The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
A metaphorical sequence shows the evolution of flight - from a man hanging from a glider to a propeller-driven airplane to a jet to a rocket. What started as footprints in the mud are now footprints o…
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
A metaphorical sequence shows the evolution of flight - from a man hanging from a glider to a propeller-driven airplane to a jet to a rocket. What started as footprints in the mud are now footprints on the surface of the moon. An astronaut named Tonik, supposedly the first to walk on the moon, is startled to be following some else's tracks. He finds a white glove, a Victrola phonograph, and the bullet-like projectile from Jules Verne's De La Terre ala Lune (From the Earth to the Moon) 1865. Suddenly, three men catch Tonik's attention. They are Impey Barbicane, Captain Nicholl and Michel Aradan, the three main characters from the Verne adventure story. Nearby is Cyrano de Bergerac whose book The Other World: Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon in 1657 contained the first description of rocket-powered spaceflight. The four men question Tonik as to what his name is and where he is from - Mars, Venus, Jupiter? They conclude that he is a Moonman come to join them. From a distance, Baron Munchausen, propelled by pure imagination, arrives on his horse. The five men take Tonik to a table where they offer a toast to the first Moonman. They implore him to take off his helmet and drink! Munchausen declares that he will take the Moonman to Earth so that he can see how Earthlings live. He loads Tonik aboard a sailing ship drawn by seven flying horses. He exchanges Tonik's spacesuit for more Earth-like clothes. He tosses the empty spacesuit overboard. The ship lands in the Turkish countryside just outside the Sultan's Bosporus palace. This location for landing was chosen because Turkey is the Land of the Crescent Moon. Inside the palace, the Sultan and some of his courtiers are watching a female dancer. The Baron escorts Tonik in to meet the Sultan. Tonik steps forward to shake hands only to find that placing his foot on the throne's step causes a collection of spears the bar the way. The Sultan pulls a rope alongside his throne to make it disappear behind some curtains and be replaced by a cannon. A beautiful woman on the balcony is favorably impressed by Tonik. She watches from a window as he exits the throne room. She gets a note to him that reads: Ship lost in storm. Captured by pirates. Sold to the Sultan. You are my true knight. Please rescue me. You are my only hope. The Baron identifies the woman as Princess Bianca di Castello Nero. The two agree that they will rise to the challenge of this injustice. The Baron insists it must be accomplished with only swords, ropes, and daggers as tools. The two sneak into the palace at night, trying to attract Bianca's attention by whistling. Guards below hear it. The Baron and Tonik jump off the wall and overpower two guards distracted by a chess game. A furious confrontation occurs. The Baron lines up the corpses of those he has bested. With 10,000 bushibazouks after them, they flee the castle. The two rescuers cannot break down the palace gate. But Bianca saves them by demonstrating that it is a sliding gate. A fierce chase on horseback ensues for three days and nights. The three escapees manage to jump a chasm that the pursuers fall through. During this time the Baron doesn't like that Bianca appears to be falling for Tonik. The horses reach a headland at the coast with pursuit still on them. They have their horses jump into the sea and swim to a Dutch ship carrying a cargo of tobacco. Bianca is given a cabin; the men are given wine. The fugitives request to be taken to Venice. The Turkish navy responds to the crisis by sending a huge fleet of ships. A Total of 1427 guns are aimed at the Dutch vessel. The captain digs into the tobacco cargo and has everyone smoke to produce a covering cloud. Even the bow figurehead smokes. The Turkish navy box the Dutch ship on both sides, even though they can't see it. They fire cannonballs into the smoky patch and manage to sink each other on opposite sides. Alas, the Dutch ship is hit, too, but it has lifeboats. The Baron and Princess Bianca end up in one boat, the captain and Tonik in the other. As the lifeboats drift beneath the night sky, Bianca looks at the moon. She declares that there must be lovers on the moon or it is all silver lilies-of-the-valley chiming sweetly. Sea serpents and flying dragons appear. The boat gets swallowed a giant whale. The only light in the whale's stomach lagoon (the size of Lake Geneva) is from a larger ship that was previously swallowed. Princess Bianca is carried aboard ship by the Bron and put to bed. He and the crew celebrate a bit. Bianca awakes and tries to pry open a window with a pistol. It discharges, startling everyone. The whale carries its stomach passengers 20,000 leagues, to the North Pole, across the Red Sea, past the pyramids, through the Yellow Sea and the Black Sea. The sound of cannon fire announces that they are at last near Europe. Shortly after that, a harpoon appears through the whale's side. The whale heads for shore, allowing everyone to exit with a parade of parasols. Meanwhile, Tonik is trying to build a steam-powered vessel. As Bianca catches sight of him, she rushes toward him. The steam boiler explodes, scattering parts everywhere. Tonik and Bianca are unhurt. The Baron is snatched by a roc as he stands on the beach. While still in flight, he disentangles himself from the talons and plunges into the ocean. He is reluctant to leave the Princess with Tonik. Catching up with the others, who were found by mermaids, he regales everyone with tales far into the night. Princess Bianca is uninterested in valiant battles than the advanced technologies of which Tonik speaks. They eventually arrive at the fort of General Elemele. The fort is surrounded by enemy forces. The Baron takes a ride on a cannonball to scout out the opposing forces. He catches a ride back on one of their cannon's shot. In the meantime, Tonik is filling Bianca's head with a fairy tale. A young suitor wants to free a captive princess from a castle tower. He loads a dry well with gunpowder and detonates it. The tower is shot to the moon like a rocket. The Baron and the General visit. Munchausen regrets that Princess Binca is not impressed with the life and exploits of chevaliers. His stories put the General to sleep. The enemy presses the castle. The Baron is dismayed to find that the fort is out of gunpowder. He fabricates a fake exploding cannonball with a tobacco fuse. He dropkicks it to the enemy location, causing them to retreat. Where could the missing gunpowder be? The General is sure that Tonik must be behind the shortage. He arrests and imprisons Tonik. He is to face a firing squad. Bianca comes to visit him in his cell. She is wearing a gown with a long train. As she hurriedly leaves at the approach of the guards, Tonik's foot on her train, rips it loose. He quickly draws the cloth into his cell and arranges it to look like the Princess is in the cell with him. The guards open the cell to release her. Tonik is ready. He jumps the guards and escapes. To hide from the pursuing guards, Tonik and Bianca hide in suits of armor on display in the castle. The General lights his pipe with a candle to think. He tosses the candle out the window. It falls into the well where Tonik has hidden all the gunpowder. BOOM! Tonik and Bianca, in armor that morphs into space suits, are blown to the moon, just as in his fairy tale. The Baron is blown to the moon in a chair. Yes, the moon is for fantasists and poets in powdered wigs and frock coats. And lovers claim it as their own. The narrator flings his hat to sail up to the stars, to welcome souls hurtling into the outstretched arms of the cosmos.
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
Adventure,Animation,Comedy
Film Details
A metaphorical sequence shows the evolution of flight - from a man hanging from a glider to a propeller-driven airplane to a jet to a rocket. What started as footprints in the mud are now footprints on the surface of the moon. An astronaut named Tonik, supposedly the first to walk on the moon, is startled to be following some else's tracks.
He finds a white glove, a Victrola phonograph, and the bullet-like projectile from Jules Verne's De La Terre ala Lune (From the Earth to the Moon) 1865. Suddenly, three men catch Tonik's attention. They are Impey Barbicane, Captain Nicholl and Michel Aradan, the three main characters from the Verne adventure story.
Nearby is Cyrano de Bergerac whose book The Other World: Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon in 1657 contained the first description of rocket-powered spaceflight. The four men question Tonik as to what his name is and where he is from - Mars, Venus, Jupiter? They conclude that he is a Moonman come to join them. From a distance, Baron Munchausen, propelled by pure imagination, arrives on his horse.
The five men take Tonik to a table where they offer a toast to the first Moonman. They implore him to take off his helmet and drink! Munchausen declares that he will take the Moonman to Earth so that he can see how Earthlings live. He loads Tonik aboard a sailing ship drawn by seven flying horses.
He exchanges Tonik's spacesuit for more Earth-like clothes. He tosses the empty spacesuit overboard. The ship lands in the Turkish countryside just outside the Sultan's Bosporus palace.
This location for landing was chosen because Turkey is the Land of the Crescent Moon. Inside the palace, the Sultan and some of his courtiers are watching a female dancer. The Baron escorts Tonik in to meet the Sultan.
Tonik steps forward to shake hands only to find that placing his foot on the throne's step causes a collection of spears the bar the way. The Sultan pulls a rope alongside his throne to make it disappear behind some curtains and be replaced by a cannon. A beautiful woman on the balcony is favorably impressed by Tonik.
She watches from a window as he exits the throne room. She gets a note to him that reads: Ship lost in storm. Captured by pirates.
Sold to the Sultan. You are my true knight. Please rescue me.
You are my only hope. The Baron identifies the woman as Princess Bianca di Castello Nero. The two agree that they will rise to the challenge of this injustice.
The Baron insists it must be accomplished with only swords, ropes, and daggers as tools. The two sneak into the palace at night, trying to attract Bianca's attention by whistling. Guards below hear it.
The Baron and Tonik jump off the wall and overpower two guards distracted by a chess game. A furious confrontation occurs. The Baron lines up the corpses of those he has bested.
With 10,000 bushibazouks after them, they flee the castle. The two rescuers cannot break down the palace gate. But Bianca saves them by demonstrating that it is a sliding gate.
A fierce chase on horseback ensues for three days and nights. The three escapees manage to jump a chasm that the pursuers fall through. During this time the Baron doesn't like that Bianca appears to be falling for Tonik.
The horses reach a headland at the coast with pursuit still on them. They have their horses jump into the sea and swim to a Dutch ship carrying a cargo of tobacco. Bianca is given a cabin; the men are given wine.
The fugitives request to be taken to Venice. The Turkish navy responds to the crisis by sending a huge fleet of ships. A Total of 1427 guns are aimed at the Dutch vessel.
The captain digs into the tobacco cargo and has everyone smoke to produce a covering cloud. Even the bow figurehead smokes. The Turkish navy box the Dutch ship on both sides, even though they can't see it.
They fire cannonballs into the smoky patch and manage to sink each other on opposite sides. Alas, the Dutch ship is hit, too, but it has lifeboats. The Baron and Princess Bianca end up in one boat, the captain and Tonik in the other.
As the lifeboats drift beneath the night sky, Bianca looks at the moon. She declares that there must be lovers on the moon or it is all silver lilies-of-the-valley chiming sweetly. Sea serpents and flying dragons appear.
The boat gets swallowed a giant whale. The only light in the whale's stomach lagoon (the size of Lake Geneva) is from a larger ship that was previously swallowed. Princess Bianca is carried aboard ship by the Bron and put to bed.
He and the crew celebrate a bit. Bianca awakes and tries to pry open a window with a pistol. It discharges, startling everyone.
The whale carries its stomach passengers 20,000 leagues, to the North Pole, across the Red Sea, past the pyramids, through the Yellow Sea and the Black Sea. The sound of cannon fire announces that they are at last near Europe. Shortly after that, a harpoon appears through the whale's side.
The whale heads for shore, allowing everyone to exit with a parade of parasols. Meanwhile, Tonik is trying to build a steam-powered vessel. As Bianca catches sight of him, she rushes toward him.
The steam boiler explodes, scattering parts everywhere. Tonik and Bianca are unhurt. The Baron is snatched by a roc as he stands on the beach.
While still in flight, he disentangles himself from the talons and plunges into the ocean. He is reluctant to leave the Princess with Tonik. Catching up with the others, who were found by mermaids, he regales everyone with tales far into the night.
Princess Bianca is uninterested in valiant battles than the advanced technologies of which Tonik speaks. They eventually arrive at the fort of General Elemele. The fort is surrounded by enemy forces.
The Baron takes a ride on a cannonball to scout out the opposing forces. He catches a ride back on one of their cannon's shot. In the meantime, Tonik is filling Bianca's head with a fairy tale.
A young suitor wants to free a captive princess from a castle tower. He loads a dry well with gunpowder and detonates it. The tower is shot to the moon like a rocket.
The Baron and the General visit. Munchausen regrets that Princess Binca is not impressed with the life and exploits of chevaliers. His stories put the General to sleep.
The enemy presses the castle. The Baron is dismayed to find that the fort is out of gunpowder. He fabricates a fake exploding cannonball with a tobacco fuse.
He dropkicks it to the enemy location, causing them to retreat. Where could the missing gunpowder be? The General is sure that Tonik must be behind the shortage. He arrests and imprisons Tonik.
He is to face a firing squad. Bianca comes to visit him in his cell. She is wearing a gown with a long train.
As she hurriedly leaves at the approach of the guards, Tonik's foot on her train, rips it loose. He quickly draws the cloth into his cell and arranges it to look like the Princess is in the cell with him. The guards open the cell to release her.
Tonik is ready. He jumps the guards and escapes. To hide from the pursuing guards, Tonik and Bianca hide in suits of armor on display in the castle.
The General lights his pipe with a candle to think. He tosses the candle out the window. It falls into the well where Tonik has hidden all the gunpowder.
BOOM! Tonik and Bianca, in armor that morphs into space suits, are blown to the moon, just as in his fairy tale. The Baron is blown to the moon in a chair. Yes, the moon is for fantasists and poets in powdered wigs and frock coats.
And lovers claim it as their own. The narrator flings his hat to sail up to the stars, to welcome souls hurtling into the outstretched arms of the cosmos..