Pokhozhdeniya Myunkhauzena: A weirdly charming 1920s fever dream

Should you watch this today? If you are a fan of weird history or you just like seeing how people made things move before computers, then yes. If you need 3D graphics and high-speed chases, you will probably hate this and turn it off in two minutes.

It is a short cartoon from 1929, so keep that in mind. It isn't trying to be deep or emotional, it's just trying to show a guy doing impossible things.

The first thing I noticed was the movement. It is so jerky and strange, like the characters are fighting against the gravity of the paper they are drawn on.

Daniil Cherkes, who directed this, clearly didn't have a huge budget. But honestly, the roughness is what makes it fun to look at.

There is a scene where the Baron is just sitting there, and his face looks so smug. I actually laughed out loud because he looks so proud of himself for being a liar.

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in Hampels Abenteuer. There is this specific European energy to these old shorts where they aren't afraid to look a little bit ugly.

I think Natalya Sats and Cherkes were just trying to see what they could get away with. The logic in the cartoon doesn't really exist, but that's the point of Munchausen, right?

One moment that stuck with me was how the horse looked. It’s barely a horse; it’s more like a collection of shapes that someone told 'hey, try to look like a horse.'

The film has this grainy, flickery quality that makes you feel like you're looking into a different century. Which you are, I guess. 🕰️

I found myself wondering how long it took them to move those little cutouts. Probably forever, just for a five-second clip of him walking.

It’s not spooky like The Raven, but it has this unsettling stillness sometimes. Like the world might just stop moving if the animator took a coffee break.

I don't think every joke lands. Some of the visual gags feel like they are missing a beat or maybe I just don't get 1920s Russian humor.

But the Baron himself is a great character. He has this huge nose and a tiny mustache that seems to have a life of its own.

If you've seen things like The Mints of Hell, you know that old films can be really dark. This is the opposite; it's light and silly, even if the animation is a bit haunting.

I relly liked the part where he goes on his adventures. The backgrounds are so simple, just a few lines sometimes, but they work.

It makes me think about how we overcomplicate movies now. Back then, they just needed a guy, a horse, and a tall tale.

The pacing is actually pretty fast. It doesn't linger on things too long, which is good because my attention span is pretty bad these days.

Some small things I noticed:

• The way his hat never falls off, no matter what.
• The eyes of the characters are often just black dots, which is kind of creepy if you look too close.
• There is a lot of dust on the print I saw, but it adds to the charm.
• The way the Baron's legs move when he runs is physically impossible.

I wonder if kids today would find this boring or if they would find it creepy. It has that 'uncanny valley' thing going on before that was even a word.

It’s definitely better than some of the boring live-action stuff from that era, like maybe The Block Signal which can feel like it drags on. This is over before you can get tired of it.

The whole thing feels like a sketchbook come to life. Not a fancy sketchbook, but one someone drew in while they were bored in class.

I keep thinking about the music too. Since it's silent, you have to imagine what it sounded like in a theater with a piano.

Probably a lot of fast, bouncy notes. It needs that energy because the visuals are so stiff.

If you have ten minutes and you want to see something that isn't a franchise or a remake, give it a go. It is a weird little slice of the past.

Just don't expect it to make much sense. It’s Munchausen, after all. He’s a liar, and the movie is a lie, and that’s why it’s good. 🤥

I’m glad I watched it, even if I forgot half of what happened five minutes later. It’s the feeling of it that stays with you.

It’s a bit like looking at an old photo that someone tried to animate with a ghost. Very 1929. Very Soviet. Very odd.