Kino immer anders
During the Napoleonic wars, a French officer steps into an inn and discovers a book. He is so greatly fascinated by it that he does not notice his arrest by an enemy officer. However, soon, both are entirely engrossed. It tells of the travels of one of his ancestors through Spain. On his way, he meets all sorts of people: hermits, occultists, and bandits. They tell him stories, and in those stories, the protagonists tell each other further stories, and in those stories, even more stories are told.
The Saragossa Manuscript is a loving homage to the art of storytelling and the magic of cinema. Not only does one frame story lead to another, but they weave into each other. Therefore, the main character in one story is a side character in another story. Often, the same scene is told from multiple perspectives – and gains a different interpretation each time. However, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. With much humor, it playfully intersperses surrealism with esoteric imagery, and the erotic is never far off. It is never quite clear what we are to make of the main plot —are occult forces at play? Or is it, after all, just a jape?
Michael Schmutzer
