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EL SANATORIO DE LA CLEPSIDRA

Wojciech Jerzy Has | Poland | 1973 | 124 min. | O.V. in Polish, subtitles in Spanish
El Sanatorio de la Clepsidra

Variety critic Derek Elley described this boundless fantasy as “the cinematographic equivalent of all Mahler's symphonies put together”. At its heart is a man who, as he visits the crumbling sanatorium where his late father once stayed, embarks on a journey through time across its many rooms. On entering each room, he descends into worlds spun from a blend of memory and nightmares. As both an adult and child, he revisits fairy-tale riddles and formative sexual experiences, while also confronting the tragedy and trauma of the Holocaust. Winning the Jury Prize at Cannes, this adaptation of a story collection by the Jewish author Bruno Schulz is a mesmerising voyage through memory. Dreamlike, haunting, and at times unexpectedly humorous, this one-of-a-kind phantasmagoria—bathed in wintry hues of green and blue—is as disorienting as it is seductive.

Director and screenwriter: Wojciech Jerzy Has

Cinematography: Witold Sobociński

Editor: Janina Niedźwiecka

Music: Jerzy Maksymiuk

Production:  Andrzej Plocki, Jerzy Skarzynsk

Producer:  Film Polski, Silesia

Cast: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska