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Product Description Often described as the Czech Méliès , visionary filmmaker Karel Zeman has been a profound influence on whole generations of film artists from Jan vankmajer to Tim Burton, the Quay Brothers to Terry Gilliam, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Wes Anderson. His ground-breaking innovations in the use of live-action and animation mark him as one of the great masters of 20th Century fantasy cinema, ranking alongside his more celebrated Western counterparts Willis O Brien and Ray Harryhausen. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (Baron Prá il) is perhaps Zeman s most beloved achievement.Still regarded as the finest film adaptation of Gottfried August Bürger s outlandish tales of Baron Munchausen (made famous in his 1786 book), Zeman s wildly inventive and outrageously fun take on the incredible adventures of the bragging Baron come to life in a film celebrating the courage and imagination of dreamers and poets. With its mind-bending melding of live-action, animation and extraordinary matte work, Zeman has crafted a timeless work that continues to astonish.SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTSThe Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1961) presented from a new 4K restoration from original materials by the Karel Zeman Museum and the Czech National Film Archive Film Adventurer Karel Zeman (2015, 97 mins): feature length documentary on the life, work and influence of Karel Zeman with contributions from Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Koji Yamamura and others New and exclusive filmed appreciation by writer, editor and film historian Michael Brooke.Karel Zeman and the World featuretteThe Birth of a Film Legend featuretteWhy Zeman Made the Film featuretteThe Cast Zeman's Special Effects Techniques Karel Zeman: The Legend Continues featurette Booklet featuring a new essay on the film by journalist and critic Graham Williamson New and improved English subtitle translation.Original Czech soundtrack in Dual Mono 24-bit LPCM audio…AND MORE Review Karel Zeman and Ray Harryhausen were the two big inspirations for me... what Zeman did was amazing --Tim BurtonHe did what I'm still trying to do, which is to try and combine live action with animation. His Doré-esque backgrounds were wonderful. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen captured the real spirit of the character --Terry GilliamZeman's films are unique glimpses into forgotten worlds of myth, invention and exploration. One almost needs a telescope to view them --Peter Strickland
S**U
The Fabulous Movie of Baron Munchausen
Like Cerevantes' Don Quixote, Baron Munchausen (based on an 18th century real-life figure) has entered posterity as a byword for a teller of improbable and highly exaggerated stories. An anonymously written satirical account of the Baron's "adventures" proved to be a bestseller running into multiple editions and several languages (despite his attempts to sue the author for libel), and the early days of cinema saw several short films inspired by Munchausen. In 1961, Karel Zeman, a ground-breaking Czech film-maker who has been compared to Ray Harryhausen, was flush with the success of his VFX extravaganzas like Journey to the Beginning of Time and The Fabulous World of Jules Verne and put his creative energies to making a film that would be a fabulous visual representation of Baron Munchausen's "adventures". Inspired by the illustrations of legendary French artist Gustave Doré, Zeman made a film that starts with a journey from the earth to the moon, and gets even more fantastic from that point on. Gorgeously ornamented Turkish palaces, battleships trading cannonballs, monstrous pre-historic fish that swallow sailing vessels whole, a castle being retrofitted as a rocket ship...the script-writers' imagination knows no bounds and Zeman is brilliant at visually representing these ideas using a combination of painted backdrops, puppetry, stop-motion, hand-drawn animation, camera tricks, the works. He uses a heavily manipulated palette that starts with B&W and heavily emphasizes specific colors at different points. It gives the film a more vintage look, like it was a successor to the silent films of George Melies. The film (and Zeman's other work) was a huge inspiration to film-makers like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton.British label Second Run has put this out on a stunning blu-ray. Coming off a fresh 4K restoration, the image quality is wonderful, doing justice to the intricate details and striking color schemes of the visuals. Zdenek Liska's excellent music and sound effects are served well by the LPCM 2.0 track. In the extras, apart from a feature length documentary on Karel Zeman (which I have reserved for later), there is a half hour video essay by Michael Brooke who discusses the real life character of Munchausen, the several colloquial interpretations of the word Munchausen in literary usage, the many book and film adaptations on the adventures of the titular character. Then there are a series of short (5 min or less) featurettes produced by the Karel Zeman Museum on the making of the Baron Munchausen film. And yes, a booklet with a nice essay, so yes, a stacked package of a visually dazzling romp. Highly recommended.
R**S
Imaginative and ingenious
Successful combination of live action and animation, but more importantly an inventive and entertaining take on a classic tale.
R**A
Another Terrific Second Run release
Visionary masterpiece - the tone is consistently playful and fun!Wonderful Blu-ray. Comprehensive documentary on Karl Zeman.Truly original work of art!
A**R
New print for the Blu Ray is amazing
The new print for the Second Run Blu Ray looks phenomenal!
G**Y
Five Stars
Excellent transfer of a rare classic. This Blu-Ray includes a very interesting documentary on Karel Zeman. ALL REGION
A**R
Masterpiece!!!
In love with this movie every since I saw it as a child... more than 30 years ago! Never gets old.
N**N
If you love movies, buy this one.
Absolute cinematic perfection from beginning to end.
A**R
Five Stars
Superb video.
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