7.7/10
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19 user 28 critic

Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)

| Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 12 December 1973 (Poland)
Sanatorium pod Klepsydra Poster
Józef visits his dying father at a remote mental institution, where time itself doesn't seem to exist, and the line between dreams and memories becomes indistinguishable.

Director:

Wojciech Has (as Wojciech J. Has)

Writers:

Wojciech Has (as Wojciech J. Has), Bruno Schulz (story "Santorium pod Klepsydra")

Stars:

Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
2 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

See all 19 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jan Nowicki ... Józef
Tadeusz Kondrat Tadeusz Kondrat ... Jakub - Józef's father
Irena Orska ... Józef's mother
Halina Kowalska ... Adela
Gustaw Holoubek ... Dr. Gotard
Mieczyslaw Voit ... Blind Conductor
Bozena Adamek ... Bianka
Ludwik Benoit ... Szloma
Henryk Boukolowski ... Fireman
Seweryn Dalecki Seweryn Dalecki ... Teodor
Julian Jabczynski Julian Jabczynski ... Dignitary
Jerzy Przybylski ... Mr. de Voss
Wiktor Sadecki Wiktor Sadecki ... Dignitary
Janina Sokolowska Janina Sokolowska ... Nurse
Wojciech Standello Wojciech Standello ... Jew Interlocutor in Restaurant
See full cast »
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Storyline

The film depicts its protagonist, Joseph (Jan Nowicki), traveling through a dream-like world, taking a dilapidated train to visit his dying father in a sanatorium. When he arrives at the hospital, he finds the entire facility is going to ruin and no one seems to be in charge, or even caring for the patients. Time appears to behave in unpredictable ways, reanimating the past in an elaborate artificial caprice. Written by Mr Bongo

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

alternate reality | bed | book | soldier | time travel | See All (34) »

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Official Sites:

Mr Bongo Films

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish | Yiddish | Hebrew | Latin

Release Date:

12 December 1973 (Poland) See more »

Also Known As:

The Hourglass Sanatorium See more »

Filming Locations:

Drohiczyn, Podlaskie, Poland See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zespól Filmowy "Silesia" See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Wojciech Has worked on this project for five years. See more »

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User Reviews

 
Bizarre and haunting
9 October 2001 | by Alex Klotz – See all my reviews

Based on a story collection of the same name by Bruno Schulz, who was shot by the Gestapo in 1942, this movie is one of the rare cases of a congenial adaptation of modern fantastic literature. It's a demanding movie and it is impossible to extract something like a plot line. There are various changes in between time and space, but once you get involved with the narrative, they seem perfectly logical. Also, there are many highly impressive sequences and settings - i have read somewhere (i can't give no reference right now, sorry) that it was the most expensive movie ever made in Poland, and maybe it still is. It certainly is one of the best. And, by the way, there is one scene with a room stuffed full of mannequins that looks like an inspiration to a similar sequence in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner", which is a great movie of its kind, but was made some years later and did much better at the box office.
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