The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
Giants, fairies, magicians, ghosts, dragons, and monsters of all kinds… Here’s what your Cinémathèque has in store this summer! Since Méliès, filmmakers have embraced the fanstastic potential of cinema, creating infinite phantasmagorias and extraordinary spectacles where the unreal becomes real. Step into a world of fantasy and boundless imagination: whatever your generation, the monsters and wonders that once filled your childhood dreams are back this summer 2025!
Winner of the Silver Sail, 1962 Locarno Film Festival
A magician of images and a tinkerer of genius, Czech director Karel Zeman is both the great successor of Georges Méliès and the precursor of contemporary creators of phantasmagorias: Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Michel Gondry... This film, inspired by the extraordinary tales of the famous Karl Friedrich, Baron de Münchhausen, created a milestone in the history of special effects in cinema.
Karel Zeman
Karel Zeman was a Czech animator and film director. He began his career in advertising, where he had his first experiences with animation. Co-directed with Hermína Týrlová, his first short film won Best Animation at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946. He then created the first in a series of humorous shorts featuring Mr. Prokouk, a puppet with a large nose symbolizing the ordinary citizen navigating everyday life. In 1955, Zeman directed his first film combining live-action performances, animation, and special effects—a small revolution in the world of animation. Four years later, he released his masterpiece, Invention for Destruction, opening up a new realm of possibilities that he explored in his other adaptations of Jules Verne's novels in the 1960s. Most of his films are known for appealing to a young audiences while also featuring a distinctive visual style and sophisticated spirit that captivate adults as well. The Karel Zeman Museum was founded in Prague in 2012 to honour his legacy.
