Munchausen, German, subtitled, 1943, directed by Josef von Baky

Guns Magazine, Jan, 2005

DVD, Kino Video, 2004, $29.98, (212) 629-6880, www.kino.com.

Rating: **** 1/2 bullets

This epic tale of the adventures of Baron M[??]nchausen was Germany's answer to The Wizard of Oz. Of note to historians, M[??]nchausen was filmed during WWII and is odd because it contains no Nazi propaganda whatsoever. Indeed, Josef Goebbels is said to have instructed the filmmakers specifically not to include any propaganda. The film was to be pure escapist entertainment for the German people during the war.

M[??]nchausen was filmed in AGFA color, which delivers some of the many subtleties of color that 3-strip Technicolor does and the movie is a visual treat. Sadly, the original negatives are long lost, most likely bombed into oblivion by Allied bombers and the print has been carefully restored from existing prints. Costumes and set design are meticulous, luscious and thorough and the film even includes a brief nude scene (for you parents who wouldn't expect that in a 1943 film).

Since this is a gun magazine, Baron M[??]nchausen's scoped blunderbuss rifle is quite a fanciful oddity and sure to please and is one of the two excuses to review this film for a gun magazine. The other excuse, of course, is the WWII connection. M[??]nchausen stars Hans Albers and Walter Slezak's father Leo appears as the Turkish Sultan. Walter Slezak left Germany for America, but his father stayed and survived the war only to die in June of 1946.

Fans of M[??]nchausen films will notice that some scenes were lovingly recreated by Terry Gilliam in his 1988 The Adventures of Baron M[??]nchausen.