i've only seen this movie once but i didn't quite understand the ending. so he was telling them a story of what happened to him? what happened to the army outside the gates? before he started telling his story they were attacking the city but when he finished they where suddenly gone.
shareBasically it comes down to how you interpret the storyline. In one sence, the Baron started the war and ended the war.
Not much help, but it's all in your perception of the story.
...these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.
The ending would basically ties the world of fantasy to the real world. His story of how he is the cause of this war, and how he can end it, turns out to be not just a story. The Baron is still a mythical character and his riding off into the sunset is him leaving reality after basically performing a miracle.
share The film is about the vaule of fantasy and imagination.
Fairy tales are indeed important, they reveal truths about us and go far deeper than mere children's entertainment.
But, as the end of the movie points out, fairy tales are not real. The logical jump between the Baron's death and him finishing the story, concluding with him fading away is almost like a cinematic zen saying (what's the sound of one hand clapping?) and is pretty much open to interpretation.
But I believe it to be a succient statement of the importance and nature of fantasy.
"Allright you primitive screwheads, listen up. This is my BOOMSTICK!"
"The film is about the value of fantasy and imagination."
I couldn't agree more. It's also about how imagination can help to conquer fear. The Jonathan Pryce character is without imagination and consumed by fear and uses fear to manipulate others and maintain his power. In the end Munchausen leads the people to the gates and reveals that they in fact have nothing to fear, that the Turks are not camped outside, and that it was only their fear which was causing them to think they were in danger. Imagination and the power of stories can free you from fear.
the turks WERE camped outside - right up until the baron defeated them. That is why the tents and other stuff are still there when they open the gate.
shareYou're quite right.
I was reading about the movie's production problems and how much of a struggle it was to make it and it gave me a new (meta) interpretation to some of the baron's closing words; after defeating the Turks and dying: "and from that time forth; Everyone (who had a talent for it) lived Happily Ever After!"
It's like Gilliam saying he'd defeated the execs, got the film made and was proud of the job he'd done.
My (limited) interpretation of the opening of the gates is - There is nothing to fear but Fear itself and You are the joy you bring into the world.
Woooo buddy i hear yah
i watched this at first when i was a kid
left me bewildered
but entertained
it seemed like the story starts to before the war started
and it seemed like it eventually winds up
dealing with present events
being attacked by....i think the turks
so while in reality the turks are attacking
in his story he is battling the turks
until they get to the end of the story
and he tells them to unlock the doors
to prove the turks arent there anymore
I agree with Masterbrain and Mitch.
This is a movie about the power of imagination and how that keeps a person young and vibrant rather than old and decaying by accepting dire situations as they are, and hence Death.
It is great when the Baron shows the villagers that there is nothing to fear beyond the gates. It appears that they as Price's character are afraid to explore new horizons and would rather live behind the gates (which is symbolic of the fear) Once they open the gates they see that there is nothing to fear at all. With that the Baron has done his mission and disappears into the imaginations of the people vibrantly into the horizon and in style.
The REAL Baron Munchausen was an Ex-Baron in the Millitary who would sit in his front yard and tell insanely detailed and well thought out, fake stories about his adventures in the army and whatever. The end is meant to signify that his stories were in fact NOT true, but to himself and to the people who believed in him, they " were "
shareEveryone loves a good story even though they may not be true. The imagination is a very powerful force.
So, baically, we have to forsake all of these ridiculous modern ideas, the most specific being reason. Then we can succumb to the naivety of inauthentic stories such as the ones told by the Baron and George Lucas.
Only then we can succeed and live happily ever after!
The end.
No not at all.
Reason with the spice of imagination is the way to go :)
by decades » Thu Jan 20 2005 23:50:42
IMDb member since March 2004
i've only seen this movie once but i didn't quite understand the ending. so he was telling them a story of what happened to him? what happened to the army outside the gates? before he started telling his story they were attacking the city but when he finished they where suddenly gone.
I saw this movie with a history buff who told me it wasn’t uncommon for Ottoman armies to pull up stakes and move on when their resources could be better applied elsewhere.
Perhaps the leaders thought the town was too much work, especially if it was resisting their attacks without its soldiers fighting back (it being a Wednesday)
If you look at movie through literal eyes, you can summarize it as a small victory as a result of bureaucratic miscalculation on both sides. The Baron himself could be real but is just an old goat suffering from dementia but he so strongly believes in himself that he convinces those who listen to him that he's telling the truth. The fantasy part of the movie could be what we see through little Sally's eyes as she's enthralled by the Baron's stories. Sherepresents hope and the fight for a life left to live since she's so young.
I really liked this movie because it encapsulates most of Terry Gilliam's themes that you find in most of his movies. He always makes the wayward fool the hero because although they are flawed, they still represent the noble side of human nature.