|
Wojciech
Has' film The Saragossa Manuscript is many things to many people. To
fans of 60s Counter-Culture it is a head movie, to Lynch enthusiasts
it is surrealist film, to story tellers it is a labyrinth and
puzzle.
But when searching for underlying influences, the city
of Krakow, Poland, is to be found everywhere. Wojciech Has was born
in Krakow (1925) where he was childhood friends with Mieczyslaw
Jahoda (Director of Photography) and Jerzy Skarzynski (Set and
Costume Designer). The film is shot in a semi-mountainous area just
one hour north of Krakow. Cybulski was a graduate from Krakow acting
school, where Iga Cembrzyńska was also just about to graduate, and the
whole film was only possible thanks to the cooperation of the
artistic community of the Krakow theatre scene bending
its timetables to accommodate shooting. Krzysztof Penderecki was
educated at
Krakow State Academy of
Musicand
had recently become a rector of another music school in Krakow. Even,
the novel's author's name 'Potocki' is a
great aristocratic family name originating from Potok in the Krakow
Voivodship.
It
is in Krakow, 1960s Poland, operating on rules largely unknown and
incomprehensible to the West that perhaps the key to understanding
The Saragossa Manuscript lies. A reality where although celebrating
new freedoms upon the end of Social Realism, everyday life remained
anything but settled and comprehensible.
So pull up your most
comfortable chair, take a deep breath, and disconnect your mind from
what you think you know. You're going on a Journey, back to Spain,
18th Century, to Madrid....
60s Counter
Culture
The ideology of the 60s was able to cross
borders unhindered and it was only products of that culture (music,
literature, film) that couldn’t infiltrate. Countries
experiencing
cultural blockades therefore had to produce their own
versions.
Where’s the Target?
Not
all film is made within a free market for a commercial audience.
Imagine if there was a 'Director of Culture' in charge instead of a
producer and constant supply of new
film makers and actors graduating from specialist state funded film
schools. Further more, imagine if stars and cleaners earn the same wage.
Whatever Makes You Laugh
What
happens when you live under a state system that makes absolutely no
sense, that is unwanted yet (supposedly) supported by all, where
everyday life becomes increasingly farcical as surrealism and realism
merge into one? Humour based on the absurd and disbelief
emerges.
Travel Broadens the Mind
Youth
often considers travel and adventure instrumental in coming of age,
but not everyone is free to travel or has the passport to do so. For
some, all journeys must begin and end at home or are travels of the
mind.
Who is Pulling your Strings?
You
have no control over your life and key decisions are made for you by
those around you. Even if you try to take your life back into your
hands, ultimately comes the realisation that notion of controlling
your own destiny has been given to you by others.
Welcome
to the farcical, dark, satirical, and baffling world of The Saragossa
Manuscript. Enjoy!
"Are your telling me that we are in Krakow???"
(Advertorial)
Add/Read Comments on this
page.
|
