Münchhausen (Munchhausen) 1943 - 2/18/20

[James Luckard]

I just saw that KL is releasing this film next month:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082JQB38T/

In early 1943, just as Nazi Germany began its collapse with the surrender at Stalingrad, the Ufa Studios released an elaborate super-spectacle to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. Produced at the enormous cost of 6.5 million Reichsmarks, Münchhausen was the German response to such extravaganzas as Britain's The Thief of Bagdad and Hollywood’s The Wizard of Oz, both of which were jealously admired by Propaganda Minister Goebbels. Starring hypnotic, blond superstar Hans Albers, this lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting, and a rich color palette.

Special Features:
-Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan
-Theatrical trailer
-Documentary on the production and restoration
-1944 Animated short by Hans Held
-Samples of Agfacolor restoration

I watched it in college when I wrote a parer on entertainment propaganda films of the Third Reich. It's fascinating to see an epic color fantasy/comedy like this that was filmed as some of the most awful events in history were happening around it.

It was written by the famous anti-Nazi novelist Erich Kästner. The Nazis had forbidden him to publish in Germany, but he was given a special exemption by Joseph Goebbels to write this film, using a pseudonym. The making of the film must have been even more fascinating and compelling than the film itself, so I'm looking forward to the documentary and commentary.

As for the film, it's difficult in many ways to divorce it from the circumstances under which it was made, but it's a classic of German cinema and I'm glad to see it getting a restored release.

By the way, I put the film's title in the subject line both with and without an umlaut, so people can find it more easily when they search.

[Egbert Souse]

This is a wonderful film. For those wary about a film made during the heights of Nazi Germany, it's oddly absent of any sort of outright pro-Nazi sentiment other than I guess a scene with nude (aryan) women bathing.

Kind of neat we have three excellent Munchausen films - this, the Karel Zeman film, and Terry Gilliam's. All three have such a unique sort of take on the tales that there's little overlap.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

For those wary about a film made during the heights of Nazi Germany, it's oddly absent of any sort of outright pro-Nazi sentiment

That was actually the focus of the paper I wrote ages ago. There were lots of varied films made in Nazi Germany.

There were some outright propaganda documentaries and narrative films, most of which are repulsive and unwatchable today except as historical artifacts. They're pretty much all in black and white.

There were a large number of melodramas in which subtle (or not so subtle) Nazi themes were woven. They're also usually in black and white.

Then there were light comedies and musicals, modeled on MGM extravaganzas. They were intentionally devoid of political content, and though most were also B&W, some of the best-known are in Agfacolor.

Among the comedies, there's a fascinating one that's basically a Nazi version of "Before Sunrise," called "Two in a Big City."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_in_a_Big_City

It's fascinating and chilling to watch a sweet, light romcom that was filmed on location around Nazi Berlin, at the height of their power in 1941. The male lead is a soldier, but there's very little political side to it, it's mostly just a romcom. Still, it's absolutely impossible to see it without thinking about all the horrible things happening just out of frame.

[Alfred E. Neumann]

The Export version (only available in Germany - 2 disc set) is better.
It has more print damage but it's very sharp, has incredible details und breathtaking colors and it's from a much better source.
The Theatrical version (german BD, US BD) is awful, brownish faded colors, worse than the old DVD restoration.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

That was actually the focus of the paper I wrote ages ago. There were lots of varied films made in Nazi Germany.

There were some outright propaganda documentaries and narrative films, most of which are repulsive and unwatchable today except as historical artifacts. They're pretty much all in black and white.

There were a large number of melodramas in which subtle (or not so subtle) Nazi themes were woven. They're also usually in black and white.

Then there were light comedies and musicals, modeled on MGM extravaganzas. They were intentionally devoid of political content, and usually made in Agfacolor.

Among the comedies, there's a fascinating one that's basically a Nazi version of "Before Sunrise," called "Two in a Big City."

It's fascinating and chilling to watch a sweet, light romcom that was filmed on location around Nazi Berlin, at the height of their power in 1941. The male lead is a soldier, but there's very little political side to it, it's mostly just a romcom. Still, it's absolutely impossible to see it without thinking about all the horrible things happening just out of frame.

Only very few films of the Third Reich were shot in Agfacolor, the vast majority of light entertainment films (comedies, musicals, romantic dramas) were B&W. Münchhausen was only the third German film to be shot in color. There also were also some more overtly propagandistic dramas shot in color like The Golden City and Kolberg.

One main reason why Münchhausen had no propaganda elements is because it was written by Erich Kästner, a pacifist who was opposed to the Nazi regime and whose books were banned at the time. He wrote the film under a pseudonym. It has even be claimed that there are subtle digs at Nazi bigwigs in the movie, which went by unnoticed.

It is true that most German films of the time just served as entertainment and propaganda elements were non-existent or very low key. These films still play on German television, just like old Hollywood films do in the US.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Only very few films of the Third Reich were shot in Agfacolor, the vast majority of light entertainment films (comedies, musicals, romantic dramas) were B&W. Münchhausen was only the third German film to be shot in color. There also were also some more overtly propagandistic dramas shot in color like The Golden City and Kolberg.

Very true, I was inaccurately generalizing abut the light films being in color, though a number of the biggest and most well known ones tended to be, like Munchausen and Women Are Better Diplomats. But you're right, the majority of these films were also B&W. I'll amend my earlier statement.

And it's also true, by the very end, they were shooting some propaganda melodramas in color, like Kolberg.

The Golden City is a strange case, though I admit I haven't seen it and have only read about it. From what I understand, it's a period romantic melodrama in which the propaganda is insidiously and subtly woven into the plot, but it's not an overt propaganda melodrama like Harlan and Söderbaum's earlier film Jud Süß.