Baron Munchausen 1979 Russian television film "The Very Same Munchhausen", directed by Mark Zakharov from Grigori Gorin's screenplay, produced and released by Mosfilm. The film, a satirical commentary on Soviet censorship and social mores, imagines an ostracized Baron attempting to prove the truth of his adventures in a disbelieving and conformity-driven world. In 1988, Terry Gilliam adapted the Raspe stories into a lavish Hollywood film, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", with the British stage actor and director John Neville in the lead. Roger Ebert, in his review of the film, described Neville's Baron as a man who "seems sensible and matter-of-fact, as
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 11 give it a favorable 70–100% rating). Regarding the obvious gap between the movie's troubled production and its eventual triumph of aesthetic cinematic form on the screen, Jeff Swindoll wrote in his 2008 "DVD Review" of "Munchausen" for "Monsters and Critics": "For the absolute hell that the production of the film turned out to be, you really don't see any of that tension on the screen. ... the film is a fantastic, whimsical treat. ... "Baron Munchausen" is full of whimsy, fantasy, bright colors, and fabulous characters. None is as fantastic as the Baron himself as played, with a twinkle