Easily one of the greatest fantasy and animation filmmakers of all time, Czech pioneer Karel Zeman has long been considered a cinematic giant throughout much of Europe but is still under-appreciated in the United States due to the mangled, dubbed versions of many of his films issued as disposable kiddie fare. In fact these are witty, complex, visually dazzling fantasias appropriate for all ages, and the restoration of his output (all of which is of incredibly high quality) is doing its part to keep his legend alive for new generations. One of his key films is The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (Baron Prásil), Zeman's fourth feature film and the ideal progression from his previous 1958 masterpiece, The Deadly Invention (also shown as The Fabulous Jules Verne). This film's stunning flights of fancy utilize Zeman's trademark mastery of combining live action and animated elements together in the frame, along with vibrant color tints, to create an effect like a rich, vintage storybook come to life on the screen. It's a technique that still looks astonishing on the big screen, and it translates perfectly to home theater viewing as well. 
characters made it to space 
far earlier, and Munchausen offers to take the new arrival back to earth -- but in a different time period where they become entangled in fanciful adventures involving nautical creatures, Turkish armies, a Sultan, and complicated romance with a beautiful princess (Brejchová). 
both this film and The Deadly Invention were reissued as separate Blu-rays from the Museum Karel Zeman with heftier bit rates and DTS-HD MA Czech audio tracks, still with optional English subs. Extras on that release include the brief restoration demo "Showreel - Restoring a World of Fantasy" (2m34s), a Terry 
Gilliam interview called "Karel Zeman and the World" (5m5s), a newly-created trailer, the museum promo, and "The Making of Baron Munchausen" (5m13s), an archival Zeman interview about the techniques he explored with this film. It's worth noting that all of the featurettes on both releases are presented in SD. 
clips on display. (Some of the featurettes on the two Czech releases were basically excerpts or outtakes from this film.) The new, exclusive "Facts and Fibs: Michael Brooke on Baron Munchausen" 
(36m11s) is an excellent, thorough dissection of the origins of the Munchausen character (including the real-life namesake who wasn't so amused), his international popularity and various translations, his creative legacy in other media, and the significance of this film with its emphasis on the relationship and science within the character's history. Ported over from the Czech versions are "The Birth of a Film Legend," "Karel Zeman and the World," "Why Zeman Made the Film," "The Cast," the trailer, museum promo, and "Karel Zeman, the Legend Continues," plus "Zeman's Special Effects Techniques" (1m49s) from a separate extras section on that triple feature disc. The package also comes with liner notes by critic Graham Williamson, "The Universal Language of Karel Zeman," which charts Zeman's progression from puppet animator to full-fledged filmmaker; he also points out the origins of the Munchausen story and influence of the classic carved illustrations by Gustave Doré, as well as the satirical intentions of story, the presence of other literary characters dotted throughout the film, and the influence on such surprising filmmakers as Joshua Oppenheimer and Matthew Barney.
