The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Baron Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Munchausen, who "always tells the truth", still excite the minds of the curious readers and serious researchers. The popularity of Baron was justified by his rare talent - he never lost his courage, and could find a way out of the worst situations.
The movie was conceived in 1941 as a core Goebbels demonstration of the highest achievements of German cinema and was supposed to be ready before the 25th anniversary of the UFA studio. The movie was decided to be made in the new "Agfakolor" system, and the budget for it was unlimited.
Fortunately, there is no direct propaganda of National Socialism in the film, this is a purely entertaining creation, but most of its technical perfection and theatrical splendor had to become a challenge to Hollywood with its "Technicolor".
Writing a script based on "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" unexpectedly became a problem, as the best writers had already left Germany. The filmmakers decided on a desperate step and turned to the disgraced writer Erich Kastner, whose books were burned, among others, ideologically and racially unacceptable. However, it did not help much. In my opinion, the scenario was a weak spot of Munchausen (IMDb) movie, it lacks a link between individual-scenes attractions. It is not that bad, but it does not exactly match a number of grand visualization of the picture, for which it is worth watching. "Munchausen" is one of the most visually rich movies I have ever seen - overflowing fountain of luxury, fantasy and kitsch. Even old-fashioned special effects look funny and touching.
However, there are definitely interesting findings in the scenario: the film opens with a scene of costume ball, which is perceived as the ball of the XVIII century, as long as the frame suddenly appears a modern switch, the heroine in ancient dress sits in a car, and the action moved to the middle of the XX century.
There is another thing that I was very touched, especially in the modern scenes and magnificent episode "Journey to the Moon" - a sense of calm before the storm, the moment of unstable equilibrium, when everything is about to collapse, and it is useless to try keep something, you can only enjoy last elusive seconds. I do not know whether the screenwriter and director tried to achieve this feeling, or it was spilled in the air of Germany that years (the movie was ready in 1941, but released after a couple of months after the defeat near Stalingrad) and seeped into the picture against the will of its creators.
I have found a lot of scenes, that were funny to me. There are several scenes in the movie, that were funny personally for me. The actors’ play, costumes and classic “legends” from Baron about his past feats made this film unique. It was an easy movie and I enjoyed watching it. However, it is not so simple, as it may seem for the regular spectator.
Art always reflects the era. The important historical and political events of a particular country were reflected in the books, pictures, movies. Munchausen is not an exception. It should be noted, that movie was released at the hard time in Germany. It was hard for citizens, as their country was in the state of war. Men were taken to the front, this time, was filled with pain and tears. It was one of the years when the Third Reich fell. 1943 became critical in the Battle of the Atlantic. By the end, the German submarine fleet was losing one submarine per each sunk ship of allies. Also, in 1943, there was a turning point in the fighting in favor of the anti-Hitler coalition
The ending of the movie was unexpected for me, but really touching one. The Baron Munchausen decided, that life cannot be attractive to him when his beloved wife grows older, when her hair is turning gray, her face gradually covered with wrinkles, and every day she is getting closer to the day of her death. Baron told, that his life was amazing, and he enjoyed all the things happened to him, he loved being young. But now it is time to choose a mortal life and live it to the end with his beloved woman.
Some elements of the film remind me American cinema of those years. If you search the most popular movies of that time, you find the military comedies and entertainment movies. There was a need in positive emoions and film industry helped people to get it. Among other movies, shown in the cinema, were films about the First World War, and the variety of melodrama. As for the American film industry of that time, we can say the following. In the 1940s, the panacea for escape from the horror and weariness of the war years was provided by film musicals and their elaborate production numbers, simplistic plots, and music. ("Film History Of The 1940S")
I am sure, that this film differs not only from those we were watching during the class but also among others. It has multiple plots – different stories told by the Baron that did not have an actual ink between them. All of them were saturated with different events at which it was impossible not to laugh. I cannot forget the frequent changes of Munchausen suits, all were conceived to the smallest detail. The costumes were amazing - bright, rich and of course, only emphasized particular comic story.
This move would be interesting to watch for people, who read the stories about Baron Munchausen before, and for those who are going to. It is a nice thing to entertain yourself when you ha free time or in case you want to know more about the war period, reflected in cinematography.
Works cited
"Film History Of The 1940S". Filmsite.org. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1943)". IMDb. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
