The Big Picture

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a weird and otherworldly film that twists through myth, fantasy, reality, and adaptation. Terry Gilliam, renowned for his imaginative and unconventional style, directed the film during a tumultuous time in Columbia Pictures’ history. Robin Williams, in a small but memorable role, showcases his unhinged talent and creative freedom working with Gilliam, setting the stage for future collaborations.

Robin Williams is warmly regarded as one of the most versatile and brilliant performers of all time. His work in classic comedies and soul-wrenching dramas has been celebrated for decades. Similarly, director Terry Gilliam is regarded as one of the most inventive directors of the past 50 years, creating spectacles that seize the imagination and shatter the mind. Both of these creative geniuses are also frequently referred to as madmen, so when they paired up for the 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the result was fittingly otherworldly.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a tale that twists through myth, fantasy, reality, and adaptation. It begins with a theater troupe recounting the exploits of one Baron Munchausen until a patron in attendance stands up to declare that he is the actual Baron Munchausen and the production is littered with half-truths and bold lies. To say that he offers the truth is an injustice to the serpentine manner of the film to weave retelling, reenactment, creative liberty, and the thin veil between reality and fantasy. To say The Adventure of Baron Munchausen is weird is to say that water is wet. Accurate, to be sure, but insufficient to convey its depth.

Related: Thankfully Robin Williams Didn’t Play Opposite This Comedian in ‘The Birdcage’

Terry Gilliam’s Rise to Fame Started With ‘Monty Python’

Terry Gilliam is an American-born entertainer who really flourished once he moved to England, co-founding the legendary comedy troupe Monty Python. He co-directed their classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail before making films of his own, often starring members of the troupe. The first film, Jabberwocky, marked an unconventional style of retelling the oldest of tales with large spectacles and uncanny visuals. After Python disbanded, Gilliam continued directing in earnest, releasing Time Bandits and Brazil in the 1980s. Both films were massively successful and wildly imaginative, earning him a reputation as a true visionary, though something a rebel in relation to studio notes and budget constraints.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen was no exception, coming to fruition at a tumultuous time in the history of Columbia Pictures. Oral deals about the film’s budget and distribution fell by the wayside, resulting in a convoluted release that caused the film to be a financial bomb, recouping hardly a fifth of its budget. Despite the lackluster box office, the film holds solid ratings on aggregate review sites and is considered a classic by many, Gilliam would go on to make renowned films such as The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.

Robin Williams’ Cameo in ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen’
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Robin Williams notoriously began his career on sitcom television, but once he hit the big screen, he hit it hard. Good Morning, Vietnam scored a huge box office draw and an Academy Award Nomination for the up-and-comer, who suddenly he was in high demand. This success was an early indicator of the star he was destined to become, going on to make such classics as Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Hook, to name but a few. As his star was rising, so were the expenses on the set of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and the studios weren’t keen on ponying up more dough unless Gilliam could get some star power in his film.

Williams was already of fan of Gilliam’s outlandish films and knew working with the director would give him the creative freedom to stretch his talents to their farthest. He boarded the production as the King of the Moon, but his managers wouldn’t allow his name or likeness used to market the film. In fact, his name does not appear anywhere in the credits, though any fan of his would recognize his face immediately when he appears. Especially as, when it does, it is gigantic.

Who Does Robin Williams Play in ‘Baron Munchausen’?
Image via Columbia Pictures

The King of the Moon is a larger-than-life (about a hundred times larger) character who has a history with the titular Baron (John Neville) due to the former’s romantic entanglements with The Queen of the Moon (Valentina Cortese). When they encounter one another again, this time along with the Baron’s stowaway accomplice Sally (Sarah Polley), the King informs the Baron that he is now the King of Everything, as he has successfully separated his head from his body, no longer encumbered by the ravenous needs of the flesh like hunger or desire. His duties as The King of Everything have his mind distracted, fractured almost, so his exchange with the Baron is fragmented by frequent dissociations and pained utterances. While they speak, his lascivious body is seen groping the queen before it captures his head and places it firmly atop its shoulders. Now whole, he again makes advances on the queen, who rebuffs him by feeding him forcefully, which he takes to with ravenous aplomb. The King’s body is eventually dispatched in a three-headed bird monster malfunction that must be seen to be believed or perhaps even understood.

The entire sequence is outrageous, inventive, and completely mad, though unforgettably so. Clearly, the two auteurs had a wonderful time working together as Williams would return as a leading man in Gilliam’s next film, the groundbreaking The Fisher King. This madcap dramedy would earn Williams his second Oscar nomination and further cement his status as a fierce dramatic actor capable of portraying complex characters with dark pasts and heady material. But while his performance in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is admittedly a very small role, Williams makes the most of his screen time as a thoroughly unhinged antagonist through an over-the-top, out-of-this-world performance. If any fan has not seen this wholly original performance from Ray D. Tutto they are missing a key moment in the career of a gifted madman. And that goes for both of them.