Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie (1965)

Director:

Wojciech Has

Writers:

Tadeusz Kwiatkowski (writer)
Jan Potocki (novel)

Release Date:

9 February 1965 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

In the Napoleonic wars, an officer finds an old book that relates his grandfather's story, Alfons van Worden...

Plot Keywords:

Inquisition | Place Name In Title | Incest | Cult Favorite | Flashback

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Zbigniew Cybulski	...	Alfonse Van Worden
Iga Cembrzynska	...	Princess Emina
Elzbieta Czyzewska	...	Donna Frasquetta Salero
Gustaw Holoubek	...	Don Pedro Velasquez
Stanislaw Igar	...	Don Gaspar Soarez
Joanna Jedryka	...	Zibelda
Janusz Klosinski	...	Don Diego Salero
Bogumil Kobiela	...	Senor Toledo
Barbara Krafftówna	...	Camilla de Tormez
Jadwiga Krawczyk	...	Donna Inez Moro
Slawomir Lindner	...	Van Worden's father
Krzysztof Litwin	...	Don Lopez Soarez
Miroslawa Lombardo	...	Van Worden's mother
Jan Machulski	...	Count Pena Flor
Zdzislaw Maklakiewicz	...	Don Roque Busqueros

Also Known As:

Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie (Poland)
The Saragossa Manuscript

Runtime:

124 min | France:175 min (director's cut) | 182 min

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Olsztyn near Czestochowa, Poland

Company:

Kamera Film Unit

Trivia:

One of very few films in which Zbigniew Cybulski plays without his dark glasses.

Quotes:

Alfonse Van Worden: I must have been put to sleep with a potion and taken to the gallows.
Donna Rebecca Uzeda: Then you got under the Zota brothers' gallows?
[he nods]
Donna Rebecca Uzeda: And found them both hanged?
Alfonse Van Worden: Do they, by chance, have the habit of coming down?
Donna Rebecca Uzeda: Very often, usually at night.

Masterpiece

Before I start gushing about this film, keep in mind that I rarely see European (let alone Polish) films, and I rarely see "vintage" films. The few "art houses" in Denver typically show films, like Crouching Tiger, which are intended for US audiences and distributed to regular first-run theaters in most major cities. Since I don't study the listings religiously, nor do I always have 10 bucks to blow on a film, I rarely encounter films that challenge the norms of either mainstream Hollywood or the recent Hollywood-controlled "indie" film industry. Needless to say, this film floored me. I was immediately amazed by the vividness of its black-and-white imagery. While b/w has become an overused technique to depict bleakness, this film reminded me just how little all the high-tech Hollywood production methods actually use the medium of film itself to its fully expressive potential. This film is visually stunning in its images' depth, textures, and light. The next thing that struck me was how outrageously funny the film is--funnier than I could have imagined a 40 year-old movie from a culture about which I know almost knowing. Three hours later, I didn't want the film to end. Its cycles of absurd story lines, surreal dialog, and engaging imagery were utterly new and engrossing to me. Despite my Luddite tendencies, I have vowed that when this film is released on DVD, I'll go out and get a player just to see this film over and over again. Perhaps then I'll have more critical comments--for now, just WOW.