Movie Time! The Absurdist Auteur: Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

Popzara Podcast

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast, where our in-house movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans take you on an unscripted journey yakking and chatting about some of their favorite movie moments and cinematic scenes, from past and present, presented without snark and snobbery for your listening pleasure.

On deck for this episode are two entries in Terry Gilliam’s “Trilogy of Imagination”, the other being 1985’s Brazil, that showcase what happens when absolute imagination is met with absolute ambition, a surefire recipe for disaster - and often something wonderful.

First up is 1981’s Time Bandits, which has the distinction of being the only “children’s film” with executions, severed limbs, exploding parents (and exploding dogs). Gilliam presents an entirely original time-traveling comedy with inspired performances, dazzling effects, and just a touch of classic Monty Python humor that appeals to kids and adults alike, despite a fractured narrative with more holes in it than any map of the universe.

Next is 1988’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, a lavishly produced spectacle of fever dream storytelling just as famous for its off-screen spectacle as it has for what’s on screen. A triumph of visual and aural absurdity, Gilliam’s adaptation of the beloved German fable featuring perhaps the most unreliable narrator in literature can finally be viewed on its own considerable merits. And what lovely merits they are!

Our hosts tackle both films with aplomb, discussing how sometimes style does triumph over substance, how Terry Gilliam may be the living embodiment of Auteur Theory, how both films skilly hide their megastar cameos (Sean Connery and Robin Williams), favorable comparisons to both 1939’s Wizard of Oz and Spielberg’s Hook, and the sad reality of how Hollywood has been replacing talented dwarf actors with CGI effects instead of hiring the real thing.