Part of Science on Screen® 2025
Animation pioneer Karel Zeman conjures the adventures of the legendary, boastful baron, whose whirlwind exploits take him from the moon to 18th century Turkey to the belly of a whale and beyond. A kaleidoscopic marvel that blends live action with techniques including stop-motion, cutout collage, puppetry, painted backdrops and antique tinting, Zeman’s film is an exhilarating visual delight and a warmhearted whirl through a bygone age too entrancing to have existed. (Synopsis courtesy of the Criterion Collection)
Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
“Undoubtedly the most exciting experiment so far in animation and in combining different techniques ... The Méliès influence is present throughout the film, which reaches the same level of poetry as the works of that old master.” —César Santos Fontenla, Triunfo
“Charming and sweethearted 1961 Czech fantasy filled with loopy special effects.” —Harlan Ellison
“A film that is completely unique, as magical in the first sense of the term as Méliès' films could be 50 years earlier, with a great sense of humor and great invention.” —Le Monde
“An absolute wonder to behold: decidedly out of step in its time or any other cinematic era… It’s a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, a film more imaginative than you could dream possible.” —Ian Schultz, Psychotronic Cinema