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The Hourglass Sanatorium

Original title: Sanatorium pod Klepsydra
  • 19731973
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Horror
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Wojciech Has
  • Writers
    • Wojciech Has
    • Bruno Schulz(story "Santorium pod Klepsydra")
  • Stars
    • Jan Nowicki
    • Tadeusz Kondrat
    • Irena Orska
Top credits
  • Director
    • Wojciech Has
  • Writers
    • Wojciech Has
    • Bruno Schulz(story "Santorium pod Klepsydra")
  • Stars
    • Jan Nowicki
    • Tadeusz Kondrat
    • Irena Orska
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 24User reviews
    • 31Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:58
    Trailer

    Photos45

    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Jan Nowicki in Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Jan Nowicki in Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Jan Nowicki in Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)
    Sanatorium pod Klepsydra (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jan Nowicki
    Jan Nowicki
    • Józefas Józef
    Tadeusz Kondrat
    Tadeusz Kondrat
    • Jakub - Józef's fatheras Jakub - Józef's father
    Irena Orska
    Irena Orska
    • Józef's motheras Józef's mother
    Halina Kowalska
    Halina Kowalska
    • Adelaas Adela
    Gustaw Holoubek
    Gustaw Holoubek
    • Dr. Gotardas Dr. Gotard
    Mieczyslaw Voit
    Mieczyslaw Voit
    • Blind Conductoras Blind Conductor
    Bozena Adamek
    Bozena Adamek
    • Biankaas Bianka
    Ludwik Benoit
    Ludwik Benoit
    • Szlomaas Szloma
    Henryk Boukolowski
    Henryk Boukolowski
    • Firemanas Fireman
    Seweryn Dalecki
    • Teodoras Teodor
    Julian Jabczynski
    • Dignitaryas Dignitary
    Jerzy Przybylski
    Jerzy Przybylski
    • Mr. de Vossas Mr. de Voss
    Wiktor Sadecki
    Wiktor Sadecki
    • Dignitaryas Dignitary
    Janina Sokolowska
    • Nurseas Nurse
    Wojciech Standello
    • Jew Interlocutor in Restaurantas Jew Interlocutor in Restaurant
    Tadeusz Schmidt
    Tadeusz Schmidt
    • Officeras Officer
    Szymon Szurmiej
    Szymon Szurmiej
    • Jewish Man Reciting False Qoheleth's Versesas Jewish Man Reciting False Qoheleth's Verses
    Jan Szurmiej
    Jan Szurmiej
    • Instructive Jewish Manas Instructive Jewish Man
    • Director
      • Wojciech Has
    • Writers
      • Wojciech Has
      • Bruno Schulz(story "Santorium pod Klepsydra")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Mr Bongo
    • alternate reality
    • bed
    • book
    • soldier
    • time travel
    • 31 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Horror
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Despite the communist authorities' ban on the film, it was in secret sent to Cannes in film cans with false inscriptions on them. Because of this incident, Has couldn't make any movie for the next 8 years.

    User reviews24

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Genius!
    The Hourglass Sanatorium is the first bizarre adventure movie I've actually enjoyed. It's an adaptation of Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, but not solely, it also includes sequences from other works by Bruno Schulz. its unique, isolated world, its atmospherics, colours and shapes. The time period of the film is a mixture of elements from the turn-of-the-century Galicia where Schulz grew up, and Has' own pre-World War II memories of the same region.

    The production design is outstanding. The cinematography - the costumes, buildings, props and other requisites is absolutely amazing. And so is the camera work. It floats elegantly through the awe-inspiring world created by the design team, frequently incorporating very long tracking shots through the grand sets and locations. The envoirmental attributes is as eye-catchingly surreal too, from the sudden appearance of elephants to some disturbing mechanical mannequins.

    And the story is, a subsequent dream-like journey through absurd surrealism, with infinitely random externalized stream of collective consciousness. It's a timeless voyage through the subconsciousness, a puzzle with small bits and pieces scattered throughout its tale, and takes on every thing imaginable. Its a movie experience like you've never seen before, just sit back and enjoy the absurd masterpiece playing front of your very eyes.

    But of course, given that the claws of the repulsively fundamentalist and contradictory Communist regime, the authorities forbid Has to submit The Hourglass Sanatorium for the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but the director managed to smuggle a print abroad so the film could be screened at the festival. The Cannes jury, led by actress Ingrid Bergman, honoured the film with the Jury Prize.
    helpful•3
    0
    • XxEthanHuntxX
    • Dec 13, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 12, 1973 (Poland)
    • Country of origin
      • Poland
    • Official site
      • Mr Bongo Films
    • Languages
      • Polish
      • Yiddish
      • Hebrew
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • The Sandglass
    • Filming locations
      • Drohiczyn, Podlaskie, Poland
    • Production company
      • Zespól Filmowy "Silesia"
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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    Aug 20The Film Stage
    Witold Sobocinski Dies: Cinematographer On Films By Polanski, Wajda & Others Was 89
    Witold Sobocinski Dies: Cinematographer On Films By Polanski, Wajda & Others Was 89
    Nov 20Deadline Film + TV

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