Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman (Journey to the Beginning of Time/Invention for Destruction/The Fabulous Baron Munchausen)(The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Karel Zeman was a very artistic filmmaker who worked in Czechoslovakia in the 1940s through the 1960s. His films were fantasies, done with a mix of live action, animation, animated models of various materials, and paintings. Watching his films, it was impossible to tell what was what because it all was done so seamlessly.“Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman” is a 3-film Blu-ray Disc box set put out by The Criterion Collection in 2020. So far, we’ve watched the 2nd film, “Invention for Destruction,” which was released in 1958 and is the only film of the 3 in black and white. This film borrows liberally from the Jules Verne tale of Captain Nemo and his submarine. The 1st film, “Journey to the Beginning of Time,” (1955) is similar to a more modern film which was, I believe, titled, “A Night at the Museum.” The 3rd film, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen,” (1962) was so well done that it inspired Terry Gilliam to make his own “Munchausen” film.Based upon our viewing of just one film, we heartily endorse the purchase of this wonderful 3-film box set. The story and the acting in the film are excellent, but the real star of the film is the special effects. We’re looking forward to watching the other 2 films and know that we won’t be disappointed.ADDITION: Today we watched the 3rd film, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen.” It was a treat. In addition to Zeman’s special effects wizardry, he uses color to emphasize, set apart, carry the story forward, and, well, just amaze the viewer. We didn’t find this film as interesting as, “Invention for Destruction,” but I am writing about miniscule degrees here. As for the “Munchausen” story itself, as good as is this film, I find the 1989 Terry Gilliam “Munchausen” to be the best of the lot, with the 1943 German UFA Studios “Munchhausen” taking 2nd place. This ranking, however, is how I feel; feel free to disagree. (I’ve never seen the 1979 Russian version or the 1979 animated French version.)SECOND ADDITION: Today we watched, “Journey to the Beginning of Time.” It was delightful. This film is more of a children’s film than were the previous two we watched, i.e., both the story and the special effects are simpler. Those effects in this film are more stop-motion animation of animal models. The special effects in the other 2 films were very diverse in type and effect. This does not mean that this film wasn’t entertaining. It was, but just not to the same level as the other films.RECAP: This is a 5-star box set that has 3 superb films that are well done, with interesting stories and good acting. The picture quality and the audio quality are both excellent. The star of all of these movies is the special effects which are done by a craftsman who was ahead of his time and had a vision second to none.

I would love to have seen the movie of the kids going back in time when I was a kid. Great special effects for it's time. Each film is a different unique experience.

Like most of the previous reviewers, I remember seeing the Americanized versions of two of these films (JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME & INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION) when young. Even then, knowing little more about film other than what looked exciting & fun to a small boy, I knew that these were special. But it required growing up to appreciate the full artistry & vision of Karel Zeman, made possible by this superb Criterion release. And of course it also gave me the chance to finally see THE FABULOUS BARON MUNCHAUSEN at last.What can I add to the informative & glowing reviews already posted? Only that these three films are inexhaustibly enjoyable works of art … and by that, I don't mean deep, solemn, philosophical films (which I do love as well). No, these were made for the sheer joy of making utterly fantastic, dreamlike entertainment—their artifice is obvious, meant to draw attention to itself, so that our awareness of it is part of the enjoyment. The seamless interweaving of old prints, actual sets designed to look like old prints, stop-motion animation, hand-drawn animation, tinting—all of it combines to create a world apart, a world of unfettered imagination that references the past in countless ways & takes us away from the mundane in bursts of brilliant imagery & storytelling.Fun … that's a concept that seems to have diminished & even disappeared over time, what with superhero & science-fiction films becoming so relentlessly grim & dour, striving to be "deep" in the worst way. These three films by Karel Zeman are a reminder of fun solely for its own sake, of seeing dreams brought to life before our very eyes … an especially important thing to remember in these troubled days. For anyone who still treasures imagination, they are not to be missed— most highly recommended!

In addition to the three fine films by Zeman on Blu-ray, each film has a pop up. No, these pop ups are not one of those annoying windows that open up suddenly on your web browser telling you things you did not want to know, do, or care about.These pop ups are physical and integrated into the package. Like those pop up books for children, you open the book and there is a scene from the book that literally unfolds before you. Okay for "The Journey to the Beginning of Time" the pop up is a scene where the camera looks from the opposite bank of the river with the explorers in the middle of the river and a wooly mammoth on the far bank looking in the direction of the explorers. The pop up for "Invention For Destruction" is a scene where the hero and the heroine are escaping from the villain's volcano by an ascending balloon. The pop up for "The Fabulous Baron Munchausen" is a scene where the Baron is riding on a cannon ball that was just fired by an enemy cannot towards the friendly castle over the heads of the enemy army.So one Blu-ray disc for each movie, that has extra features about Karel Zeman, his life and times. His movies were made in Czechoslovakia during the Post WW II era of Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Late in his life Zeman was not well liked by the Soviet sponsored regime. Despite that this collection of films demonstrates the vision and cinematic genius of Karel Zeman. So much so there are those interviewed in the documentaries included on the disc that compare Karel Zeman with the likes of George Pal and Larry Harryhausen.