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The Saragossa Manuscript, a review by goodguy

The Saragossa Manuscript (PL 1965) Written by: Tadeusz Kwiatkowski, based on the novel by Jan Potocki Directed by: Wojciech J. Has Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski DVD: R0-UK Mr. Bongo Films (2008) My rating:

Cover Blurb: 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.

Much less weird than one would expect from a movie that Jerry Garcia named as his favorite. It wasn't Garcia though, who put this on my radar, but rather Neil Jordan in a side comment in his AC for "The Company of Wolves".

Anyway. Based on an early 19th century novel by Polish author Jan Potocki, this is a bit like a cross between Don Quixote and the Decameron.  Stories are nested within stories and the narrative framework is quite nifty, but pretty easy to follow. Shot in B&W cinemascope and with a great score by Krysztof Penderecki, the outer stories taking place in the Spanish Sierra Morena have the most visual impact in a haunted, slightly surreal way. Some of the substories unfortunately degrade somewhat into slapstick and farce, but overall it remains entertaining.


(From goodguy's Watch Log on July 7th, 2010)

Don’t Look Now, a review by Jon

5 out of 5



Following the death of their daughter, John and Laura Baxter (Sutherland and Christie) move to Venice in an attempt to forget what has happened. However, they soon meet a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claim to be psychic and insists that she can see the spirit of their daughter.

(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on November 1st, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Extras: Series One (2006/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 174 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Plot:
Meet Andy Millman, Actor. Never forgets his lines because he never gets any.

Andy (Ricky Gervais) is a desperate man. He's been an actor for five years but thanks to his useless agent (Stephen Merchant), he's never done any real acting. Instead, he's a lowly film extra, making his mark in the background while the stars do their work. His partner in arms is the pitiable Maggie, a fellow extra and a hopeless romantic.

Andy may be an extra, but he's a star in his own right.

Too bad nobody else agrees.


Extras
1.01 Kate Winslet (2005-08-04)
Writer: Ricky Gervais (Writer), Stephen Merchant (Writer)
Director: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Cast: Ricky Gervais (Andy Millman), Ashley Jensen (Maggie Jacobs), Stephen Merchant (Agent), Charlotte Palmer (Suzanne), Francesca Martinez (Francesca), Kate Winslet (Herself), John Kirk (Mike), Kevin Moore (Father), Lucinda Raikes (Lisa), Pamela Lyne (Old Lady), Paul Pariser (Spark)

This episode predicted Kate Winslet's Oscar win in a Holocaust movie. The great thing about this series is, that famous actors appear as a parody of themselves.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on April 10th, 2011)