MASON WEST AND JOSH RYNEAL
FORGOTTEN FILM
‘The Adventures of Baron
Munchausen’
Starring: Robin Williams, Uma Thur
man, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce and Sting
It is the late 18th century, the
age of reason ... Wednesday.
An unspecific European town
is under siege by the Turks.
This siege has been going on for
some time and the town is in a drea
ry state of affairs. But still, on the
brink of destruction, the people at
tempt to divert themselves by tak
ing in a show at the theater. The sub
ject of this production is the same as
the cause of the war going on out
side: Baron Munchausen.
The story goes: While a guest of
the Sultan, the Baron won a wager
with him and took all the Turks’
royal treasure. Angered by his loss,
the Sultan attempted to kill the
Baron. When the Baron escaped,
the Sultan began the war with his
home town.
Back in the theater, what the au
dience members, and the cast as
well, don’t expect is a cameo ap
pearance by the real Baron. As far as
the public is concerned, Baron
Munchausen is a myth, a man who
travels to the island of cheese and
escapes from the bellies of giant sea
monsters. But this is not entirely
true. The Baron does do all these
things, but he is about as much
myth as a lion is a vegetarian.
Just as outrageous as the Baron
himself are his four servants. Each of
these men has a super enhanced abil
ity. One can run super fast. One is su
per strong. One has super sight. And
the last has super hearing and breath.
Mason: They sound like rejects
from theX-men.
Josh: Shut up.
Unfortunately, the Baron has lost
these men along his journeys. He
declares to the town that he will
journey to find his lost companions,
and when they return, they will de
feat the Turks. Thus saving the
town, yea.
“The Adventures of Baron Mun
chausen” is a film that deals with
the struggle to define myth and real
ity. Thanks to director Terry
Gilliam, this is done in about the
funniest and surrealistic way possi
ble. For those of you wondering
who Terry Gilliam is, some of his
other films include “12 Mon- 3
keys,” “The Fisher King,” “Fear (I
and Loathing in Las Vegas,” and \
“Monty Python and the Holy
Grail.” He’s just plain weird, but
he makes great movies. £
Gilliam is also notorious for in
credible casts. “Munchausen” fits
the bill with such names as Robin
Williams, Uma Thurman, Eric
Idle, Jonathan Pryce and Sting.
Mason: Any movie with Sting
in it is cool.
Josh: I liked the midget guy.
Any movie that has a midget with
superhuman hearing and super
breath is OK in my book.
By far the coolest character in the
film was the Moon King, played by
Robin Williams. Made in 1989,
“Munchausen” captures Williams
at the peak of his career while he
was still hilarious, but before he
started making stinkers like “What
Dreams May Come.” The Moon
King is actually a kind of dual role
for the actor. He has different per
sonalities depending on whether or
not his head is attached to his body.
Yeah, you heard us right.
Mason: I wish I could take off my
head sometimes, like in Writing 122.
Josh: I’ve always wanted to fly. If I
were the Moon King, my head could
fly around and not worry about air
fares or lost luggage.
To give you an idea of just how odd
this film can be, we have complied
select quotes from the film. Enjoy!
“Go away, I’m trying to die.” —
Baron Munchausen
“I have cosmos to direct. I don’t
have time for flatulence and or
gasms.” — the Moon King
“I’ve just been expelled from a
state of bliss, and it’s all your fault.”
— Baron Munchausen
“The body is dead. Long live the
head!” — the Moon King
People, this is a heapin’ helpin’ o’
good movie. It is pure fantasy,
which is something that is lacking
in today’s society based on having
everything “real.” You know what
we’re talking about, MTV.
The performances, the comedy
and the themes are top-notch. We
recommend you transport yourself
Mora Reviews ‘0aly0“rd,!°;
Green Days new t rental
album Warning location
g^GE _ and obtain
a reproduction of this motion pic
ture post haste.
Mason West and Josh Ryneal are Pulse re
porters for the Emerald.
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