Losing the Light: Terry Gilliam and the Munchausen Saga [Paperback]

Andrew Yule (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

Mix one American director with a German producer on a period extravaganza, set the locations in Italy and Spain and start the cameras rolling without enough money to do the job. Then sit back and watch disaster strike. That is the scenario Andrew Yule has painstakiingly reconstructed. The more problems and reverses, the greater our interest: costly postponements, overwhelming language difficulties, elephants and tigers turning on their trainers, illnesses, sets not being ready, special effects breaking down and cameo stars (from Marlon Brando to Sean Connery) backing out of the project. You name it, Andrew Yule reports it!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gilliam's 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen was one of the greatest financial disasters in film history. Yule ( Life on the Wire: The Life and Art of Al Pacino , LJ 10/1/91) here recounts how a talented group of filmmakers let ego, greed, and jealousy turn this production into a cash-devouring quagmire. The central characters are Gilliam and the fast-talking producer Thomas Schuhly. While these two bickered, the production became immersed in a morass of logistical problems, infighting, and costly scams. Amazingly enough, the finished product received excellent notices and four Academy Award nominations. Blame for the film's failure, according to Yule, lies with shoddy distribution and lack of publicity by Columbia Pictures. This nuts-and-bolts look at movie making is recommended for most film libraries.
- Dan Bo gey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 564 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155783346X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557833464
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,694,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A darn good book about the troubles with Munchausen, July 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Losing the Light: Terry Gilliam and the Munchausen Saga (Paperback)

If you happen to like this movie or just Gilliam in general then I would suggest finding this book. The author, Andrew Yule, takes around thirty interviews from people related to the movie and encompasses all of the delays and pitfalls associated with it. From trying to cast Marlon Brando as the King of the Moon to the self centered producers (Thomas Schuly) total lack of concern for the crew or anyone in general this book shows how one of the most over-budgeted films of its time($20 million over) became a flop.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Surely this time there is no escape...." for Terry Gilliam, December 29, 2002

By 

Rae Schwarz "post-modern Renaissance woman" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Losing the Light: Terry Gilliam and the Munchausen Saga (Paperback)

Terry Gilliam is the first to acknowledge that for each of his movies, he becomes the main character and their struggle in the story becomes part of his struggle to make the film. This overlap set an ominous tone that then went from bad to worse, from the frying pan to the fire and somehow a film came out the other side.

The making of the movie "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" is told via Andrew Yule's interviews and research, almost a post-mortem after the near-death experience of the filmmaking process. Director and producer fought, crews walked or were fired, accountants and accusations flew, and tigers and elephants literally got out of control. Compared to "The Battle of Brazil" that was a skirmish and this was a world war.

For Gilliam fans, join the director in all his pain as he attempts to surmount and juggle language barriers, lethargic crews, bad weather, financial disputes, mysterious accidents, casts of characters fictional and real, and his own visions.

2.0 out of 5 stars Almost as painful as the film's production, November 28, 2010

By 

J. C. Walker (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Losing the Light : Terry Gilliam and the Munchausen Saga (Hardcover)

While the sheer mess surrounding the production of "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" might massively overshadow the troubles Gilliam had during "Brazil", this book is nowhere near as entertaining its "Brazil" counterpart. While this book is undoubtedly accurate and unquestionably in-depth, it is also written in an incredibly dry and uninteresting way. It reads almost like a series of dry facts, with little or nothing to help lighten it or make it more readable.

The readability of this book might have something with "Baron Munchausen's" production difficulties: Whereas "Brazil's" struggle for life gradually built up to a crescendo, "Baron Munchausen's" started off badly, and spent the rest of its time trying cope. It was, by all accounts, a slow and painful slog. Unfortunately, this book captures that feeling far too well.

There are some occassional anecdotes, but mostly it feels like a long list of lawyers coming in, being replaced, arguments, memos, and much passing of the buck.

The short version is: Gilliam was looking for a producer for his new film. Enter young ambitious German producer, Thomas Schühly. He's the type of guy who claims he's done everything and can sweet talk those who hear what they want to hear. Gilliam wants to hear certain things, like the fact that his next film, "Baron Munchausen" is possible to make for $23 million... the absolute maximum that Columbia Pictures is prepared to pay for it. Everyone thinks it's impossible, but Schühly insists it's possible... if they shoot in Italy. Columbia is sceptical, but eventually buys into it, provided there's a bond company guaranteeing the production. Gilliam claps his hands merrily and gets ready to make another film.

Except Schühly's estimates were as off as everyone thought they were. The film goes massively over-budget and Gilliam is left fighting the studio and bonds company every step of the way. Thomas Schühly is nowhere to be found, and when he is found, it's most definitely not his fault.

Eventually the film gets made, but not without ruining Gilliam's reputation and scarring everyone involved. Final cost (thanks to many stops and starts) $46 million.

By the time the film is released, a new regime is in place at Columbia. The new regime apparently has no faith in the film and decides to bury it as an embarrassment of the old order, despite the fact that it tests well, is reviewed well, and earns a huge amount of money in the few cinemas it opens in.