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The Saragossa Manuscript

Play trailer Poster for The Saragossa Manuscript Released May 21, 1965 2h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
As the Napoleonic Wars rage across Europe, two officers from opposing armies meet by chance in Saragossa, Spain, where they're mutually bewitched by a book they find. It recounts the story of Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski), a Walloon Guard captain, trying to reach Madrid via the Sierra Moreno Mountains. There, he is at every turn thwarted by concupiscent princesses (Iga Cembrzynska-Kondrati, Joanna Jedryka), a cunning hermit (Kazimierz Opalinski) and an unrelenting Spanish Inquisition.

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Michael Sragow New Yorker This three-hour swirl of Polish phantasmagoria, from 1965, is an epic piece of japery; it celebrates visions and magic by means of labyrinthine storytelling. Apr 24, 2017 Full Review David Fear Time Out The director's eye for baroque black-and-white imagery puts him behind only Bava and Welles, while the film's sharp social satire gives heft to its ambition. Rated: 5/6 Apr 3, 2008 Full Review J. Hoberman Village Voice By any standard, a long strange trip. Apr 2, 2008 Full Review Giuseppe Sedia Kino Mania In terms of narrative technique, The Saragossa Manuscript represents a triumph of Baroque wit combined with Surrealist imagery. A master of digressive technique, Has is never afraid of losing himself or the audience in his mould-breaking visual poems. Rated: 5/5 Nov 20, 2023 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com One comes away from viewing the film ultimately impressed by the power of imagination in nearly all aspects of life. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 21, 2020 Full Review Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews Has reaches the epitome of his dazzling talent for warping cinematic time in this three hour epic, a giddy, almost unclassifiable work with elements from such disparate genre works as "The Brides of Dracula" to swashbucklers and European sex farces. Rated: A Apr 10, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (107) audience reviews
William S Has some great shots, but otherwise it's extremely boring. Stories within stories within stories lend it a sense of complexity that is unwarranted, undeserved, and goes so underutilized by its conclusion that it falls flat for anyone but the snobbiest of film snobs. Want to impress your friends with pretentious references to an old movie they'll probably never see? Then this film is for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't waste my time. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/24 Full Review Audience Member The subplot within a subplot within a subplot isa little confusing at times but added a wonderful texture to the film and also embalmes the hilarity of the whole thing. Despite the subject matter the film is very lighthearted and the wit is as sharp as their swords and far more subtle. There are some killer lines in here, very funny indeed. Loved the whole retinue of larger than life characters, there were some right ragamuffins among that lot and easy to love them all! Alfonso's father apologising for having taken the other's time after being stabbed through the heart in a duel and the inquisition complaining about the 'noisy sinner' before clobbering him with a image of the Virgin Mary. Quite cleverly written too. Still not really sure what the film was about, at least what the end meant, and do wonder if it was deliberately ambiguous because the 'it was all a dream' thread would be a little cliche yet the film does hint at that slightly. I didn't really have any idea what to expect but hard to categorise the film, I'd put it as a comedy-adventure-fantasy. Perhaps the whole thing was a satire about the farcical nature of religion in a subdued nod to Voltaire's Candide, or perhaps highlighting the mystical edge that Islam sometimes has compared to the rigid collar (or iron mask!) of Christianity. It was long at nearly three hours but liked the two parts - funny all the way through but certainly things did get denser in the second part. I will give it nice eight out of ten, in a way I feel it's a little over generous but am happy to confess it is because of a subjective soft spot for that sort of subtle intelligent farcical wit. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review William L "I'm confused. I don't know where reality ends and fantasy begins." "You mean poetry?" Stories create more stories. Everything tied together in one massive, twisted knot of drama, humor, love, loss, possibility, and surrealism. Conventional plot is tossed out the window in pursuit of this playful, maddening interconnectedness. Just when you believe that we have arrived at some form of progression, the narrative totally veers in Part 2, diving into a seemingly unrelated heap of stories within stories loaded with symbolism, imaginative imagery, crossed wires, and multi-role performances that each provide context to one another, but only with a sense of delayed gratification. All I want is more surreal, supernatural period pieces that focus on character development to drive the plot and require multiple viewings to fully comprehend. Is that very particular request too much to ask? (5/5) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/19/21 Full Review Audience Member This truly fits the "lost masterpiece" category - an enchanting, engrossing riddle of a film, weaving stories within stories until you have no idea what is "real" and what just a fantasy or magic spell. Its 3-hour running time flew by and at the end I wished there was more. A brilliant and unique film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member The Saragossa Manuscript is a very interesting film displaying a tour de force of complex narratives, story within the story and time warp. Definitely a black & white classic from the 60's , this wonderfully shot, acted and directed film is hard to classify. Mixing slapstick, grotesque, surrealism, esoteric, dreaming and swashbuckling sequences, this "head trip" experience should prove to be quite a journey for the audience. I highly recommend multiple viewings to fully understand the complexity of the plots and narratives but also to fully absorb the many baroque elements spread across the screen. A must see for any film buff out there. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Filled with beautiful symbolism. As poetic as Wojciech Has seems to always be. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Saragossa Manuscript

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Movie Info

Synopsis As the Napoleonic Wars rage across Europe, two officers from opposing armies meet by chance in Saragossa, Spain, where they're mutually bewitched by a book they find. It recounts the story of Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski), a Walloon Guard captain, trying to reach Madrid via the Sierra Moreno Mountains. There, he is at every turn thwarted by concupiscent princesses (Iga Cembrzynska-Kondrati, Joanna Jedryka), a cunning hermit (Kazimierz Opalinski) and an unrelenting Spanish Inquisition.
Director
Wojciech Has
Screenwriter
Tadeusz Kwiatkowski, Jan Potocki
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Polish
Release Date (Theaters)
May 21, 1965, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$119.0K
Runtime
2h 4m