We had a live performance of the film’s score, and this was performed by ’The Recording Angel Ensemble’. To launch ’Saragossa Manuscript’ with the fanfare it deserved we collaborated with the BFI for a one-off spectacular screening. They sent a copy of the 35mm print from Filmowe and we planned our release. I managed to secure a license for the films through their sales agent in France. There was only one film company at the time and they owned the rights – Filmowe / KADR. The films of Has are tricky to get hold of as they were originally released in the 60’s during the Communist Poland era. They put me on to the original rights holders and we discussed opportunities. I had already worked with Scorsese on ’Soy Cuba’ so I contacted him about getting involved. The copy I had was the restoration that Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola had funded. I had never heard of it before, but I bought a copy and loved it. I struck up a conversation with the guy behind the counter, and it was in that conversation that he told me about ‘The Saragossa Manuscript’. “Whilst looking for unreleased classics I wandered into an independent DVD shop in Notting Hill Gate. Bongo Films have spoken about how they came upon Has’ epic: In relation to this restored edition, distributor Mr. “The Saragossa Manuscript” was among the “ Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series of restored classic Polish films which opened at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York in February 2014 and then toured the US and Canada. In recent years, there has been a welcome emergence of great works from the golden age of Polish and Czech cinema. Gypsies, conmen, aristocrats, princesses, witches, sorcerers, philanderers, all have stories to tell in Has’ wonderful film. Is van Worden doomed to be trapped within the supernatural world he has inadvertently come across or was this his destiny all along, predetermined by the manuscript of the title?īased on Polish author Count Jan Potocki’s novel “The Manuscript Found in Saragossa”, “The Saragossa Manuscript” is an excellent time frame story clever in its telling as events come full circle, predictions come to pass, characters recur in a series of repeats of their previous appearances and time, itself, seems to be an inescapable loop as our hapless protagonist finds himself back at an eternal square one no matter how many times he tries to escape.Ĭharacters appear and take over the narrative, telling strange stories to van Worden, providing often a film within a film within a film. Arrogant aristocrat Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski) stumbles into a world of ghosts, witches, and the Spanish Inquisition, seemingly unable to escape from a recurring time frame that should please fans of films such as Christopher Nolan’s “Memento”. Has’ supernatural fantasy is a film that, along with his also re-released classic “The Hourglass Sanatorium”, works with stories within stories, time within time, and the surrealistic approach that Has was famed for. Reminiscent at times of Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” and Cocteau’s “Orphée”, Wojciech Has’ superb 182min epic “The Saragossa Manuscript” arrives in a restored version on Blu ray and audiences can finally see why directors such as Buñuel, Lynch, and Scorsese rated it so highly. Alternatively frightening and comical in its mind-bending exploration of human nature “The Saragossa Manuscript” beautifully presents Has’ intricate approach to storytelling”. Spanning centuries and nations the magical text chronicles the adventures of Alfonso van Worden and follows a rich slew of journeys from the humorous to the horrifying, to the chilling final revelations. During Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, two soldiers of opposing sides discover a strange manuscript at an Inn. Adapted from the highly esteemed explorer Jan Potocki’s magnum opus, “The Saragossa Manuscript” encompasses a whole new supernatural world. Alfonso’s passage through the dangerous Sierra Morena mountains is repeatedly interrupted by seemingly random encounters with an assortment of larger than life characters.ĭescribed by filmmakers Luis Buñuel and David Lynch, and rock star Jerry Garcia, as their favourite film, legendary Polish director Wojciech Has’ psychedelic epic “The Saragossa Manuscript” is a mysteriously magical and sometimes disturbing 1960s cult classic like no other. The book chronicles the adventures of Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski – “Ashes and Diamonds”). Review by David Paul and recently restored version of Has’s psychedelic epic.ĭuring Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, two soldiers discover a strange manuscript at an Inn. The Saragossa Manuscript: (Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie) (1973)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |