Customer Reviews

Losing the Light: Terry Gilliam and the Munchausen Saga

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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.

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.

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.

This is the most insultingly poorly written book about the making of a film I have ever read.

However, it is the only book available about the making of Gilliam's film Munchausen.

If you need such a topic for your library, I guess you'll obtain it...though you have been warned.