epic in cinema, this intricate and genre-bending tapestry from the great Wojciech 
Has is a mesmerizing puzzle box of a film that rewards multiple viewings. Somewhat successful in its native country upon release, the film's three-hour running time (and some mild casual nudity) became an issue abroad where it was given spotty distribution in a variety of severely edited versions over the years. Famously, Jerry Garcia was an early devotee and pushed for its restoration, something that came to pass after his death with the involvement of Martin Scorsese and a limited repertory release in the U.S. in 2001 thanks to the restoration of Has' persona print (the only complete one in existence). Since then the film has amassed a deserve cult following, with its mixture of horror, surrealism, wry humor, and outrageous mind games anticipating the wave of midnight movies to come in following decades. 
and Diamonds' Cybulski) who takes a shortcut through the surrounding mountain and comes across a pair of enigmatic princesses who invite him 
to dine for the evening and reveal they are his cousins. After the evening takes a dark turn, he finds himself spiraling through a bizarre cast of characters and interlocking tales involving the Spanish Inquisition, cabalism, royalty, murder, and repeated returns to a sinister execution site. 
to the original mono) with optional Polish or English subtitles and an audiodescription track, plus 
a 1-minute restoration trailer, a 1m58s restoration demo, a superfluous gallery of frame grabs, a restoration gallery, and a Kino RP promo reel. The U.K. also saw DVD and Blu-ray releases from Mr. Bongo in 2008 and 2015 respectively, with no extras and from the same restoration. 
special place in world cinema, as well as the director's approach to literary adaptation and the elements of Polish and World War II history found in his work. The film itself looks great and comes from the 
identical restoration preserving the essential scope framing, which comes with some baked-in "CinemaScope mumps" (horizontal distortion) due to the lenses used during production. An intermission break has always been present in the full cut, and this is the only Blu-ray that actually splits the film into two separate files running 102m41s and 80m47s. The Polish DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track is also in fine condition and features optional yellow English subtitles. The disc comes with a booklet featuring two essays, Insdorf's "The Saragossa Manuscript: Incertitude and Internal Rhymes" (about the film's significance to Polish audiences, its use of Jewish tropes, and the hidden possible meanings of its serpentine structure) and Atnon Bitel's "Lost in History" (covering ties to other anthology publications, the use of twin allusions, and the various meanings of the title itself.