]]
[[Category:American fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:British fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:English-language German films]]
[[Category:Films about old age]]
[[Category:Films about personifications of death]]
[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Films based on Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia]]
[[Category:Films directed by Terry Gilliam]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michael Kamen]]
[[Category:Films set in 18th-century Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Films set on the Moon]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Charles McKeown]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Terry Gilliam]]
[[Category:German fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:Venus (mythology)]]
[[Category:Vulcan (mythology)]]
[[Category:West German films]]