Half a decade before the phenomenal success of Quentin tarantino's Pulp Fiction catapulted Uma Thurman to cult status as a hollywood A-lister, the blonde & lanky actress played only a supporting role in a little known 1989 movie called, almost cornily, the adventures of baron munchausen. the movie, which aired on channel i last saturday evening, has an almost indistinguishable cast of relative unknowns but it is still considerably charming & entertaining nevertheless.
the story revolves around an old man past his prime (the baron) who, wif encouragement frm a young girl, embarks on a journey to seek out his old comrades in order to thwart the successful invasion of a local town by a turk army. the scenarios are fantasy-ish & even far-fetched at times --- one moment the heroes are in a hot-air ballon consisting of stitched-together ladies' knickers travelling to the moon; next they're in the belly of a whale playin a game of cards. Then in an industrial hell at the center of the earth. etc etc... You must really leave your pragmatic senses & concept of realism before you're able to enjoy this movie but it will be well-rewarded. Directed by terry gilliam (who also helmed the fisher king in 1991 and 12 monkeys in 1995), baron munchausen garnered several oscar nominations & british film awards for special effects, costume & make-up in its year. Apart from the luminous uma thurman as Venus, an observant viewer might also catch a glimpse of Robin williams (as the king on the moon) & Sting (as a guard) amongst the cast. All in all, this is a good movie to watch wif your family & sumthing so innocently story-bookish, you just cant help but smile at some of the quaint & fantastical special effects. Definitely a "tall-tale" not to be missed. ~ 3.7/5 stars!
(uma thurman is simply stunning & divine as Venus, and though her onscreen time is quite brief actually, she DID make an indelible impact.. i really MUST watch her in quentin tarantino's kill bill!!!)
Quoteworthy
"She looks as though she floated down from the clouds..."
---- terry gilliam, director of baron munchausen, on uma thurman.
