The Saragossa Manuscript

One of the greatest masterpieces of Polish cinema, beloved by directors such as Luis Buñuel, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola. Wojciech Jerzy Has turns to literature’s past to discover cinema’s future. Set in the 18th century, Jan Potocki’s story within a story, turns into a postmodern treatise about the border between fiction and reality, where esotericism is mixed with Enlightenment, Kaballah with science, seriousness with a chutzpah characteristic of the picaresque tradition. Has, aided by the imagination of his favourite art director Jerzy Skarżyński, constructs his narrative labyrinth with military precision. Much to his dismay, the captain of the Walloon Guard I (Zbigniew Cybulski) loses his way among skulls, hangmen, and Moorish princesses. Much to our delight, we can lose our way  in front of the screen.

Piotr Sadzik

Wojciech Jerzy Has (1925–2000) was a Polish director and screenwriter. His most significant works were created at the peak of the Polish Film School. Precise staging, amazing atmosphere, carefully prepared design, characters alienated from their everyday lives, exploration of the complex human psyche – these are typical features of Has’s style, developed to perfection in his late works, including The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973). His other notable films include The Noose (1957) and How to Be Loved (1962).