'The Outrageous Baron Munchausen (1961)' almost feels like a series of short skits. There's a narrative flow but no real arcs or a through-line other than the eponymous character. It's not like each set-piece or location is disconnected, just that there isn't much connective tissue and actually very little in terms of an overarching story. We just follow the protagonist through his numerous, possibly imaginary, intertwined adventures. This makes for an experience that's often whimsical and wonderful but never really all that compelling beyond its surface level, despite its visual splendour. Of course, it's brought to life with a laudable verve and a cartoon-esque construction, with its numerous special effects combining with its old-fashioned colour-tinted cinematography to a strange but satisfying effect. The aesthetic really is charming, if somewhat out-dated (even, arguably, for its time). The theme of imagination, and the fact that our narrator is perhaps somewhat unreliable, isn't ever fully explored, though, so you just have to accept all the brilliantly conceived wacky weirdness that comes in both the scenery and the plot, something that's relatively easy to do but isn't actually all that fulfilling. This feeling is furthered since there aren't any real characters, at least not in the traditional 'development' sense, and that the playful sight gags - which are sometimes strangely reminiscent of silent films - can only carry you so far in terms of engagement. It's not a bad effort at all and it's certainly an entertaining time, but it's a lot easier to become invested in the visuals than in the story. 6/10.
