Wojciech Has

The fantastical and the bizarre are elements which make up much of Polish director Wojciech Has’ work. Unlike most of his peers, throughout his career he tended to avoid political themes, preferring to create magical and surreal worlds in which to place his characters. The Hourglass Sanatorium is arguably his greatest achievement. As Joseph (Jan …

The Manuscript Found in Saragossa is a prime example of a brilliantly conceived frame-tale; stories found within a story. Written by Count Jan Potocki, it was published in the 19th Century but not fully completed at the time of the author’s suicide. Polish filmmaker Wojciech Has adapted it for The Saragossa Manuscript in 1965 and …