The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Terry Gilliam's opulent labor of love, starring John Neville as the storytelling fabulist who spins wild fantasies he passes off as biography, may be his most personal picture. As indulgent as a Fellini film (and shot by Fellini's cinematographer, Giuseppe Rotunno), the delightfully outrageous imagery becomes increasingly preposterous as the adventure continues. The celebration of storytelling and the magic of fantasy is not really a kids film (Gilliam can't resist the dark side, even if he does toss in a wink and nudge), but the whimsical treat does capture the spirit of innocent wonder, even with the nightmare ripples. Sarah Polley is the child Munchausen drags through his strange journey from Hades to the moon, and Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Valentina Cortese, Robin Williams and Jonathan Pryce co-star. The new special edition features all-new commentary by Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown and the exhaustive, in-depth feature-length documentary "The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen," a nightmarish accounting of a production on the verge of collapse from the first day of shooting with input from much of the cast and many creative and production personnel. Also includes storyboard sequences (voiced by Gilliam and McKeown) and deleted scenes. Also available in Blu-ray format.