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Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This film may well be the only piece of worthwhile culture to come out of the Nazi regime. Little wonder as many of the cast and crew had previously been blacklisted by the Party and were thus intent to create a work that did not reflect Hitler's ideology. Indeed, at times they manage to subvert it, with some explicit statements against imperialism and in favour of racial equality slipping past the censors.Münchhausen's decision to age and die at the end stands in contrast to Hitler's determination to build a thousand-year Reich and both Turks and blacks are depicted as noble, virtuous and intelligent people.Reality, illusion and delusion frequently blur throughout the film, and this tone is set from the start with the oft-discussed scene in which the 18th Century ball is revealed to actually be a present-day costume party.Erich Kästner (who also wrote the beloved children's story Emil and the Detectives) produced the script which brings the essence of the Münchhausen story faithfully to life, each lie becoming more and more deliciously outrageous, culminating in the famous visit to the moon.Hans Albers is perfectly cast, while Brigitte Horney and Marina von Ditmar are two of the most beautiful female leads ever to grace a German film.Colour is used effectively, the bright pastels bringing the film's fantasy world vividly to life as the audience is transported to exotic realms. This would have stood in contrast to life in the Reich as the tide of the war turned against Germany and the horrific carpet bombings began. A piece of escapist fare such as this would, presumably, have provided great comfort at this time, though, of course, Goebbels' original aim had been to simply reflect the glory of the Reich and compete directly against Hollywood's Wizard of Oz.Ultimately, though, this film stands alone as a worthwhile work, suitable for the entire family. As mentioned previously, it makes some strong criticism of war and imperialism that adults will appreciate and creates vivid fantasy worlds for children. Indeed, one could make a case for this being the greatest fantasy film of all time.

I'm surprised by the number of positive reviews of this film. I think we tend to give old films benefit of the doubt since we can never see them in the same context as they were meant to be seen, i.e. as some one in 1943. I found this film to be weak in plot and rambling. I'm sure the special effects were revolutionary for the day, and the film had an extravagant budget. Unfortunately for many films with those characteristics the plot was completely overlooked and butchered in the attempt to patch all of the effects together in a cohesive story (sound familiar, Lucas?). The acting, in contrast to the extravagant costume and effects, seemed unprofessional and frivolous.If you think I'm being too harsh, take a look at its contemporary, "The Wizard of Oz." It had similar scope in terms of effects, commentary on society, yet far more expertly executed and coherent in its acting and plot. Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maaaaybe. But this film was created after "Wizard," and I think the producers could have endeavored a bit more to match its standards of quality.I'm curious to know if this film has survived the test of time in Germany as "Wizard" has in the USA.

The fabulous exploits of Baron MÜNCHHAUSEN include several wars, numerous plots and beautiful women without number.At the height of World War Two, as the tide was beginning to turn against the Third Reich, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels commissioned this lavish motion picture as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Ufa, the government-run German film association. More importantly, it was also to be a rival of the great fantasy films which had come from the Allied nations, such as THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940). In that it succeeds brilliantly and needs no comparison to any other film.The film is a great, lighthearted romp as it follows the adventures of the Baron from Prussia to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice and even the Moon. It is fascinating to see the high quality which the Germans were still able to lavish on the picture, even as their Empire was beginning to crumble around them. The production values are of a very high order and the Technicolor photography is sumptuous to the eye. Remarkably, there is no National Socialist propaganda in the film and the War is never mentioned.In the title role, Hans Albers gives a surprisingly sensitive performance for such a robust production. He takes the legendary character and gives the viewer a portrait of a dashing, reflective, amorous, compassionate, resourceful man. Whether riding on a cannonball, ingratiating himself with the Ottoman Sultan, or examining the fantastic flora of the lunar planet, Albers always makes Münchhausen totally believable.All the acting is of a high order, but especially worthy of mention are Ferdinand Marian as the mysterious Count Cagliostro, Brigitte Horney as a flirtatious Catherine the Great, and Gustav Waldau as an aging Casanova.It should be mentioned that this is not a movie for children. Given its European origins it should come as no surprise that MÜNCHHAUSEN is a good deal more libidinous than the standard Hollywood fare of the time.**************************There was a real Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen (1720-1797), a German adventurer and teller of tall tales, but he had nothing to do with the book of fictional exploits which borrowed his name, written by Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794), upon which this film was based.

Might contain SPOILERSAlthough ordered by Goebbels, the propaganda minister, this movie is not only not a propaganda film, it is actually exactly the absolute opposite, thanks to Erich Kästner. There are two lovely scenes: When the Baron is the Turkish palace, someone, can't remember who, says that all humans are equal. We all know, but remember the time and place when this movie was filmed.Some facts before the 2nd scene, 4 years before the German army invaded Poland and now (1943) it is still war. Münchhausen says something like: We shouldn't invade Poland, our country is big enough. (I still can't imagine how this got in the movie)These two subversive scenes make this film so humane and special.