The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

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Plot Overview

In the 18th century, a small french city on the boarder of a Turk Army invasion. The Military Bureaucrats with mountains of paperwork all meticulously micromanage every single detail on this war. Lead by the Right Ordinary Horatio Jackson he prides himself on reason and logic as he prevents the citizens from doing anything that doesn't motivate them out of their dull miserable lives.

A small acting troop come to perform stories of Baron Muchausen but clearly have lost their audience's attention. Their shoty production is plagued with problems and is eventually stolen attention from a heckler who claims to be the true Muchausen. With fear of loosing their audience and expelled by Jackson the acting troop adopt this rowdy old man as leader of their production. And with a few words he was able to capture the audience attention and explain to them the truth to how this war was started.

Several years ago within the Harem of the Sultan of Ottoman Empire, there the Baron presented the Sultan with a wagering that he can provide better wine from the Queen of France one thousand miles away within an hour. If he is to fail in providing the wine isn't the Sultan can have the Baron's head. With the help of the Baron's servants of Berthold (the fastest man's alive), Adolphus(Sniper with clear sight to see miles and miles away), Albrecht (strongest man in the world) and Gustus (a little man with incredible hearing and super strong breath) they are able to meet the requirements of the bet and are able to take from the sultans' treasure as much as the strongest man can carry. This is the reason for the big war that sieges the city for their liberal take of the sultans entire treasure.

The nightly attacks on the city scare the audience away and force the theater troop out of the city. Seen senile and crazy by the audience, only Sally Salt, daughter to the theater troop's leader, believes in Munchausen and persuades him to save the city. With a small set of supplies Sally and the Baron Munchausen are able to craft a small hot air balloon in order to fly past the city walls and beyond the invading horde in hopes to recruit the Baron's previous servants.

Their first destination is the Moon, where they are confronted by the Re di Tutto, King of the Moon. The King and Queen of the Moon are composed of disembodied heads that are able to pursue interest a head would be interested in and a body would be interested in. With that difference between head who would normally greet the Baron, the body of the king demands to imprison the Baron for flirting with his Queen. Thrown into an oversize birdcage the Baron stumbles into his first servant Berthold who's grown old and forgetful. The queen's head sneaks past the king's body to help the heroes escape and with a lock of her hair they are able to assemble together a long rope where they can climb from the moon back to planet Earth.

Upon landing onto Earth crash onto a volcano where they run into the Roman God Vulcan where he's assembling weapons for all the world's army. Everything from Bombs, rifles, swords and smart missiles are forged by monstrous cyclops and Vulcan sells his weapons to anyone who is crazy enough to use them. As a gracious host Vulcan treats the baron, sally and Betholt for tea in his beautiful home. That's where they run into the second servant Albrecht who's now living a humble life as a midget manservant and despises violence. Soon they're interrupted by the wife of Vulcan, Venus the goddess who's presented exactly like Sandro Boticelli's painting. She's attracted by the baron's mustache and begs to dance with him. Jealous, Vulcan throws the baron and friends into a wirlpool away from his kingdom.

Splashing into the middle of the ocean the baron and friends are swallowed whole by a gigantic fish that regularly diets on sailing vessels. Climbing among the wrecked remains of boats that are slowly waiting to be digested by the monstrous fish they find the last two servants of Baron Munchausen Adolphus and Gustavus play cards with all the disenchanted sailors waiting to die.

The loud piercing scream of Bucephalus, the Baron's noble horse, crashes through the ship walls and inspires the baron to leave the belly of this fish in order to continue his war with the Turkish army. With a pinch of snuff powder, they are all sneezed out of the mighty monster and onto the shores of the war. Although everyone has grown old and unmotivated for battle, the Baron is disappointed with his servants and decided to give the Sultan his head if they can't get motivated enough to save him.

The Barron Munchausen accepts his responsibility and at the end of a executioner's ax he waits for his servants to save him at the last minute. The Last and final act is an incredible epic battle heroes well past their prime pushing themselves to the limits to defeat an army of thousands of men.

As the gates open the heroes of the war are greeted as heroes by all, Except for Jackson who risk everything to kill the Baron from taking away the citizens from his control. The citizens all come to mourn the death of Munchausen only to realize they were sitting beside themselves in the theater. As the audience is mesmerized by the baron he reveals to them they all have been safe and that the war is over. Jackson goes far and beyond the call of duty and demands his army to stop this inspired audience from opening the door but his efforts are too weak from the citizens who outnumber him. With a push of the door they find out the war had been over as the story's been told. With that, the old man gets at top his horse and disappears into the horizon.