• This is yet another reminder to seek out the film made directly following a masterpiece from any major auteur. I talk about Marie Antoinette from Sofia Coppola often, Woody’s Interiors following Annie Hall is one of these films— and Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen follows Brazil and perhaps because of that, I’ve been tragically underrating it for years
  • Even detractors have to be blown away by the visual spectacularity—this is the final leg of the imagination trilogy from Gilliam—a boy (Time Bandits), man (Brazil) and elderly (here)

this is the final leg of the imagination trilogy from Gilliam—a boy (Time Bandits), man (Brazil) and elderly (here)

  • Gilliam owes much to both Fellini and Ray Harryhausen. This isn’t Marcello Mastroianni’s early 1960’s Fellini—this is 1965-1976 Fellini, excess, a circus, extras, big sets, expressionism and world-building, Satryicon, Roma (in both cases putting your name in the title), Amarcord. Also there is a set-piece sequence (perhaps two) that could be traced back to the visual effects work of Harryhausen— particularly The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

should be hanging on the wall in an art museum

  • To that end with Fellini- this was shot in the same backlot (Cinecittà Studios and yes, other places) as many of Fellini’s films. Gilliam taps Giuseppe Rotunno as DP (Visconti’s collaborator on several, Fellini’s DP for Roma, Amarcord, Satyricon) and the production designer is one of the best of all-time (and this among his best work)—Dante Ferretti (worked with Fellini in the 80’s, Titus, Casino, Age of Innocence, Salo)
  • A war setting, the 18th century “Age of Reason”- which Gilliam is going to mock like the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup

Even detractors have to be blown away by the visual spectacularity

  • Opens on a stage play setting, sort of Wes Anderson (Wes Anderson actually matches Fellini’s career track as they start out grounded in some reality and each film along the way resembles that reality less and less) meets Georges Méliès

Opens on a stage play setting, sort of Wes Anderson (Wes Anderson actually matches Fellini’s career track as they start out grounded in some reality and each film along the way resembles that reality less and less) meets Georges Méliès

  • a swirl of chaos and costumes. It is Gilliam’s trademark hoarder’s art
  • the sultan’s harm is absolutely dazzling—a feat of mise-en-scene

the sultan’s harm is absolutely dazzling—a feat of mise-en-scene– Fellini’s 1965-1976 period

  • like almost all of Gilliam’s work contains a little person- here solid actor Jack Purvis back from Time Bandits
  • Gilliam has certainly confirmed Brazil was no fluke accident in 1988. He has a remarkable vision—endless ambition and inventiveness. He’s taking on works that seem unfilmable if you read them on the page (he clearly needs a big budget to pull this all off and this is where art vs. commerce collide) like Dr. Seuss, Alice or The Wizard of Oz (that film in particular is very comparable to Baron Munchausen with the sort of crew of his playing dual roles and he’s gathering them up one by one as he travels back to the city)

Gilliam has certainly confirmed Brazil was no fluke accident in 1988. He has a remarkable vision—endless ambition and inventiveness

  • Explosions going off throughout seems to be part of the world Gilliam wanted to build- chaos again
  • The very young Uma Thurman as Venus. I think this was actually shot as her first film and debut but because of the production issues and delays (typical of Gilliam) several of her other films were released first
  • Gilliam is the master of miniatures- the moon set piece is a standout, the world-building. The belly of a fish. I was going to compare Guillermo del Toro to Gilliam and of course del Toro is working on an adaptation of Pinocchio where we may see a similar expressionistic fish set being built

Gilliam owes much to visual effects master Ray Harryhausen

Robin Williams is a perfect match for Gilliam’s zany world– they’d work together again in Gilliam’s next film- The Fisher King

  • At the 102 minute mark a breathtaking camera movement- a crane shot from the sultan’s tent pulls back to reveal (and hold on) an immaculate composition. It is symmetrically perfect, colorful filled with excess and extras

symmetry of Greenaway (a contemporary of Gilliam), Wes Anderson (after Gilliam of course)– excess and color

  • Just moving from jaw-dropping set piece to jaw-dropping set piece
  • A Must-See film- top five of the year quality film