Baron Prášil / The Fabulous Baron Munchausen ČR, 1962, 83min. režie: K.Zeman

Baron Prášil / The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

režie / director: Karel Zeman

barevný / color 16:9 83min.

hrají / cast: Miloš Kopecký, Rudolf Jelínek, Jana Breichová, Karel Hoger, Karel Effa, Josef Hlinomaz, Naděžda Blažíčková, Zdeněk Hodr, Eduard Kohout, Miroslav Holub, Miroslav Homola, Rudolf Hrušínský, Otto Šimánek, František Šlégr, Václav Trégl

In 1961, Karel Zeman made the finest film adaptation of the outlandish tales of Baron Munchausen, made famous in the 1786 book by Gottfried August Bürger. The incredible adventures of the bragging Baron come to life in a film celebrating the courage and imagination of dreamers and poets. Zeman took inspiration from the engravings in the 1862 edition, the work one of the greatest illustrators of the 19th century Gustav Doré. The director achieved a visually captivating style by color-tinting the original black and white footage. In the movie, Munchausen's humorous narrative contrasts with the romantic tale of a modern fantasist Tony, who becomes the good Baron's rival in love. In addition to Milos Kopecky in the title role the film features the Czech acting élite of the day. The film won many international awards, including in Cannes and Locarno. The American director and member of the Monty Python's Terry Gilliam admits that his film "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988) was primarily inspired by the Zeman version.

Bonus materials:

The Birth of a Film Legend

Why Zeman Made the Film

The Cast of the Film

His Best Special Effects I

His Best Special Effects II

The Legend Continues

The Life of Karel Zeman

The Filmography of Karel Zeman

The Karel Zeman Museum (Clarinet Factory mix 5.1)

Included in the documentary are contributions from Karel Zeman, Ludmila Zemanová, Miloš Kopecký, Zdeňek Husták, Karel Huťečky and more.