DVD The Fabulous Baron Munchausen - restored version

American director Terry Gilliam, a member of the legendary Monty Python group, has revealed that Zeman’s film was the primary inspiration for his own version of the famous story. In Zeman’s playful allegory, the tall tales of the self-satisfied Baron Munchausen intertwine with the romantic story of a modern-day dreamer, Toník, who becomes the Baron’s rival in love. The title role was played by Miloš Kopecký, the astronaut Toník was portrayed by Rudolf Jelínek, and the capricious Princess Bianca was played by the former star Jana Brejchová. A number of other acting legends (including Jan Werich and Rudolf Hrušínský) appear in the film in cameo roles.

Plot:

The modern-day astronaut Toník lands on the Moon, where he encounters a curious company. Among them are Cyrano de Bergerac, the heroes of Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, and above all the boastful Baron Munchausen. They warmly welcome him with a glass of wine and wish for the presumed Moon-dweller to discover the magic of life on Earth.

Baron Munchausen then sets off together with Toník for Turkey, where they rescue the charming Princess Bianca from the captivity of a treacherous sultan. The bragging Baron tries to win her favor and therefore plunges into a series of madcap adventures—finding himself inside the belly of a sea whale, soaring through the air on the talons of a gigantic bird, riding a seahorse beneath the ocean’s surface, and traveling into the midst of battles atop a cannonball…

During these fantastical escapades, however, Bianca falls under the spell of the brave dreamer Toník, and in the end they journey together back to where the story began—to the pale Moon. For it belongs not only to poets and visionaries, but above all to lovers.

Cast and crew: 

Czechoslovakia, 1961, 82 min
Director: Karel Zeman
Screenplay: Karel Zeman, Josef Kainar (based on the book by Gottfried August Bürger)
Cinematography: Jiří Tarantík
Music: Zdeněk Liška
Cast: Miloš Kopecký, Jana Brejchová, Rudolf Jelínek, Karel Höger, Jan Werich, Rudolf Hrušínský, Eduard Kohout, and others.

Extras:

• Baron Munchausen trailer
• Karel Zeman and The World
• Restoring a World of Fantasy
• Film Adventurer Karel Zeman - trailer
• The Making of Baron Munchausen
• Karel Zeman Museum