I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

This Polish film is one I found in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I definitely would never have heard of or watched it if it weren't for the appearance in the book, so I hoped for something good. Basically, set during the time of the Napoleonic wars, during a battle, in the Aragonese town of Saragossa (Zaragoza), an officer finds a large old book of drawings, and through the translations of an enemy officer, finds out that the author is his grandfather, captain of the Walloon guard Alfonse Van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski). Through flashbacks the film tells the story of Van Worden, a man of honour and courage, as he encounters various characters on his journey through the Sierra Morena Mountains. These characters include Moorish princesses Emina (Iga Cembrzyńska) and Zibelda (Joanna Jędryka), a Hermit (Kazimierz Opalinski) trying to cure a possessed lunatic, a cabalist, a sceptical mathematician and rationalist philosopher, a gypsy raconteur and a member of the Spanish Inquisition. All of their characters have their own stories to tell, Van Worden listens to them and gets involved with their lives until in the end he returns to Venta Quemada, but apparently all of his experiences may have a dream as he finds himself back where he started with the book. Also starring Slawomir Lindner as Van Worden's father, Miroslawa Lombardo as Van Worden's mother, Aleksander Fogiel as Nobleman and Franciszek Pieczka as Pacheco. To be completely honest, having to read the subtitles and the leading character going from place and place and meeting new people caused me to become rather confused, I could not keep up with everything, the critics describe is as complex, my attention was only caught by certain situation settings, the battle sequences, the good period costumes and the marvellous haunting music score by Krzysztof Penderecki, all in all I'm not sure it's something I'd watch again, but it is an alright fantasy adventure drama. Worth watching, at least once, in my opinion!

I am a lover of spooky movies. Let me say, without intellectual mumbo-jumbo, that the scenes involving the succubus sisters with Alfredo are absolutely terrific, with the most incredible mood, surreal atmosphere, and gorgeous women.However (yes, there is a 'however'... or two)... the film doesn't take this to its logical conclusion. While some may find the incessant flashback-into-present origami/napkin-folding storyline to be exhilarating, I found it to be tedious. Blame it on my film-watching habits, if you like... when a movie is interesting, and I begin to get involved and engrossed, I'm not inclined to being ripped out of the hypnotic state I'm in. If you want to say that the director meant it this way, or that "it follows the book," that still doesn't excuse setting the table and then not serving dinner.I *did* watch the entire 3-hour director's cut, and I *did* understand every aspect of the film, all of the subplots, and the tie-em-up finale. I "get" the black-and-white significance, and even "dug" the Polish actors as caballeros. But it just didn't move me.Particularly annoying was the subplot concerning Suarez and Moro. Call me lowbrow, but the slapstick antics of that segment did not cause me to chuckle, but to bristle.Perhaps my biggest disappointment came after I had already accepted that the film would drag, but promised myself that some life-altering messages might be thrust my way. Alas for me, none did. No humanist credo, no foibles to examine. Just a few vague moments of spine-tingling thrills, and some very pretty females. Not enough to warrant 180 minutes.So, get your index finger ready to give me a low score, because I don't recommend this as a chiller, nor a comedy, nor even an "event," but only for aficionados of puzzling foreign films.

Beautifully executed frame tale in the tradition of Decameron and Canterbury tales. the network of stories presented during Napoleonic Wars weaves together the tales and adventures of a young officer Alfons van Worden in the king's Walloon guard on his way to Corduba during the end of the 18th century.This is one of my favorite movies and is a masterpiece of film narrative. the story meshes together the tales of a cast of colorful characters met by the protagonist Alfons van Worden. Top performances from some of Poland's renowned actors and some aspiring actors who owe the success of their later careers in no small part to their performances in this movie.

I saw this one on TV many years ago and I was captivated! In the second change I had, I recored it on video and when my cassete was destroyed, I made a hopeless search in the internet, only to find that soon I could buy it on DVD. And I did. I just can't get away from this masterpiece of cinematography. Based on a book, clearly inspired from the 1001 nights, telling a story inside a story, inside a story (I love this), with a lot of Jorge Louis Borges magic I guess, celebrates the true joy of cinema, where nothing is more important that watch the film itself! The story is incredible, but just, doesn't matter! All I want with this one, is to see it again and again, not trying to understand the dark parts of it, or the connections between the stories, or to find my way out of the labyrinth that is build around you as you continue more inside its plot, but just to loose myself in it, be a part of it, and not wish to get out.Not for everyone, but probably a great choice if you don't like Chuck Norris too much!