Blu-ray Review: The Saragossa Manuscript (Mr Bongo)

"Evil spirits take on so many forms. It's really confusing."

Wojciech Has' 1965 film was based on a book written by Jan Potocki, titled "The Manuscript Found In Saragossa". This labyrinthine book was written in 1815. Running for over 600 pages, it covers a 65 day period of very strange events, and was set during Napoleon's invasion of Spain. Has' film condenses the stories into 5 days, and runs for just over 3 hours.

The likes of David Lynch, Luis Bunuel, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have all lavished praise on this film: indeed, Scorsese and Coppola took up the baton from The Greatful Dead's Jerry Garcia who sadly passed away before he could see it restored.
The film begins in Saragossa during the Napoleonic wars, when a retreating Captain seeks refuge in a bomb-damaged house. There, he encounters a rival soldier and together they begin to read a book written in Spanish. The hefty tome contains weird illustrations - two men hanging from gallows and two women in bed - and contains many stories. The central character is Alphonso Van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski from "Ashes And Diamonds") who is the grandfather of one of the men. Van Worden begins a journey to Madrid with two companions; a voyage of discovery destined to be interrupted by a series of bewildering events. After witnessing the sight of two hanging brothers, Van Worden arrives at an inn where he is invited to "a modest supper" by two sisters from Grenada. The women claim to be Moorish princesses and tell Van Worden he's their cousin, and is also last in the line of the Gonzalez clan.
Van Worden is asked to drink from a skull chalice and apparently falls asleep, waking up surrounded by skulls under the gallows.

"The Saragossa Manuscript" is a Chinese puzzle box, coming over as a Polish 'Arabian Nights', introducing new characters with stories to tell which reference previous names, faces and images.
It's very funny in places, with the humour fitting in beautifully. There's a long running gag about sword duels flaring up at the drop of a hat; an absolute nuisance of a hanger-on who always turns up at meal time and a priceless line that's extremely appropriate: "Do you think there should be a ladder under every window?"
There's also a group of weird and wonderful characters characters who seduce, inform and terrify Van Worden, including a hermit, a possessed man (who loses an eye in a stomach-churning incident), sexy succubi and a gypsy who plunges into a story that turns out to be four-layered.

There's more than a fair share of chills, too, with vanishing figures, ghostly tales and the preponderance of skulls reminding us the line between the living and the dead is wafer thin.

The 3 hour running time doesn't have an ounce of fat and actually flies by, such is the richness of its many tales. There are times when one wonders where the reality ends and fantasy begins, and that is the central theme of this compelling film. Of course, the myriad twists and turns mean there's an awful lot to take in on a single viewing, so repeat screenings are necessary in order to fully appreciate the depth of this work.
I did wonder, on a few occasions, whether additional scenes were shot but not included in the final cut: the sight of Van Worden appearing at a window with head injuries and no indication of how he received them is one such instance. We'll probably never know, but it certainly adds to the film's air of mystery.

Mr Bongo's Blu-ray presentation - it was previously available on DVD - marked my first viewing of this film, and most certainly not my last. Mreczyslaw Jahoda's stunning camerawork reveals rich monochrome imagery: the streets bathed in sunlight, and reverting to a shadowy domain when darkness falls; the mountains of Sierra Morena sometimes resembling human (?) faces carved in stone; a four poster bed in a flooded cave where tricks of the light make one's imagination run riot... these challenging, changing images all look splendid in a restoration that is crisp and detailed in high definition.
The score by Krzysztof Penderecki comes over beautifully via the mono soundtrack. Many of you will have heard excerpts from Penderecki's work via "The Shining", "The Exorcist" and "Inland Empire", and his style suits this film so very well.

"The Saragossaa Manuscript" will be available to purchase in the UK on 7th September. It's an all-region disc with English subtitles.
Those of you who enjoy challenging cinema with no easy answers are directed to indulge in its many delights.

Looking Back At The Story Of Sin

While I'm in a Borowczyk mood, I thought I'd reprint a review I wrote, over a decade earlier, of "The Story Of Sin".
I'm extremely hopeful Arrow will eventually release this.

Sefon Zeromski’s literary classic provided the inspiration behind Walerian Borowczyk’s first (and last) feature to be shot in his native country of Poland.Working under the strict regime of the Catholic church, Borowczyk was forced to tone down the more sexually explicit elements of his source, and yet constructed an erotic melodrama that may yet turn out to be the film he’ll be remembered for. In her feature debut, Grazya Dlugolecko plays Ewa - a young woman who falls in love with a lodger at her parents home. When Lukas Niepolomski (Zelnik) turns out to be a married man, Ewa embarks on a tragic journey; her path littered by a succession of men who bring lust, deception, jealousy and death.

Those who associate Borowczyk with little more than boobs ‘n’ bums would do well to investigate this stately account of a life less ordinary which strides purposefully forward to the music of Mendelssohn. Here, Borowczyk shows a remarkable eye for detail in his socio-political condemnation of 70s Poland, while largly leaving his cast to grow with the story. The men in Ewa’s life - a wholly unsympathetic bunch - are well portrayed by a capable troupe of performers (Zelnik, in particular, is excellent as Ewa’s guardian devil) but it’s Dlugolecko who should receive the lion's share of the praise.
Her remarkable performance wrings every last drop of emotion from the words and images of this film, compelling one to wonder why she failed to reach the heights of her profession (more on that later). With an approach to her art and a style that reminds me of Fassbinder’s Hanna Schygulla, Grazya commands sympathy for her deeds and her suffering, taking us through several emotionally intense scenes, including a shattering event that you really will not want to witness: watch out for the roses scene, too, which surely inspired that much-talked about scene from American Beauty. Apart from a rather messy final scene (partially rescued by a beautiful closing shot), The Story Of Sin remains a timeless, harrowing study of the exploitation of sin and the innocent. Indeed, it inhabits the same block as Terence Davis’ The House Of Mirth and Harry Kumel’s extraordianary Eline Vere, while not being quite so moving.
Full marks, then, to Nouveaux Pictures for their release of a Region 2 DVD which honours this important work.In lieu of a full restoration, picture quality is as good as one could hope for, with a generally stable, colourful transfer. Extras are also well catered for, and include a commentary track and interviews with two key figures from the film.The still-gorgeous Dlugolecko takes part in a 6 minute interview, during which she explains how she got the role sans audition; why The Story Of Sin remains her biggest film, and her profound regret that she failed to push her career in foreign markets “until it was too late”. Borowczyk also gets 6 minutes of face time; giving us some background on his film; commenting that Disney features are more erotic than his own productions, and countering accusations of being “a big pervert” from a rather forward interviewer.While it’s a matter of regret that both interviews are so short in length, it’s a genuine pleasure to see and hear the participants.

The audio commentary track, from Daniel Bird, is restricted to comments on selected scenes with valuable information on Borowzyk’s career and a breakdown of Polish life during and prior to the making of this film.
Unfortunately, a major technical glitch meant that much of the commentary track was 'lost' to us, but there's a good chance it may one day surface in its entirety. I hope so, as Daniel is an authority not just On Borowczyk, but Polish cinema in general, and his information and observations will increase enjoyment and understanding.

Blu-ray Review: The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Miss Osbourne (Arrow Academy)

Arrow Academy's "Camera Obscura: The Wlaerian Borowczyk Collection" boxset came out in 2014 amidst multi-disc collections celebrating the work of great directors such as Werner Herzog and Alain Robbe-Grillet. For many people, Arrow's 'Boro' collection turned out to be the year's finest release; no mean feat, given the alternative riches that graced the UK market. Now, Arrow has released Borowczyk's "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Miss Osbourne" and I'm pleased to report the top spot in Home Video releases once again beckons.

Released in 1981, Borowczyk's astonishing take on Robert Louis Stevenson's literary creation unfolds almost exclusively amongst a maze of the rooms and corridors of a house that will soon turn into a morgue. The engagement of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Udo Kier) and Miss Fanny Osbourne (Marina Pierro) has drawn a select group of people to celebrate the impending union, including Patrick Magee's General who turns up in full regalia, bearing arrows with poisoned tips as a rather macabre wedding gift. A most brutal murder sends shockwaves through the household, leading to a long night of terror for the inhabitants of this house of death. With Magee in suitably demented form, and Howard Vernon delivering an assured turn as Jekyll's medical adversary Dr. Lanyon, there are some fine performances to savour, not least from the two leads.

Kier is splendid as the Doctor whose experiments with Transcendental Medicine conjures up the nightmare inducing Mr. Hyde (Gerard Zalcberg), while Pierro, breathtakingly beautiful, really enters into her 'tale of two women' role with a fierce passion.

The subject of Transcendental Medicine was probably unknown to most of us. An article in The Economist reveals some scientists believe it to be the source of out of the body experiences. By stimulating the right angular gyrus( a point about an inch above and slightly behind the right ear), a sensation of travelling outside the body can be experienced. Here, a vial of Solicor and a bathtub enable Jekyll to realise a second bestial self, and gives rise to transformation scenes which culminate in a real show-stopper at the end: "Fill me with hatred".
With the women in the house comatose through morphine-induced slumber, Lanyon encounters the evil Hyde who stands to inherit all that Jekyll possesses, and discovers method and madness that will turn his own beliefs to dust.

Set to a mesmerising score from Bernard Parmegiani, "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Miss Osbourne" will greatly repay multiple viewings. The lighting, framing and set design are beautiful, with DOP Noel Very capturing art, objects and the very souls of Jekyll and his intended to painterly effect. Johannes Vermeer's 'Woman In Blue Reading A Letter' is a key work of art here, but freeze frame practically any moment in this film and it's like gazing at a painting.
The beauty of Fanny Osbourne; the malice in the face of Hyde; the absolute carnage of the finale.... they all make for arresting images in a film that's rich in detail and containing not a little blood. Borowczyk's film has been passed uncut by the BBFC (after being referred for "senior review"). It's very strong stuff in places,uncompromising and subversive, but its artistic merits and directorial finesse ensured the board reached the correct decision.

This film has been restored in 2K for Arrow Academy's Blu-ray, with the colour grading overseen by Noel Very.
Image quality is sumptuous, with the costumes, set designs and diffusion as close as humanly possible to the very first screening. Another triumph for Arrow's James White and encoder David Mackenzie.
The sound has also undergone rigorous attention being crisp and clear, and offers the option of listening in either French or English language. As usual on Arrow product, there are subtitles for the hard of hearing.
The supplementary material begins with a commentary track in the form of interviews. First up is Noel Very, who explains how the original DOP Martin Bell was ousted and recalls Borowczyk was an impatient director in certain areas.
Later on in this track, Very has some very interesting things to say about diffusion, lighting and framing shots.
Walerian Borowczyk talks about his two leads, remarking Pierro was "a classical beauty"; discusses set design; the transformation scenes and Ridley Scott's "Alien".
Assistant Michael Levy has a lot to say, explaining Borowczyk wanted to understand film at every level and that he was always ahead of the time. Michael explains his own introduction to Borowczyk's work and holds forth with his own opinions on a wealth of subjects.
Khadica Bariha (editor) talks about different stages of editing; working with Chris Marker and her working relationship with Borowczyk.
Noel Simsolo (filmmaker) chats about Jekyll and is own take on Borowczyk's cinema.
The track is moderated by Daniel Bird who has many astute observations to make, mentioning and highlighting the director's interest in objects; how Borowczyk viewed art as a seperate entity and that the film adaptation of "Sir Henry At Rawlinson End" was an influence for this film.



A short films section follows, with "Happy Toy" (2m 17s) which was made in 1979 and rediscovered in 2014. This one harks back to the early days of cinema, based on Charles-Emile Reynaud's praxinoscope, and is a nice take on how things were.
"Himorogi" (2012) runs for 16m 58s and is an absorbing tribute to Borowczyk by Marina & Alessio Pierro. It was inspired by the way Borowczyk projected photographs and drawings onto a transparent screen, with some of the images and objects taken from the director's work, including the veil from "Love Rites" and the necklace from "Dr. Jekyll". This is a dark delight, using stop-motion and set to another edgy score from Parmegiani.

Interviews:
Udo Kier (11m 19s) recalls his work in "Lulu"; talks about the transformation scene and of how he was actually going to play the role of Hyde as well.
Marina Pierro (20m 17s) gives an off-camera interview, recalling a screening of "The Beast" made a strong impression on her, and goes on to talk about Kier, how she wanted to ask Magee about working with Kubrick and Losey and the genesis of "Himorogi" and its mood and motivation. It's clear she has a tremendous affection for Borowczyk - with whom she shares a love of art - and remarks that working on his set was like learning at a film school.
Alessio Pierro on Himorogi (10m 36s). Alessio discusses how he learned so much from Borowczyk, and explains about the tchniques used for this short film.
Sarah Mallinson On Walerian Borowczyk And Peter Foldes (10m 1 s). Sarah recalls meeting Borowczyk when he was presenting "Angel's Games" and talks about her late husband Peter who embraced the possibilities of computer animation. Clips from "Metedata" and "Hunger are shown, amongst others.

Documentaries And Essays
An Appreciation By Michael Brooke (32m52s)
Michael has been a fan of Borowczyk for over 30 years, and delivers a wonderful appreciation of his work. Michael recalls seeing "The Blood Of Dr. Jekyll" at London's Classic cinema; a screenign that compelled him to seek out for features from the director. He gives us the lowdown on Borowczyk's background as an artist; his amateur filmmaking; the period when Boro began to lose support and why the BFI got cold feet over a project. It's a most rewarding half hour and a prefect introduction for those who missed out on the boxset (and who we direct to the individual releases which are available now).

Phantasmagoria Of The Interior (14m 39s)
A video essay by Adrian Martin and Cristina Alvarez Lopez. This superb essay looks at the world of objects and interior spaces in the film and how they relate to the repressed world of women. Vermeer's 'Woman In Blue Reading A Letter' is described as being unique in Vermeer's work and its influence is explored together with the framing which, is pointed, out often has no corners, floors or ceilings in shot. The entrapment of women is covered along with the fact that women are usually victims or liberators in Borowczyk's work.

Eyes That Listen (10m 2s)
Daniel Bird takes a look at Bernard Parmegiani's score and interviews Andrzej Markowski and Wlodimierz Kotonski. Bernard's sound library is mentioned, and how he would watch a film before composing and immerse himself in it. Sarah Mallinson appears again, and the overall theme of images made complete with music is explored. Fascinating listening.

Return To Melies: Borowczyk And Early Cinema (6m 50s)
Towards the end of 'Jekyll', four still photographs suggest the streets of London as seen froma carriage. This harks back to Borowczyk's filmmaking experiments in Poland during the late 1950s. Clips from "Dom", "Diptych" and "Rosalie" illustrate this featurette.
The disc ends with a 1m 14s trailer. The original French soundtrack had been lost, so Parmegiani's score is used and the viewer can also opt to select an English voice-over or commentary from editor Khadica Bariha.
Arrow also includes a booklet as an integral part of the extras, with writing by Daniel Bird, Andrey Pieyre de Mandiargues and an introduction and script extract from the director along with contemporary reviews.
Daniel's 'A Bath Full Of Solicor' examines the parallels between Bunuel's "The Exterminating Angel"; talks about Stevenson's novel and the 'Bath Trick'.
Daniel also penned essays on "Happy Toys" and "Himorogi", describing the latter as "a sensual response" to Borowczyk's work. Excellent writing which will increase understanding and appreciation of Boro's work.

Arrow Academy's Blu-ray is regions ABC, and it's available to buy now. For the film, the quality of the restoration and the bountiful and rewarding extras, this release carries a high recommendation. A labour of love and it shows.

Blu-ray Review: Blanche

Walerian Borowczyk's 1972 film saw his wife, Ligia Branice, play the role of a young woman whose innocence and beauty captivate the men around her. Her older husband (Michel Simon) is a Baron whose estate has become a virtual prison for his beloved; a barren desert where his lonely rose withers, devoid of the life she once hoped for. The Baron's son, Nicolas (Lawrence Trimble), has just returned from Egypt and exhibits strong feelings for his stepmother. The arrival of the King (Geroges Wilson) and his page Bartolomeo (Jacques Perrin) lengthens the line of would-be suitors, leading to jealousy, betrayal, violence and death amongst the four men in her life.

Heavily influenced by medieval paintings and by a 19th century play named 'Mazepo', 'Blanche' is a feast for the eyes, with Guy Durban's camera capturing the sumptuous sets and intricate lighting, while his inventive framing also adds much to the film. Performance-wise, Michel Simon gains in stature with his emotional-charged turn as a man whose world has been torn asunder by family and strangers, while Wilson and Perrin play against each other beautifully, each trying to best the other on the rocky road to acceptance.

'Blanche' really is a film to savour, even amidst the tragic elements of the story, and an important part of Arrow Academy's Borowczyk collection.

Image quality is outstanding, courtesy of the restoration taken from original 35mm elements, and provides us with painterly detail in every scene. Realism is an important part of this film, even down to the soundtrack which features period instruments and adapts the 'Cormona Burara' songbook. Viewers can opt to listen to a 5 minute introduction from director Leslie Megahey, who explains how 'Blanche' inspired him and showed him that everything is possible.
The supplementary material is of great value, beginning with Ballad Of Imprisonment: Making Blanche. This is a 28 minute documentary, beginning with a contribution from Patrice Leconte (second assistant director) who explains how two of his reviews for Cahiers du Cinema lead to him meeting Borowczyk and working on 'Blanche'. Andre Heinrich - first assistant director - and Noel Very - camera assistant to Guy Durban - also contribute, discussing storyboards and the challenges posed by their director's requirements. We also learn about the opposition to casting Branice in the lead role, and Dominique Duvage talks about the production and Borowczyk's methods for lighting and framing.

Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait Of Walerian Borowczyk
A 63 minute interview, where the director holds forth on animation vs film, art, sex and the freedom to make his kind of film. He explains he wasn't imbued with Polish art, and goes onto highlight various influences on his own extraordinary art.

Gunpoint 1972
Peter Graham's 11 minute short takes place on a vast estate where the aimless rich gather to indulge in a pheasant shoot. Here, 'beaters' are employed to drive the pheasants towards the guns, doubtless adding to the sense of accomplishment for these vacuous people. The sight of the group tucking in to dinner after a hard days work will be offensive to many, which was probably Graham's intention, and shows up this 'sport' for exactly what it is. Graham's short also briefly records the lifespan of these birds, from fledglings to full-grown prey.

Behind Enemy Lines: Making Gunpoint
Here, Peter Graham explains how Borowczyk helped him make this film; of a disagreement they had over the ending and the fact that 'Gunpoint' was not well received by the hutning party when they viewed it. 'Behind Enemy Lines' is an apt title.

'Blanche' can also be found on Camera Obscura:The Walerian Borowczyk Collection, which includes key films from a 25 year period, stretching from 1959 - 1984. This dual format release also includes a book edited by Daniel Bird and Michael Brooke, which includes newly commissioned essays on the director's films and art, and an account of the restoration process involved.

'Blanche' is accompanied by the following individual releases which are also included in the box set:

Goto, Isle Of Love
Walerian Borowczyk's second feature was just as original as his first. Almost entirely live action this time, it is situated on the archipelago of Goto, which has been cut off from the rest of human civilisation by a massive earthquake and has consequently developed its own arcane rules. Melancholic dictator Goto III (Pierre Brasseur) is married to the beautiful Glossia (Ligia Branice), who in turn is lusted after by the petty thief Gozo (Guy Saint-Jean) as he works his way up the hierarchy.

Its thinly veiled critique of totalitarianism saw it banned in both Communist Poland and Fascist Spain (to Borowczyk's delight), but the film is most notable for its uniquely original atmosphere, in which bizarre props and sets (designed by Borowczyk himself) are given as much weight as the human actors. Its grave beauty is underscored to perfection by one of Handel's organ concertos.

This brand new high-definition restoration from the original 35mm interpositive includes the haunting colour sequences that were sometimes omitted from earlier releases.

Introduction by artist and Turner Prize nominee Craigie Horsfield
The Concentration Universe: Goto, Isle of Love – A new interview programme featuring actor Jean-Pierre Andréani, cameraman Noël Véry and camera assistant Jean-Pierre Platel
The Profligate Door – A new documentary about Borowczyk's sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet
Original theatrical trailer

Immoral Tales
Although it has much in common with Walerian Borowczyk's earlier work, Immoral Tales marks the point where his reputation as an arty pornographer began, and was sexually explicit enough to have caused problems with the censors on its original UK release.

It tells four stories revolving around particular taboos (virginity, female masturbation, bloodlust, incest), each delving further back in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human history and in all walks of life, whether it's Lucrezia Borgia (Florence Bellamy) or Erzsébet Báthory (Paloma Picasso in her only screen role) or the anonymous teenagers of the earlier episodes.

This high-definition restoration by Argos Films is being released on Blu-ray with English subtitles for the first time. The film is presented in two versions: the familiar four-part edition, and the original five-part conception, including the short film The True Story of the Beast of Gévaudan that was later expanded into Borowczyk's later feature The Beast. The disc also includes both cuts of A Private Collection (1973), the short film that scandalised film festival audiences with its witty and often graphic study of vintage erotica.

Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird
Immoral Tales: L'Age d'Or Cut – featuring a fifth episode, The True Story of the Beast of Gévaudan
Love Reveals Itself: Immoral Tales – A new interview programme featuring production manager Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and cinematographer Noël Véry
Boro Brunch: A reunion meal recorded in February 2014 re-uniting members of Borowczyk's crew, featuring Philippe D'Argila, Florence Dauman, Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, Dominique Ruspoli, Noël Véry and Zoe Zurstrassen
A Private Collection
A Private Collection: Oberhausen Cut
Original theatrical trailer

The Beast
Originally turned down flat by the British Board of Film Censors and initially released exclusively in London in a version heavily cut by its nervous distributor, The Beast is Walerian Borowczyk's most notorious film, although it's much wittier and more playful than its subject matter might suggest.

Lucy Broadhurst (Lisbeth Hummel) is due to inherit a substantial fortune, but on condition that she marries the son of her late father's best friend. But Mathurin de l'Espérance (Pierre Benedetti) seems more interested in his horses than in his bride-to-be, and when Lucy finds out about the story of his 18th-century ancestor Romilda (Sirpa Lane) and brings her to life in one of the most outrageous dream sequences in cinema history, we begin to realise just how bizarre Mathurin's bloodline truly is.

Receiving its Blu-ray world premiere, this new high-definition restoration by Argos Films is supported by the original short-film version of The Beast, and Venus on the Half-Shell (1975), Borowczyk's portrait of the painter Bona Tibertelli de Pisis and her erotic fusions of men, women and molluscs.

Introduction by critic Peter Bradshaw
The Making of The Beast: Camera operator Noël Véry provides a commentary on footage shot during the making of The Beast
Frenzy of Ecstasy – A new visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk's beast and the sequel that never was, Motherhood
Venus on the Half Shell
Original theatrical trailer

The Short Films & Theatre Of Mr and Mrs Kabal
For the first decade of his career, Walerian Borowczyk exclusively made short films, initially in his native Poland, but then mostly in France, where he settled permanently in the late 1950s. This disc includes the vast majority of the shorts that he made between 1959 and 1984, apart from ones that were originally intended to accompany specific features.

Far from being prentice work or optional extras, the shorts include many of his greatest films, such as the cut-out Astronauts, the reverse-motion Renaissance and the extraordinary Angels' Games, a one-off masterpiece of the macabre that would alone establish Borowczyk as one of the cinema's most innovative artists.

In 1967, Borowczyk made his feature debut, a grotesque and surreal fantasy about the physically and temperamentally mismatched couple Mr & Mrs Kabal. Made with a tiny production team at a time when animated feature films were far scarcer than they are now, it's almost the polar opposite of a Disney film, with angular, mainly monochrome graphics bringing the Kabals' universe to startlingly vivid life. Both this and all the short films are presented in brand new high-definition restorations from original 35mm elements.

Introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam
Film is not a Sausage: Borowczyk's Short Films – A new interview programme featuring Borowczyk, producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, assistant André Heinrich and composer Bernard Parmegiani
Blow Ups – A new visual essay by Daniel Bird concerning Borowczyk's works on paper
Borowczyk's commercials

The above titles will be released by Arrow Academy on 8th September, and stack up as important releases for students of world cinema.