The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Baron Munchausen is a seventeen-century aristocrat with a taste for adventure and a tendency to embellish his past. The aging Baron decides to come to the rescue of a British town under siege from Turkish marauders. With this feature film Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King, Twelve monkeys, Brazil, Time bandits, Fear and loathing in Las Vegas) continues his penchant for elaborate costume drama/comedy involving expensive productions, extensive casting and complex detailed settings. The story follows Munchausen on a series of daring adventures including: ballooning to the moon, being swallowed by a whale, exploring the inside of a volcano, cheating the executioner’s axe and a date with Botticelli’s Venus. Travelling with Munchausen are the fastest man in the world, the man with the best hearing, the strongest man, a man with breath as strong as the wind and one girl who is the only person to thoroughly believe in him. Resplendent set pieces evoke memories of (and at times appears to reference) the more financially successful “Time bandits”. Cast and cameos include: John Neville, Uma Thurman, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Jack Purvis, Charles McKeowan, Robin Williams.