This is a black-n-white movie where actions and comedy go combined.

The viewers are first presented with an intriguing story to follow, and then they are dazed and confused with more stories and even more stories to go. Some characters we meet as someone is telling their tale would go on and tell their own - and then good luck keeping up with what is happening and who is who. The "intriguing part" of this movie comes from the fact that it revolves around an overall odyssey theme, and exhibits some instances of supernatural and eroticism.

Produced in Poland in 1965, this movie is a kind that can transverse cultures and decades. It is based on a novel - "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa" - written by Jak Potocki and published in 1804. The language is Polish, of course, so reading English subtitles is required for those who don't know the language. But the body language and jokes are quite familiar - though humor tends to be a simple kind. Just don't let the confusion get to you - otherwise it can seen frustrating. By the middle of the movie - more sense can be made out of it.

The story begins with a local conflict. During the fighting, an officer enters a house and finds an interesting book out on a table. Another man, from opposing side, joins his side, and they read together. The book presents highly captivating pictures for these men: a drawing of an octopus, two seductive women, and two men hanged. One of the men recognizes the narrator to be his own grandfather. The movie then switches to show the story of his grandfather, a young man then, an officer, trying to find his way to Madrid through some ghost-infested mountains. This officer, however, is in for a whole lot of trouble being as un-afraid of ghosts as he is.

The subsequence scenes involve dueling, drinking from skull-shaped cups, two Muslim women, snakes, even more skulls, zombies, pocking an eye out, killing, implied sex, seduction, ghosts, hanged men, the Inquisition, torture, etc. Although quite funny, this movie would go best for a mature audience. It has many scenes of fighting, running about, and just scenes that for kids below age of 10 would seem confusing. It is better viewed in company of friends or alone on that Friday night.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older