Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueThis lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunn... Tout lireThis lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting.This lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Prix
- 1 nomination au total
Avis en vedette
Acclaimed director Terry Gilliam of Monty Python and 12 Monkey's fame, obviously tried to draw more attention to this striking wonder when he made his own version of this tale 'The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen' in 1988. If it wasn't for Mr.Gilliam, I probably would have never bothered to even watch this film. So I owe him many thanks as Münchhausen has easily become one of my all time favorite films. The pace, humour, and sheer originality of this fantasy make it one of the easiest subtitled films to watch in existence, period. It ranks up there with the greatest pre-1950's films such as The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, and Chaplin's brilliant City Lights. If you love movies, if you love classic cinema, if you love original fantasy films, if you love humorous films; Seek out 1943's Münchhausen whatever you do. It will not disappoint. This film is certainly not for children. However, in terms of flat out fantasy entertainment, I would say that this nearly 70 year old antique blows away Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings films any day, and easily. Enough said.
9/10
Extremely funny and hilariously entertaining, Josef von Baky created an unusual and highly original odyssey through Europe, of a man pursuing the exciting and adventurous. Those who have read the stories, know that some of Munchhausen's more famous deeds include his ride on the cannonball, tying his horse to the tip of a church tower and breaking into the ice, out of which he pulls himself by his own hairs. The first one mentioned can be found in the movie, as well as other humorous scenes, that perfectly fit into the Munchausen concept. Munchhausen lived at the end of the 18th century in Brunswick, but he always traveled around Europe with his loyal servant Christian Kuchenreuter. The story starts out with Munchhausen returning from one of his several trips to his residence in Bodenwerder, where all the jackets in his cabinet get rabies and Christian introduces a fascinating substance, that makes a man's beard grow in a matter of seconds. Hours later, Munchausen leaves for the court of Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, who is commanded to leave for St. Petersburg, and would like Munchhausen to accompany him. On their way to Russia, Munchhausen and Christian encounter the dark Count Cagliostro, who is wanted all over Europe for performing notorious witchcraft. He plainly tells Munchhausen of his intentions to become count of the Courland, and asks Munchhausen to assist him, which he denies, by telling him that he has absolutely no intention of reigning. In St. Petersburg, he meets Katharina the Great and the two become lovers, and he also meets Cagliostro again, and warns him that Katharina intends to arrest him. Out of gratitude, Cagliostro gives Munchausen a ring that makes him invisible and the ultimate gift of eternal youth, as long as Munchhausen wants it.
Baron Munchhausen was never very complex in the original stories, as they mostly focused on his fairy tales, rather than the vast and interesting personality. But here, the man is a very deep and powerful character, who sees people die around him, while he possesses the gift of eternal life, and becomes more and more torn between his desire for adventure and that to share a mortal life with his friends and loved ones. For this movie the basic concept of the Munchhausen stories was changed a bit, with the film being somewhat of a life story, even though there is no real linear plot, with the narrative reminding more of episodes. While a lot of the film is actually more of a historical drama than fantasy, many scenes will bring you into the wonderful world of Baron Munchhausen, including the cream that makes your hair grow in a matter of seconds, the rifle that can shoot accurately for hundreds of miles and the ride to the moon in an air balloon. An exemplary tale of imagination and creative adventures, Munchhausen's visual effects can't measure up the ones of today, of course, but in perspective to the times, they are absolutely stunning.
Some of the acting in this movie really stands out, even though it mostly centers around the colorful sets. Hans Albers makes the perfect Baron Munchhausen, a witty, intelligent, charismatic and very deep character, who is not the perfect hero, but a man who goes through life trying to have it as exciting as possible. Whether he's deeply philosophical, in the middle of one of his fun adventures, or once again seducing a beautiful woman, Albers is extremely convincing as the flawed, but good-hearted Munchhausen, who learns a lot during his life, enough to choose mortality over eternal life at the end. The film features a huge ensemble of characters, and many of them are just part of one episodes in Munchhausen's life. Hermann Speelmans, who plays Munchhausen's loyal servant and friend Christian Kuchenreuter, was also an exemplary casting choice, and manages to be funny (growing his beard in a matter of seconds) and very emotional (rapid aging on the moon) in a number of scenes. Another performer who really stands out is Ferdinand Marian, as the mysterious Count Cagliostro, who is very power-hungry, self-serving, but in the end a thankful and appreciative man, who rewards Munchhausen for warning him by giving him the eternal youth. Brigitte Horney as Katharina the Great is also great in her role, as the proud monarch, who is completely charmed by Munchhausen.
Another thing that might shock you is the nudity in this movie, that wouldn't get past any US-censor these days, as well as some pretty explicit sexual jokes. Therefore, "Munchhausen" really is a fairy tale for adults and not necessarily for children.
What's left to say, is that "Munchhausen" is a beautiful tale of adventures and imagination, that is an impressive document of what Germany's film industry was able to conjure in the 1940s already. And when Hans Albers rides on the cannon ball, turns his head to the audience, and takes off his hat in greeting, you will completely be captured by his charismatic and smart personality that brings the magic to this outstanding movie.
The Munchhausen Stories in German culture are akin to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The author Rudolf Erich Raspe was trying for Swift like satire of the political events of his time. In time though they became beloved for their face value alone. In fact the protagonist became a synonym, Munchhausen's syndrome is a diagnosis for one who tells exaggerated stories or outright lies the better to ingratiate themselves with another individual or a group.
In fact at the same time that German romantic cinema star Hans Albers was doing Munchhausen over in Germany, a different kind of Munchhausen was popular in America. Jack Pearl, a former vaudevillian, had a radio series based on the Munchhausen character and his famous line to those who questioned the authenticity of his stories was "Vas you dere Charlie". Quite popular back in the day.
The story of the fabled Munchhausen is told in flashback during a party in modern Germany by the current Baron Munchhausen . By the way, another reviewer said that it would be Germany in the Thirties before World War II started. Not necessarily because the Nazi regime was notorious for not asking the kind of sacrifices demanded of its civil population until late in the war. Such a lavish type party was definitely in keeping with the regime's culture of the time.
Though Goebbels kept it light as he did most of UFA's product except those that were outright propaganda, they did get their shots in. During the part of the film concerning Munchhausen's visit to Imperial Russia, the German background of Catherine the Great played by a fetching Brigitte Horney is emphasized. Catherine was a name she took when she married the Czar, she was in fact Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst. Also there is a scene when Pugachev, the peasant leader of a revolt in Siberia, is brought in caged like an animal and looking like something from Dr. Moreau's laboratory. Pugachev was later played by Van Heflin in the film Tempest in the next decade. The caricature was definitely in keeping with the Nazi ideas to depict Slavic people as some kind of subhumans, almost as bad as Jews.
Throughout the film as Munchhausen travels from St. Petersburg, to Istanbul, to Venice and even the moon, Albers's faithful sidekick is Herman Speelmans who is like Sancho Panza or even Gabby Hayes if you will. Speelmans does a fine job and dies on the moon in a beautifully played scene.
As the propaganda is kept to a minimum, Munchhausen has survived to be appreciated on its own merits which are considerable.
At the height of World War Two, as the tide was beginning to turn against the Third Reich, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels commissioned this lavish motion picture as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Ufa, the government-run German film association. More importantly, it was also to be a rival of the great fantasy films which had come from the Allied nations, such as THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940). In that it succeeds brilliantly and needs no comparison to any other film.
The film is a great, lighthearted romp as it follows the adventures of the Baron from Prussia to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice and even the Moon. It is fascinating to see the high quality which the Germans were still able to lavish on the picture, even as their Empire was beginning to crumble around them. The production values are of a very high order and the Technicolor photography is sumptuous to the eye. Remarkably, there is no National Socialist propaganda in the film and the War is never mentioned.
In the title role, Hans Albers gives a surprisingly sensitive performance for such a robust production. He takes the legendary character and gives the viewer a portrait of a dashing, reflective, amorous, compassionate, resourceful man. Whether riding on a cannonball, ingratiating himself with the Ottoman Sultan, or examining the fantastic flora of the lunar planet, Albers always makes Münchhausen totally believable.
All the acting is of a high order, but especially worthy of mention are Ferdinand Marian as the mysterious Count Cagliostro, Brigitte Horney as a flirtatious Catherine the Great, and Gustav Waldau as an aging Casanova.
It should be mentioned that this is not a movie for children. Given its European origins it should come as no surprise that MÜNCHHAUSEN is a good deal more libidinous than the standard Hollywood fare of the time.
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There was a real Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen (1720-1797), a German adventurer and teller of tall tales, but he had nothing to do with the book of fictional exploits which borrowed his name, written by Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794), upon which this film was based.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesWriter Erich Kästner is widely reported to be billed as "Berthold Bürger" on this film, but there is in fact no writing credit at all. Kästner was a banned author in Nazi Germany and his books were among those burnt in 1933, which was the reason for the lack of writing credit here. Joseph Goebbels gave Kästner only a special permission to write a script, on which the author was actually named as Berthold Bürger. However he also give instruction to the German press never to mention the real author of the script nor to mention the name Berthold Bürger. Therefore no writing credits in the movie was used.
- GaffesSophia's "beauty spots" disappear and reappear during the opening scenes of the film.
- Citations
Doge: I'm glad the balloon is to launch in Venice -- it will advance the cause of science, and provide entertainment for the people. The art of the statesman is, by doing one thing, to achieve two goals.
François Blanchard: I serve only science, your Excellency.
Doge: Of course, it's best for you to believe that. Let no one convince you otherwise.
- Autres versionsThe length of this film when submitted to the Film Review Office in March 1943, according to the Deutsches Filminstitut, was originally 134 minutes (or 3662 meters). This version was used for the premiere of the film at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo. Three months later, a second version (the general release version) was submitted, cut down to 118 minutes (3225 meters). After the war, the next version (December 1949) was 105 minutes, the 1954 version 101 minutes, the version for general audiences (shown that year) 88 minutes. In 1995, a first restoration was assembled by the F.W. Murnau Foundation, clocking in at 114 minutes. In 2017, a 35mm Agfacolor print was discovered at the Gosfilmofond of Russia. That print, which runs 131m (3590m), was restored and used for the 2019 Blu-ray release.
- ConnexionsFeatured in Die gefrorenen Blitze (1967)
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
- Lieux de tournage
- Berlin, Allemagne(environs)
- société de production
- Consultez plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
- Durée1 heure 50 minutes
- Mixage
- Rapport de forme
- 1.37 : 1