Based on the book by the highly-esteemed Count Jan Potocki, the film version is reputedly a respectful, mostly faithful adaptation of this literary cat s cradle set in the weird fantasy landscapes of arid 18th-century Spain. The films creates a magical, sometimes disturbing, world of the supernatural so it s no surprise that this was a counterculture classic and Jerry Garcia s favourite. He, along with Martin Scorsese, put up part of the money to have it restored to its full length. Besides the convoluted structure, characters pop in and out of each other s stories with the random logic of a trip. The characters includes sexy ghost princeses, demon-possessions and many a corpse. The intriguing stylistic flourishes sit against the wonderful soundtrack, which was composed by Krzysztof Penderecki, famous for the scores of The Shining and Wild At Heart. Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Luis Bunuel and Jerry Garcia have at various times described The Saragossa Manuscript as their favorite film.
Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski, Kazimierz Opalinski, Bogumil Kobiela, Franciszek Pieczka, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Iga Cembrzynska, Zdzislaw Maklakiewicz, Elzbieta Czyzewska
