Munchhausen (1943)

  I actually saw this movie almost two weeks ago but I kept forgetting to do a post about it.  We were discussing it in class and one girl said that she kept forgetting parts of the movie while she was still watching it.

Baron von Münchhausen (Hans Albers) tells the fantastical stories of his ancestor (also Hans Albers) to a young guest (Hubert von Meyerink) interested in history.  He describes how the original Baron seduced Empress Catherine of Russia (Brigitte Horney), was betrayed by her officers, sold to a Turkish sultan (Leo Slezak), escaped with a princess to Venice, was chased by the princess' brother, escaped in a hot air balloon that ended up on the moon, and achieved immortality by striking a bargain with evil sorcerer Cagliostro (Ferdinand Marian).

This was the most expensive film produced in Germany at that time and is known as the Nazi Wizard of Oz.  Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels personally oversaw the production and spared no expense.  This is even more notable because it was 1943 and Germany was getting its ass beat on two fronts, Berlin was being bombed to shit, and rationing meant that regular citizens were cold and starving.  But, hey, let's spend 10M on a movie specifically designed to make people forget they're cold and hungry.  Nazis.

There's some debate about whether this is brilliantly subversive or blind propaganda, and there's a whole discourse to be had about the gender politics of the film, especially in comparison with the Terry Gilliam remake from 1988.  But it's honestly such a worthless film to sit through, I don't recommend it to anyone.  It will give your brain a cavity and you will have nothing to show for it.  Avoid.