MNCHHAUSEN (Blu-ray)

In early 1943, just as Nazi Germany began its collapse with the surrender at Stalingrad, the Ufa Studios released an elaborate super-spectacle to celebrate the companys 25th anniversary. Produced at the enormous cost of 6.5 million Reichsmarks, Mnchhausen was the German response to such extravaganzas as Britain's The Thief of Bagdad and Hollywoods The Wizard of Oz, both of which were jealously admired by Propaganda Minister Goebbels. Starring hypnotic, blond superstar Hans Albers, this lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting, and a rich color palette.