a.k.a. THE FABULOUS BARON MUNCHAUSEN
Ceskoslovensky Statni Film [1961] 83′
country: Czech Republic
director: KAREL ZEMAN
cast: MILOS KOPECKY, RUDOLF JELINEK,
cast: JANA BREJCHOVA, KAREL HOGER
There are a number of big names and big films that people tend to think of when the fantasy genre comes to mind – Disney’s 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, Korda’s THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, Harryhausen’s SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, and so on. One of the greatest names in fantastic cinema has been all but forgotten here in the west, with his work largely out of print and the level of critical interest at practically zero – but over the course of his four decade career he crafted what remain some of the most original and aesthetically impressive efforts in the genre.
With the illustrations of Gustav Dore as his guide and a collection of works by Jules Verne and others his inspiration, Karel Zeman set out to create what can only be described as storybooks on film. The results, for the most part, were nothing short of astounding. While less renowned than his earlier JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME or THE FABULOUS WORLD OF JULES VERNE, 1961′s BARON PRASIL, which relates the incredulous journeys of Baron Munchausen, stands as one of his very greatest achievements.
