The Saragossa Manuscript

Feature film

This Polish film was purchased and restored by the Pacific Film Archive partly as a result of the enthusiasm and funding provided by Jerry Garcia. The cover of the US release DVD carries a dedication to Garcia.

The movie was directed by Wojciech Has and stars Zbigniew Cybulski, Iga Cembrzynska, Joanna Jedryka, Gustaw Holoubek, Kazimierz Opalinski, Franciszek Pieczka, Adam Pawlikowski and Beata Tyszkiewicz

The editorial review at amazon.com describes the film as follows.

Enter a dazzling, mysterious world of the supernatural courtesy of "The Saragossa Manuscript," a magical text discovered during the Napoleonic Wars by a pair of opposing soldiers. Capt. Alphonse van Worden lives out the book's intricate, devilish storylines as he embarks on a journey across scenic Spain, now populated with ghosts, alluring demons, debauched royalty, and mystical priests. Spanning centuries and nations, the manuscript's reach encompasses a wide array of stories both humorous and horrifying, gleeful and grotesque, before the final chilling revelations bring this one of a kind book to a close. Critically applauded and embraced over the years by such admirers as Jerry Garcia, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese, this swirling tapestry has been restored to its original, full length director's cut with all of its labyrinthine riddles intact.