I've had a love affair with this story since childhood.
I inherited a few volumes of El Tesoro De La Juventud, an encyclopedia which was published in 1898 (I still own what I was able to rescue from that encyclopedia.)
I read most of what I could, the books being not complete. Only one of the volumes was in fair shape, the others were loose leafed. In it I read portions of Rudolph Raspe's stories (as the complete story was not to be found.)
A few years later I found a comic book format version which was not very satisfactory.
I read and found out about the German version in reference books, but the thing was just not available to me.
When Gilliam's version was announced I feverishly waited for it. When it played, I was there in line to see it. While the Terry Gilliam borrows much visually, it took the story in a different direction than Baky's (as I found out later.)
With the advent of home video I was finally able to see the German version (in inferior format,)
I then purchased a copy of the non-subtitled German tape, a few years later.
Then, I obtained the PAL DVD and ultimately was able to get NTSC DVD when it was finally released by Kino.
I also bought a vintage, Dore illustrated copy of the book, (the complete book is not that great, the frequently anthologized chapters remain the best parts.)
Since, I've also found a Russian TV movie (Тот самый Мюнхаузен) and the animated Jean Image version (along with Moon Madness which is a different movie,) and I have hopes for the release of Baron Prasil. And there is a Baron Munchausen role playing game which is really fun. I got a copy of that too.
I actually wrote a Munchausen article in the old, lost Board. But it is now gone, of course.
Things are so easy to find nowadays, but it took me a lifetime to get to that point.
The Josef von Baky’s film is a visual feast. Great costumes, great sets. Some neat special effects with animation, miniatures and double exposure.
The story deals with the good Baron (Hans Albers) in minor fantastic adventures right out of the book, but then obtaining immortality by doing a favor to Count Cagliostro, with whom he has a sort of "best enemies" relationship.
The film has been unfairly maligned as a Nazi film. Yes, it was made by the UFA in 1943 and funded by Josef Goebbels, but our hero's philosophy has nothing to do with the politics of the Nazi party.
The Baron is presented as an incorruptible person (fame and money mean nothing to him, Cagliostro is apparently his opposite,) and he is mostly distinguishable by his joie de vivre and lust for life.
Ultimately, the baron rejects immortality, as he realises that by becoming a god he has partially lost his humanity.
I don't see how this attitude could be identified with Nazi politics.
If LOTR presents a villain who refuses to die even after his time is due (on the one hand) and the heroic Elves race, who see that it is the time for them to leave the world for the next (Human) Age, then Baron Munchausen can be said to be on the same heroic level as the Elves.
He tells his story to a "young" couple who up till this time have thought the he is a descendant of the Baron, and not he, himself, and after that, decides to give up immortality, leaving the world to the next generation of lovers.
The animated short in the Kino DVD is really neat.
http://www.horschamp.qc.c...ffscreen/munchausen.html
I inherited a few volumes of El Tesoro De La Juventud, an encyclopedia which was published in 1898 (I still own what I was able to rescue from that encyclopedia.)
I read most of what I could, the books being not complete. Only one of the volumes was in fair shape, the others were loose leafed. In it I read portions of Rudolph Raspe's stories (as the complete story was not to be found.)
A few years later I found a comic book format version which was not very satisfactory.
I read and found out about the German version in reference books, but the thing was just not available to me.
When Gilliam's version was announced I feverishly waited for it. When it played, I was there in line to see it. While the Terry Gilliam borrows much visually, it took the story in a different direction than Baky's (as I found out later.)
With the advent of home video I was finally able to see the German version (in inferior format,)
I then purchased a copy of the non-subtitled German tape, a few years later.
Then, I obtained the PAL DVD and ultimately was able to get NTSC DVD when it was finally released by Kino.
I also bought a vintage, Dore illustrated copy of the book, (the complete book is not that great, the frequently anthologized chapters remain the best parts.)
Since, I've also found a Russian TV movie (Тот самый Мюнхаузен) and the animated Jean Image version (along with Moon Madness which is a different movie,) and I have hopes for the release of Baron Prasil. And there is a Baron Munchausen role playing game which is really fun. I got a copy of that too.
I actually wrote a Munchausen article in the old, lost Board. But it is now gone, of course.
Things are so easy to find nowadays, but it took me a lifetime to get to that point.
The Josef von Baky’s film is a visual feast. Great costumes, great sets. Some neat special effects with animation, miniatures and double exposure.
The story deals with the good Baron (Hans Albers) in minor fantastic adventures right out of the book, but then obtaining immortality by doing a favor to Count Cagliostro, with whom he has a sort of "best enemies" relationship.
The film has been unfairly maligned as a Nazi film. Yes, it was made by the UFA in 1943 and funded by Josef Goebbels, but our hero's philosophy has nothing to do with the politics of the Nazi party.
The Baron is presented as an incorruptible person (fame and money mean nothing to him, Cagliostro is apparently his opposite,) and he is mostly distinguishable by his joie de vivre and lust for life.
Ultimately, the baron rejects immortality, as he realises that by becoming a god he has partially lost his humanity.
I don't see how this attitude could be identified with Nazi politics.
If LOTR presents a villain who refuses to die even after his time is due (on the one hand) and the heroic Elves race, who see that it is the time for them to leave the world for the next (Human) Age, then Baron Munchausen can be said to be on the same heroic level as the Elves.
He tells his story to a "young" couple who up till this time have thought the he is a descendant of the Baron, and not he, himself, and after that, decides to give up immortality, leaving the world to the next generation of lovers.
The animated short in the Kino DVD is really neat.
http://www.horschamp.qc.c...ffscreen/munchausen.html
