The Saragossa Manuscript
1965
This captivating Polish film was based on the most famous work of Count Jan Patocki (1761-1815), written in French (and published in France in 1813) as a series of stories to amuse his ailing wife. It concerns the quirky adventures of a young captain of the Walloon guards under the King of Spain during his travels through that .. Read more
| Starring | Zbigniew Cybulski, Iga Cembrzynska, Joanna Jedryka |
|---|---|
| Director | Wojciech Has |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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The Saragossa Manuscript
This captivating Polish film was based on the most famous work of Count Jan Patocki (1761-1815), written in French (and published in France in 1813) as a series of stories to amuse his ailing wife. It concerns the quirky adventures of a young captain of the Walloon guards under the King of Spain during his travels through that country. The captain must pass several trials to prove himself in order to become a descendent of the powerful Mauretanian family. Featuring ghosts, a good deal of sensuality, and an ever-shifting narrative structure, the film found an unlikely champion in Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, who mentioned the film to be among his favorites in the early 70's. It found a new group of admirers when it was revived for a handful of festival screenings in 1997.
| Starring | Zbigniew Cybulski, Iga Cembrzynska, Joanna Jedryka |
|---|---|
| Director | Wojciech Has |
| Studio | WRASSE RECORDS |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 5 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Polish |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Apr 2008 Production year: 1965 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Based on the 1813 novel by Jan Potocki, this is a complex and exhilarating film that ranks among the most remarkable achievements of sixties European cinema. Beginning in the Peninsular War, the action shifts, via the pages of a gloriously illustrated tome, to a dazzling compendium of interweaving stories. Zbigniew Cybulski's Walloon guardsman meets with two Muslim princesses, a hermit, a possessed lunatic, a cabalist, a rationalist philosopher, a gypsy and an Inquisitor. Played to the haunting strains of Krzysztof Penderecki's score, this is a highly stylised, darkly surreal exploration of such themes as the capriciousness of nature, authority and, above all, love.
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Wojciech Has contrives a Chinese-box, Borgesian teaser from his story of a Belgian officer (Cybulski) who travels... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
dreamy
After 3 hours or so of flashbacks within flashbacks within dreams within flashbacks I was a trifle confused but also exhilerated. This film is stunning and confusing and beautiful, it reminded me of The Arabian Nights, the Felline version, as it meandered from tale to tale and at no point did I know what was real and what was fantasy.
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Most recent members' review
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This captivating Polish film was based on the most famous work of Count Jan Patocki (1761-1815), written in French (and published in France in 1813) as a series of stories to amuse his ailing wife. ... -